NRI
Diwali celebrations in Leicester- crowd over 100,000
Diwali wattage set
to dazzle multicultural Leicester
LEICESTER, October 22 2005
IANS
It is said that no place outside India can hold a
candle to the dazzling show that this multicultural
city in Britain's East Midlands puts up during Diwali
- and this year is no exception.
On Sunday, a total of 6,000 bulbs will be switched
on to mark the beginning of glittering Diwali celebrations
along the Golden Mile on Belgrave Road, an area mainly
inhabited by Asians of Gujarati origin.
Amidst milling crowds of over 100,000, the garland
of lights will be switched on by Ramanbhai Barber,
president of Shree Sanatan Mandir temple, and his
wife, Khushman.
Barber said: "I'm delighted to be part of this
year's festival. It is a great honour for me and my
wife to switch on Leicester's famous Diwali lights.
I would like to wish everyone a very happy Diwali
and a happy and healthy new year."
The Leicester City Council has spent nearly 100,000
pounds on new decorations for Diwali this year, making
it one of the largest official allocations for the
festival of light in Britain.
A council spokeswoman said: "We have replaced
all the lights in Belgrave Road and there is a brand
new look for Belgrave Neighbourhood Centre.
"All the motifs have been replaced and designed
with new diya lamps and symbols."
The ceremony to switch on the lights will be followed
by a range of entertainment shows attended by people
of various ethnicities and religions - a distinctive
feature of multicultural Leicester.
Maganbhai Patel, president of the Leicester Hindu
Festival Council, said: "We are expecting people
to come from Birmingham, Nottingham, Leeds, Manchester
and London - it is the best and biggest celebration
outside of India."
Leicester's large Asian population mainly comprises
Gujaratis who were expelled from Idi Amin's Uganda
in the early 1970s.
They have since prospered and integrated in British
society in such a way that Leicester is often held
up as an ideal of multiculturalism in not only Britain
but entire Europe.
Meanwhile, a London-based entrepreneur of Indian
origin has launched a 'desi' version of the most traditional
English board game, Monopoly, to coincide with Diwali
festivities.
The new version of Monopoly will be made up of well-known
Asian roads and streets from all over Britain.
Favourites like Brick Lane in London and Wilmslow
Road in Manchester replace celebrated London streets
like Park Lane, Trafalgar Square and Old Kent Road,
and Mayfair is taken up by the Washington Hotel Mayfair,
a popular haunt of Bollywood stars.
The inventor of the new board, Gurdip Ahluwalia,
33, said the game was filling a hole in an "untapped"
market.
He said: "It is the first time ever a game has
been produced by a mainstream manufacturer for an
Asian market.
"I am immensely proud to have in a small way
contributed to Asian heritage and adding to Britain's
multicultural effect."
