Sarees are rarely considered the best clothing to play sports or run a marathon as it can limit one’s movements. The 41-year-old native of Kendrapada, now a resident of the UK, finished the Manchester marathon in 4 hrs 50 minutes on Sunday while wearing a handloom Sambalpuri saree. Since she was photographed participating in the Manchester Marathon, the Odia woman living in the UK has become widely known.
She is an Odia woman who teaches high school there and completed the 42.5-kilometre Manchester Marathon. The saree set her apart from the others who were sporting sports jerseys. She proudly expressed her Indian heritage and became a well-known inspiration for many.
Remarks
According to a tweet from the UK diaspora organization Friends of India Society International (FISI), she also offers a warm perspective on the traditional Indian dress.
A video of Das running briskly alongside the other competitors was posted to Twitter by the official account of the “Friends of India Soc International UK.” A beaming smile appears on her face as she waves to the camera. Additionally, they uploaded a lovely picture of her beaming at the crowd while saluting.
The post received 1,044K likes and over 47K views. A tweet that shared the posts claimed that an Odia living in Manchester, United Kingdom, participated in the second-largest Manchester Marathon in 2023 while wearing a Sambalpuri saree. On social media, Jena’s images from the marathon are gaining popularity. Twitter comments are very welcoming of these new changes. The tweets commented, stating nice and encouraged her to compete in triathlons.
Many Indians commented on Das’s remarkable accomplishment in the comment section. Nice, now hopefully we can find people wearing patta saree, a Twitter user commented. A Manibandha Khandua saree is how one user described the style of the saree Das is wearing. Another person said that completing a 42-kilometre marathon is a big deal, and they must say that doing so while wearing a traditional Indian saree is an extraordinary achievement.
However, Das has experience competing in long-distance marathons. She admitted that she was the only marathon runner wearing a saree in an interview with the New Indian Express. Das is a school teacher by trade. “Running for so long is already challenging, but doing it while wearing a saree is even more challenging. Nevertheless, she added, “I’m happy I could travel the entire distance in 4.50 hours.”
The 41-year-old woman from the Orissan village of Kusupur said that her mother and grandmother, who frequently wore sarees while performing strenuous labour, served as her fashion role models. She scoffed at the idea that wearing a saree makes running difficult, saying, “I proved them wrong by completing the task while wearing a Sambalpuri handloom. Summers in the UK are already when I wear sarees, she said.
