Page 32 - The Indian EYE 120823

South The Indian Eye

AMERICANNewsline

32 DECEMBER 08, 2023

Lights, music, dance and fireworks:

Brazilians flock to Festival of Lights as

community organizes Diwali Mela

The open and free event, supported by the Consulate of India and Swami Vivekanand
Cultural Centre, Sao Paulo, attracts a huge number of people to celebrate Indian culture and

taste Indian dishes in the biggest Brazilian city

A garba performance by a group of Indian ladies led Indian Consul General Manisha Swami
by Seema Patel addresses the gathering

nder an overcast sky, with light showers com- South American city is.
ing and going, a patch of green ground in the The gathering was formally inaugurated with
Uheart of city turned into a Little India as the the traditional lamp-lighting ceremony with the
Indian Association of Sao Paulo (IASP) organized Indian Consul General in Sao Paulo, Ms Mani-
the first-ever Diwali Mela to celebrate the Indian sha Swami, India-Brazil Chamber of Commerce,
festival of lights on Saturday, November 25, 2023. Mr Roberto Paranhos, and IASP board members,
With stalls and kiosks of Indian food like sa- Shobhan Saxena, Rakesh Kanojia and Vijay Bavas-
mosas, vegetable kebabs, Indian-style noodles, kar. Addressing the gathering, the Indian Consul
biryani and sweets like gulab jamun on the platter, General thanked the people for joining the festival
the grounds of Faculdade Oswaldo Cruz, a medi- of lights. “It is a really great to see such a big turn-
cal college in the Barra Funda locality, was filled out at this mela despite an inclement weather. It
with varied smells of dishes that has turned Indi- is good to see so many of you coming here to be
an food into a truly global cuisine. Despite a rainy part of this celebration of Indian culture,” said Ms
weather and chilly winds, crowds began to trickle Swami to a huge round of applause.
into the mela in the afternoon. The fair saw a big The envoy’s address was followed by Lakshmi
surge in numbers in the evening as the members of Aarti as community members and families of In-
Indian community joined the gathering with their dian officials at the consulate joined Ms Swami in
families and friends. IBCC president Roberto Paranhos participating in the lighting small lamps in front of the portrait of God-
Supported by the Consulate of India in Sao lamp-lighting ceremony with the Consul General dess Lakshmi as the traditional song, ‘Jai Lakshmi
Paulo and Swami Vivekanand Cultural Centre mata…’ played on speakers.
(SVCC), the open and free event was hugely ap- stalls selling vegan food and products, the high- The cultural programme began with a gar-
preciated by the community and local people for light of the fair was a cultural programme which ba performance by a group of Indian ladies led
the opportunity to participate in the biggest Indian showcased Indian music and dance forms – from by Seema Patel. Moving in synchronized pattern
festival in Brazil. classical to Bollywood – in front of an enchanted to the song “Kaho Poonam na chaand ne”. The
Besides Indian food, drinks and a number of crowd, which was as cosmopolitan as the biggest Continued on next page... >>

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