On Sunday, 41 years old UK-based Odia woman ran a 42.5 km marathon in Manchester while wearing a Sambalpuri handloom saree. Madhusmita Jena Das completed the marathon in 4 hours and 50 minutes; she was seen running the marathon wearing a beautiful red saree along with orange sneakers.
The picture was shared on Twitter by a user from the event, where Das can be seen running along with the other participants in the marathon.
The user tweeted, ''An Odia living in Manchester, UK ran the UK's second largest Manchester Marathon 2023 wearing a Sambalpuri Saree! What a great gesture indeed. Loved her spirit! Sambalpur you have a distinct inclusive cultural identity that arises from the strong association of the tribal and folk communities which have been coexisting for centuries. This is a tough phase let's keep up with peace and harmony.”
The official Twitter account of 'Friends of India Soc Intl UK' also shared a video from the marathon in which Das can be seen running comfortably in her saree while her friends cheer for her.
Friends of India Soc Intl UK wrote, “Madhusmita Jena, an Indian living in Manchester, UK, comfortably runs the Manchester marathon 2023 in a lovely Sambalpuri Saree. While proudly showcasing her Indian heritage, she also presents an inviting perspective on the quintessential #Indian attire.”
This post by Friends of India Soc Intl UK has generated 44.4k views till now, and people are coming forward the applaud Das’s efforts.
One user wrote, “This is so nice. Let people allow what they are comfortable with. Let's not create hindrance for women for their participation. I hope in India also we become more inclusive and allow women to retain their identity and choices like Hijab which help them for participation.”
“Nice, hopefully we can see people wearing patta saree playing US open, and wearing Tashar silk saree competing in triathlon some day,” wrote another one.
Here are some of the best reactions from the internet:
Also Watch: New York is World’s Richest City and home to over 3 lakh millionaires, 58 billionaires