To London to charm the Queen

Singer, musician Raghu Dixit is all set to charm the Queen of England at her Diamond Jubilee celebration at Windsor Castle in England, this Sunday (May 13). Raghu will be performing his popular track Mysore Se Ayi (from his eponymous debut album), backed by a 70-piece orchestra along with twelve dancers from Nritarutya and over 550 of the Queen’s horses. The costumes for the performance have been created by fashion designer James Ferreira, and inspired by North and South India. They’re a combination of cholis with Kutch embroidery and dhoti-inspired pants in vibrant Indian colours like red and orange. The costumes have also been embellished in armlets and anklets like they do in Indian classical dance, to lend a dramatic element. Special puppets have been conceptualised to complement the dancers. “The costumes for the puppets were actually inspired by the colourful lungis Raghu wears on stage while performing! As the dancers perform, the puppets come alive and help tell the narrative of the girl from Mysore,” says choreographer Mayuri Upadhya.