CONSULATE GENERAL OF INDIA SHANGHAI

PRESS RELEASE

Celebration of Diwali - 2024

The Consulate General of India organised Diwali celebration in a grand manner on Sunday, 03rd November 2024. The Diwali Mela 2024 was organized as a day long event for the very first time. Consul General Dr.N.Nandakumar inaugurated the Diwali Mela by lighting the lamp and extended his best wishes to the Indian community on the auspicious occasion of Diwali.

The Mela consisted of cultural performances by professional artists and diaspora members showcasing India’s rich tradition in dance and music, specially curated pavilions themed Chalo India,

Handicrafts, Ayurveda, Yoga, Mehendi, Meditation  and  Indian cuisine.

To showcase India’s rich historical, environmental & cultural heritage, large posters of prominent tourist destinations were also erected which included the Konark Wheel, Mahabodhi Temple, Statue of Unity (the tallest statue in the world), Ellora caves, Jaisalmer Fort, Ganga Aarti, Gumli, Khajuraho Temple, Rani ki Vav, Dhamek Stupa etc.

The Mela also featured a ‘kids corner’ with a variety of creative activities. The activities included face painting, henna, statue painting etc.

Cultural programme:

Colourful cultural performances involving classical Indian dances such as Kathak, Kuchipudi, Odissi, Bharatnatyam and Manipuri were presented in the cultural programme. Except for the Manipuri dance, all the other Indian classical dance performances were performed by Chinese nationals trained in Indian classical dances. Ms. Wu Kan (Regina) an ICCR alumnus trained in Odissi also presented a graceful performance of the Indian classical dance.

Ms. Wang Yuhong, a Bharatanatyam dancer, performed on ‘Jathiswaram’, a composition that combines rhythmic patterns (talas) and melodic passages (swaras). She also presented a performance on Bollywood song ‘Ghar More Pardesiya’.

Ms Regina presented a performance on Mokshya. Mokshya is a concluding piece in the Odissi repertoire and parallels the concept of Mokshya in Hindu philosophy or liberation from material existence and physical bondage and awakening to spiritual awareness. The performance was presented on the song Pt. Bhubaneshwar Mishra based on raag Bhairavi Taal Ektali and choreographed by Padmavibhushan Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra.

A Manipuri dance performance titled Hari Riha was presented by Zerin Moirangthem, an Indian student studying in Shanghai Theatre Academy. Another outstanding performance was the performance of Kathak dance by Feifei Yu (Karishma) on the theme of Trivat, choreographed by Pt Jai Kishan Maharaj and Music by Guru Shri Tribhuwan Maharaj. Ms. Feifei is based in Beijing and travelled down to Shanghai for her performance.

Children D. Mahika, Shravya Kumar, Soniya Karthik performed Pooja dance. They were accompanied by Chen Huiyan. In the evening session they performed a Kuchipudi piece on the track Nandi Shloka.

Lulu Wang’s students Ruya Jiang, Huang Magyuan, Dai Jiying and Chen Huiyan performed on the popular number Pranavalaya.

Members of Indian diaspora performed a dance drama “Mahishasura Mardhini” (it means one who killed the Asura Mahishasura and refers to Goddess Durga. The demon was in the form of a buffalo and hence the name “Mahish Asura”) which kept the audience captivated. Young children of Indian diaspora sang Gurumurthe and also performed on a song highlighting global warming.

Other performances were based on popular Bollywood soundtracks and made the audience groove to the beats. This included dance performances by Indian students of Yangzhou University, Jiangsu University, Southeast University in Nanjing, United World College (UWC)-Changshu, Ningbo University, Wenzhou Medical University and Soochow University. More than 50 students from these universities participated in the event and contributed with 19 performances. The student’s performances especially in group dances on catchy Bollywood numbers raised the energy level of the event and made the audience groove to the beats.

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One of the outstanding presentation during the Cultural performances was the performance on “Mile Sur Mera Tumhara” which presented by Indian community members which showcased the diversity of cultures across India and signified the unity that binds India that is Bharat into one nation.

Ayurveda:

The Diwali Mela 2024 also had Ayurveda pavilions. Dr C.K Shafeeq, an Ayurveda Doctor based in Guangzhou, Ayurveda experts from local institutions participated providing detailed information on Ayurvedic principles. The Consulate had also set up the 9th Ayurveda Day Selfie Standee which attracted a lot of attention.

Meditation session by Brahmakumaris:

Amidst the stressful and fast life of a metropolitan city like Shanghai, a meditation session led by Sister Sapna of the Brahmakumaris during the mela received enthusiastic response mainly from local Chinese nationals. Sister Sapna’s session was themed “Be the Light and Be Light” in which she guided the participants towards realizing inner peace and tranquility which is important for a healthy, long life.

Yoga:

Smt. Sumangala Nayak, a yoga teacher of CGI Guangzhou conducted yoga sessions during the Diwali Mela. A specially demarcated area was used to host the yoga session which received enthusiastic response from the local nationals and members of Indian diaspora.

Handicrafts:

Indian handicrafts mainly Kashmiri shawls, scarves and carpets which were on display at the Diwali Mela also attracted a lot of visitors.

Cuisine:

The Diwali Mela presented a wide array of choices of Indian cuisine. Popular Indian restaurants in Shanghai viz Bollywood Indian Restaurant, Kebabs on the Grille, Rangoli, Indian Curry Hut and Indian Kitchen participated in the Mela. Homemade Bengali sweets were presented at the stall ‘Relish’ by Indian community member Ms Sarmishta Ghosh. The eateries through their dishes presented an authentic feel of the popular Indian food items which were relished by the visitors.

The Diwali Mela 2024 which is also the marquee cultural event of the Consulate General of Indian in Shanghai provided an opportunity to present the rich cultural landscape of India. The programme received a thumping response from local Chinese nationals, members of Indian diaspora, friends of India and members of Consular corps based in Shanghai.

Shanghai
18th November 2024