The Tame Diwali Mela: Celebrating Diwali at SM Mall of Asia

- October 15, 2016, Saturday.

- Lights welcomed and illuminated Saturday evening at the SM Mall of Asia despite the rain. After another year, the pan-Indian Festival of Lights or "Diwali" was celebrated once again in the mall's Music Hall. Strange enough, the event was held two weeks prior to the actual date of Diwali; the Indian community holds this big Diwali Mela around a week before or after Diwali. As always, various Indian stalls selling (mostly northern) Indian food, services, accessories/jewelry, and Indian souvenirs. Because of the light rain foreshadowing the big storm that's about to hit the country, there were slightly less people who attended than the usual. However, the number of attendees was still quite overwhelming.

Event poster.

Hello my people.

- My neighbor Charmaine and I arrived at the venue just as the Jana Gana Mana (the Indian national anthem) was being sung. Afterwards, opening speeches were done, with the most notable one from the ambassador himself, His Excellency L.D. Ralte. I was not able to take a photo with the ambassador in the Diwali even this year because he left the venue moments after his speech (a very busy man, he is.)

Neighbors unite!!

Kashmir Restaurant stall.

Doing the puja for the goddess Lakshmi, perhaps the most auspicious goddess of the festival.

His Excellency L.D. Ralte.

- While waiting for the performances to start, Charmaine and I grabbed some Indian food for dinner, while the lines were still not that long. I also bought a very cheap bindi set and gave it to Charmaine. I stuck three on heart forehead to at least give her the Indian feel - she wasn't in an Indian costume while I was in my pink kurta.

Charmaine had samosas with I had chicken biryani.

With three bindis. I liked how her shirt and earrings were kind of Indian as well. Her blouse reminded me of peacock feathers.

Eyes on me (of my forehead.)

- This year, I felt that the Diwali program was a lot simpler than last year's (click here for last year's). The numbers were significantly less, and most of the numbers were done by Filipinos doing Indian numbers. For the Indians who performed, most of them were Punjabi, unlike before when there would be a more diverse Indian representation in the performances. For those who don't know, India has 29 states each with their own diverse cultures. In the Philippines, the two main groups of Indians are the Sindhis and the Punjabis, although there are a handful of those coming from all the other states. Since 2012, I have been attending the Diwali Mela (except 2013), and so far last year's Diwali was the most diverse. Despite that, the Indian community was able to organize a fantastic set of performances. Interestingly, the performances leaned more on pop culture (i.e. Bollywood) than traditional culture. The traditional aspects of the performances mostly leaned towards the Punjabi bhangra culture. (Bhangra is a Punjabi folk dance). Well, a little bit of bhangra can liven up the world, right?

A tableau showing Rama and his companions (his wife Sita, his brother Lakshman, and the monkey god Hanuman who is a follower of Rama.)

Statues of Krishna and Radha from the Hare Krishna booth.

Modern Indian song-and-dance number.

Another contemporary song-and-dance number. 

Ms. Ritu Wasu from SingIndia Music for the Soul and his Filipino backup dancers. (Yay for Fil-Indian friendsip!!)

A short bhangra demo class!!

- Speaking of bhangra, the finale was a bhangra performance by Lions of Manila Bhangra Group. The Lions of Manila Bhangra Group is perhaps the most prominent professional bhangra group in Metro Manila. This group usually does the final number for public Indian events in Manila, and afterwards, the dance will is open to all. Usually, this is the time when many of the Indians will just go crazy with endless bhangra music for an hour more or so before going home.

More bhangra!!

Probably the perfect shot of the night.

- I liked how to it was not as hot as usual, thanks to the breeze from the light-rainy weather, and I am even happier that my neighbor Charmaine was able to enjoy her first Diwali Mela. "You've always told me stories about the Diwali Mela, but I was finally able to experience it myself," she told me. I do hope that more of the people in this world will have a curiosity for India and Indian cultures (or any country and any country's culture/s in general). It makes us understand the world more.