Thousands attend Diwali celebrations at NIA
Nov 1 2010 by Jasbir Authi, Birmingham Mail
BIRMINGHAM shone to the festival of light as thousands attended a huge Diwali party.
Around 11,000 people enjoyed dancing, feasting and the chance to mingle with music stars at the party held at the National Indoor Arena yesterday Local band DCS headlined the event and Navin Kundra – Karen David from BBC 1’s Waterloo Road – appeared along with Sonna, Foji Gill and Rekesh Chauhan.
Between acts, the Maher Raas Group, the Sonia Sahbri company and Bombay Dance Academy all put on thrilling and visually stunning performances for everyone.
Children had a blast with all the activities on offer, including face painting, dramas and games, in the specially created Kids Zone.
The NIA concourse was lined with tantalising food stands offering the best in locally-produced Indian cuisine and both BBC Asian Network and BBC WM presenters were also enjoying the fun.
Diwali is one of the most important religious festivals in the Indian calender and will be celebrated by families across the city on Friday.
The decision to hold the usually open-air event indoors, meaning crowds could banish the brollies, was hailed a success by everyone.
Sanjay Mistry, vice-president of the Hindu Council of Birmingham, said: “It was great, a really good day.
“In the past we have had to worry about the rain and wind but coming indoors, we didn’t need to worry about the weather.
