A total of 130 female delegates were crowned Saree Icon Malaysia 2021 and earned an entry into the Cholan Book of World Records for the most number of models on a catwalk adorning an Indian traditional saree, sash and a crown for Saree Icon Malaysia 2021 event.
The Cholan Book of World Records (CBWR) is an international standards organization headquartered in Tamil Nadu, India with 27 representative offices worldwide, including in Malaysia.
Organized by Harry International Talents (HITs), the grand coronation ceremony and record-breaking event was held at Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) Civic Centre Auditorium on Dec 5, 2021.
The delegates of all ages, ethnicities and walks of life included 110 multiracial models being awarded the Saree Icon Malaysia 2021 title while 20 other recognized personalities appointed as Saree Icon Malaysia 2021 Ambassadors.
All recipients received a sash, a crown and a Certificate of Recognition from the Cholan Book of World Records.
CBWR Malaysia general president Dr Murugan Periannai presented the certification award to HITs founder and chief executive officer Dr. Barnikumar Balakrishnan @ Harry in recognition for achieving such a feat.
In an unexpected addition to the night, a surprised Barnikumar was also presented with an Honorary Doctorate Award for Social Work and Humanities by the Malaysia South India Chamber of Commerce (MSICC). The award was presented by its president Dato Sri Dr S. Venugopal.
Dr. Murugan congratulated Dr. Barnikumar for the record-breaking feat, and said, “We are trying to foster unity among all Malaysians as amplified by our Prime Minister Dato’ Sri Ismail Sabri bin Yaakob with his #KeluargaMalaysia initiative.”
Dr Barnikumar said the key objective of Saree Icon Malaysia 2021 was to encourage Malaysian women of Indian descent and all other races, as well as other nationalities, to wear saree as their regular clothes.
“We were inspired to do this event as we wanted to break a world record after so many years in the events industry. By participating, every delegate involved is contributing and is part of the process, and a winner,” he said.
“The event was originally planned to take place in July 2021, but had to be postponed, after MCO 3.0 was declared but this gave us the opportunity and more time to train and prepare the recipients through various virtual programs and workshops.”
According Dr Barnikumar, despite being an experienced event organizer, they had to face a lot of challenges during the pandemic, especially the difficulties in finding sponsors and participants, and despite the various restrictions imposed on them, they still had to soldier on.
Events held simultaneously with Saree Icon Malaysia 2021 were HITs Fashion Wave 2021, Simply Kids Fashion Wave 2021 and HITs Supermodels Fashion Wave 2021.
Harry International Talents is hoping to organize the same event again next year with the aim of breaking their own world record, this time with 500 delegates.
