Indian artistry shines at the Animal Ball 2023

The masked Animal Ball – one of the UK’s most acclaimed wildlife charity fundraising events – was held at Lancaster House in London recently. Indian designers, celebs and conservation groups turned heads at the top-billed event, held after a hiatus of three years. The event, which marked the 20th anniversary of Mark Shand’s foundation, Elephant Family, saw Sabyasachi Mukherjee, Anita Dongre and Manish Malhotra representing Indian craftsmanship.

The Elephant Whisperers director Kartiki Gonsalves, who received the Tara Award at the event

Janhvi Kapoor attended the event wearing an antique gold ensemble with the Maharaja Lion Mask

King Charles III and Queen Camilla wore shades of blue, with the latter sporting a kurta-palazzo set. Their elephant Shola masks was the designer’s nod to Bengal handicrafts and Durga Puja

A NOD TO A ‘JUMBO’ INITIATIVE

The Elephant Whisperers director Kartiki Gonsalves (fifth from left) looks on, as members of The Real Elephant Collective receive the Mark Shand Award from King Charles III & Queen Camilla for creating the #CoExistence Herd — a 100-elephant installation crafted by local artisans using an invasive weed

Sitarist Anoushka Shankar and Kristin Scott Thomas. Anoushka wore a dark green and gold ensemble with beetle accents and beadwork by another Indian designer. She matched it with a bright-hued mask