Spectacular grand entry of Consul General, Aman Puri, Mayor Andy Street, and other dignitaries at the Victoria Square to celebrate ‘Diwali on the Square 2018’
Birmingham’s Victoria Square witnessed a riot of colours to celebrate ‘Diwali on the Square 2018’, on October 20th, featuring live dance, music and interactive stalls. The event was jointly hosted by the Consulate General of India (CGI) and the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA). After the overwhelming response to the ‘Diwali on Square celebrations’ last year, it was decided to make it an annual event. And rightly so, this year witnessed an increase in the number of visitors at the Victoria Square, with close to fifteen thousand people joining.
The Indian festival of lights ‘Diwali or Deepawali’, is celebrated every year by all communities to celebrate the victory of good over evil. The festivities are marked by lighting of lamps, and bringing cheer for one and all by bursting firecrackers. In its own special way, the Diwali festivities were brought to the Victoria Square on Saturday.
The main highlight of the event was a two-hour performance by star singer Malkit Singh, who enthralled the audience, with a variety of popular Punjabi songs. The program also included colourful dance performances, ranging from contemporary, classical, bhangra and garbha, by various cultural organisations viz. Sampad, Gabhru Punjab De and Hindu Council of UK. The event featured a special ‘Yoga demonstration’ led by the Consulate’s Teacher of Indian Culture.
Several interactive and informative stalls were set up by various organisations. The Incredible India stall showcased the various facilities provided by Indian Government for foreign visitors; and the crowd also experimented with Indian traditional activities like henna, Rangoli, saree draping, face painting etc. Stalls were also set up by organisations such as WMCA, West Midland Metro, India Institute of the University of Birmingham, TSB, Soho Bid, West Midlands Police, Diabetes UK, Dr. Ashok’s Clinic, O2, ICICI. Additionally, the visitors were treated to culinary extravaganza by Asha’s restaurant.
Consul General of India Dr. Aman Puri initially offered his condolences for the Amritsar train tragedy on October 19th, and observed a minute’s silence along with those present in respect for those who lost their lives. He went on to thank people for attending the Diwali event in very large numbers for the second consecutive year. He congratulated Mayor Andy Street for bringing immense dynamism to the region, for bringing communities together, and for connecting West Midlands to the world. Consul General mentioned how Diwali was celebrated in Mughal times by successive emperors, starting from the time of Akbar. The Rang Mahal of Red Fort in Delhi was the venue for Royal celebrations of Jashn-e-Chiraghan or ‘Festival of Lights’. He also spoke about Chandni Chowk of Old Delhi where the religious integration was exemplified by Hindu families laying down the diyas, Sikhs from Gurudwara Sisganj contributing the oil, and the Muslims providing the cotton (batti). He asserted that Diwali has always been a unifier of all religions. Birmingham had its own version of Chandni Chowk where 10,000 Diwali sweets were gifted to visitors. The Consul General observed that on this day Birmingham’s faith institutions, like Balaji Temple, Geeta Bhawan, Ramgharia Sikh Temple, Nirankari Bhawan and others have come forward to celebrate the age-old tradition by preparing and distributing 10,000 sweet packets to the visitors. Dr. Puri acknowledged the contribution of Indian diaspora to Midlands, and commended them for integrating with the local community in the true sense of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam – The World is one family’. He specially thanked Ms. Piali Ray, Director Sampad for curating and organising an amazing range of cultural performances and star performer ‘Malkit Singh’ who has been awarded an MBE by Her Majesty, the Queen of United Kingdom. The Consul General also thanked various organisations without whose support this event would not have been possible, especially HSBC, SBI, West Midlands Metro, Asha’s, TSB, ICICI, Birmingham Airport, KTC, O2 and Air India.
Mayor Andy Street offered his condolences for those who lost their lives in the Amritsar train tragedy. He said that the best lesson from Diwali at such times of challenge is the triumph of good over evil; and that of light over darkness. He said that by bringing Diwali to the heart of Midlands, and the heart of city, it makes people from all the communities understand its importance and thanked those present for being part of the celebrations. He thanked the Consul General and the Consulate for their contribution to the celebrations and for bringing India closer to West Midlands. Minister (Coordination), High Commission of India, Mr. A.S. Rajan conveyed Diwali greeting to the visitors and spoke on the essence of Diwali as a message of togetherness, of light and of happiness. He congratulated the Mayor & Consul General for organising the celebration.
The festivities continued later the evening with a dinner jointly hosted by the CGI, the Mayor of WMCA and the State Bank of India at Hotel Hyatt Regency. Hon’ble High Commissioner of India to the United Kingdom HE Mr. Y K Sinha and Mrs Girija Sinha, who were the guests of honour were bid a warm farewell by the Indian diaspora on this occasion. Mayor Andy Street and Consul General Dr. Puri conveyed their best wishes to Mr. Sinha for a wonderful retired life. High Commissioner Sinha was presented with a farewell memento on behalf of the Indian diaspora of West Midlands by the Consul General and Mayor of West Midlands. The guests were entertained by renowned Punjabi Singer, Malkit Singh and his troupe.
High Commissioner Sinha in his farewell speech congratulated the Consul General and Mayor of West Midlands for organising a successful event. High Commissioner expressed satisfaction that the relation between UK and India looks very bright and India, which is the fastest growing large economy of the world, will be a willing partner, whatever may be the outcome of Brexit. He appreciated the Consulate’s role in involving the large Indian diaspora of the Midlands with events such as 350th birth anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh ji, and expressed hope that such events will continue with the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev ji. He urged the Indian community to increase their involvement, and to connect even more with the High Commission of India, and the Consulate General of India. He urged them to continue making their contribution towards raising the profile of Indian diaspora in the United Kingdom, whether in politics or economy.
The day ended with a cheer that Diwali often brings, strengthening the hope that despite difficulties, the good and righteous will always prevail over evil.
