Mumbai, India
Weaving through the throng on a hot May afternoon, Kiran Gavande had a determined look on his face, despite the sweat that trickled down from his head. This wasn’t a routine trip to the market in Mumbai’s Lal Baug neighbourhood for Mr Gavande. Instead of buying onions and tomatoes, he was searching for a silk turban and an intricate shawl to give as a gift to King Charles.
His gifts would soon be handed over to the British High Commission before being shipped over to the UK and presented, by hand, to Charles, following his coronation today.
‘When we heard of Charles’s ascension to the throne, I wrote to him personally to offer my congratulations, I held a party and distributed sweets among my neighbours,’ recalls Mr Gavande, wearing a linen shirt and white Gandhi cap, known as a topi.
Back in 2003, Mr Gavande and his colleague, Raghunath Medge, met King Charles III for the first time.
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