Every year, Brent Shopping Centre celebrates Diwali in style, away from India, which anyone is free to attend.
Every year the decor has a specific theme and this year Lord Ganesha graced the celebration with his presence atop a giant lotus and his pet rat.
Apart from diya making workshop and henna art (all for free), this year, the additional attractions had been story-telling sessions, yoga and Bollywood dance workshops, Gong Bath meditation.
My personal favourite every year however, are the Dhol-players, who just brings the festival and the centre alive with the blasting rhythm of the drums (dhols). Groups of students and professional dhol-players attend every year from different Dhol schools and it is always the highlight of the show.
I am a passionate Indian Classical Dancer (Odissi form) and this is the third year in a row (apart from the 2020 gap) that I have performed here. Odissi is the oldest form of the eight Indian Classical Dance Forms, which originated in the coastal temples of Odisha. This is a great opportunity for me to perform live here every year. I love the ambiance, the unadulterated appreciation of the crowd, the children enjoying the shows and workshops, the colours, the performance and the selfless devotion of the organisers. The organisers devote themselves to setting up the decor, managing the performance and performers, crowd control and overall making this show a success.
If you are visiting London during Diwali or live in London, do come and join the Brent Diwali Mela every year in autumn and I am sure you will enjoy a slice of the Indian celebrations away from India.
; it’s my photo - performing Odissi at Brent cross
thank you