‘His story no less than modern epic,’ says ‘Bespoken’ author on Maurice Sedwell’s Prof. Andrew Ramroop

New Delhi, Aug 22 (IANS) Ashok Kumar Bal, who authored the book ‘Bespoken’, based on the life and works of Prof. Andrew M. Ramroop, Indian origin owner of London’s Maurice Sedwell and founder of Savile Row Bespoke Academy, remarked that the latter’s story is no less than a modern epic.

The author spoke to IANS during the launch of his book at the India Habitat Centre in New Delhi.

Born in Trinidad and Tobago, Andrew M. Ramroop owns bespoke tailors Maurice Sedwell and was the first tailor to be made a Visiting Professor of the London Institute.

Describing how the idea of the book originated, the author recounted that during a visit to a tailoring shop in Mumbai, his gaze drifted to a framed certificate that was displayed on the wall.

“It read, ‘Savile Row Bespoke Academy,’ and below it was the commanding signature of Andrew M. Ramroop. Then I inquired about this academy. The owner of the shop went on to talk about Andrew. He told me that Andrew is a legend, a craftsman of extraordinary order. See, that left an impression on me about Andrew. Then I carried the name back home, and found wealth of information online.”

Ashok Kumar Bal said that Andrew’s story is no less than a “modern epic”.

“I also found Andrew as an extraordinary man of innovation, sartorial art, workmanship and a source of information. Then I decided that his story deserves to be told in the form of a book,” he said.

Recalling that initially Prof. Ramroop was reluctant to speak, the author said: “When I told him that the first chapter would deal with his Indian ancestorial roots, he became emotional and excited, as many people think of him as African.”

Speaking to IANS, Prof. Andrew M. Ramroop said even though he was born in poverty, he has always been ambitious.

“It was a challenge to leave Trinidad and go to England,” he said about his journey to London.

“The challenges were deep. The challenges were not being trained in a field in a different way of working, but it went beyond that. The challenges were how I looked, the colour of my skin, the colour of my hair when I used to have it. There were so many challenges, even the way I spoke,” he mentioned.

Ramroop said that given his background, he was too naive to know what racism meant.

“So, when someone turned me down, I thought that I was just not suitable. I didn’t realise until much later,” he said.

High Commissioner of Trinidad and Tobago to India Chandradath Singh said that Prof. Ramroop’s journey reflects two things.

“One is that it shows that it doesn’t matter about the beginning of anybody’s life, what matters is what happens at the end. You may start very humble and very simple, but what you achieve in the end is really what matters. Secondly, in his life, he’s brought the story of two countries together, Trinidad and Tobago and India,” he stated.

Singh mentioned that a number of senior leaders of Trinidad and Tobago have Indian roots.

“Our current President is from Uttar Pradesh while the Prime Minister hails from Bihar,” he said.

“The book written on Andrew is giving meaning to the relationship between the Indian diaspora and the world,” he asserted.

–IANS

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