Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Celebrating Diwali in London

Thousands of people from all walks of life thronged the famous Trafalgar Square in the heart of the city to share the spirit of Indian culture showcased during celebration of Diwali - the festival of lights.

Over 30,000 people, including locals, gathered to witness the four-hour long function in which several Indian artists such as dancers, singers and television star presented their performances.

The entire square was illuminated with sparkling lights and bright colours during the event organised jointly by Diwali in London Committee, Greater London Authority and finance firm Barclays.

The programme which started with a Garba dance performance was followed by various classical performances, including Kathak, Odissi, Bharat Natyam and Bhangra.

Bollywood playback singer Rahul Vaidya regaled the packed gathering crooning several popular bollywood numbers from good-old classics to the latest Indian-pop fusion.

The surprise packages at the event include television star Sakshi Talwar of Kahani Ghar-Ghar Ki fame, who compeered the latter part of the show, and brilliant musical performance by NRI singer Raghav, who became popular with his maiden album selling millions of its copies.

Sakshi described the show as "spectacular".

Performing artists from several institutes such as Saraswati Academy of Indian Dance, Encee Academy of Performing Arts, Apsara Dancers, Mudralaya and Kala - the Arts participated at the show.

Musical medleys were presented from Chinmaya Mission with a special live performance of Jay Kumar's Diwali song.

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