On the 17th of May 2012, the Queen unveiled a plaque at the new £2m entrance to the new Diamond Jubilee Quarter at Chester Zoo.
The children of Sanjhi Indian Association, supported by the members of Ankur Group from Liverpool were specially chosen to perform a dance to welcome the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh as they made their way into the Zoo.
The children were ecstatic having performed a dance right in front of the Royals. One dancer said, “It is one day that will stay with me for the rest of my life”; and that reminded me of my own childhood memory of the visit of the Queen to India in March 1961.
As a little 11 year old boy I knew what Queen and Kings were, for my grandmother was always telling me stories that were mostly about Raja (King) and Ranee (Queen). So the arrival of a real Maha-Ranee to my city held a special significance for me. The children from my school were bussed to Connaught place in Delhi and we walked about a mile to take our position in the designated area where we waited patiently for the Queen. As the Queen driving in state with President Dr Rajendra Prasad, we beamed with enthusiasm screaming and waving our little flags, very much like the children at Chester Zoo, whose enthusiasm was not dimmed by the rain that was also there to greet them.
I believe that the Queen and the Duke derive their strength from their love for the Commonwealth of Nations and the interest they take in every situation that greets them.
As the Queen and Duke stopped to watch the dancing, the joy on their faces was genuine and the Duke spoke directly to the young dancers and said, “Your dance and costumes are so beautiful.”
This is what makes the British Royal family so adorable. The pride for many a citizen they hold of a joyous moment that they experienced in the Queen’s gracious presence is permanent, just as it is for me from that moment in Delhi from some 50 years ago and is for the children who performed at Chester Zoo on 17th of May 2012.
Written by Nikhil Kaushik