Hamilton celebrates Diwali
October 24 2009
Hamilton Indians will today (Sunday October 25) light up to celebrate Diwali.
The festival will be celebrated by Indian Cultural Society by holding a three-and-a-half hour stage programme at Founders Theatre, Hamilton from 6pm.
Four professional dance schools from Auckland, Waikato and Hamilton are participating in this auspicious event. Classical, semi-classical and folk dances from most of the Indian states and Bollywood dances will be portrayed on stage.
Also, for the first time in the history of the society, an Australian film production company sponsored the organisation with an exclusive documentary on Diwali which will be shown for 10 minutes at the beginning.
As food and sweets are an unavoidable part of Diwali, this time food packets will be given to all the attendees. The ticket price is $10 which is the cheapest in town for a professional programme with food.
Indian Cultural Society Inc, a non-profitable organisation based in Hamilton, has been celebrating this biggest Indian festival with all its fervour and enthusiasm for the past 19 years.
Every year, it gives opportunity to around 200 local based artists to showcase their talents in Indian art forms. It also serves as an occasion of annual get-together for most of the 1500 Indian families in the Waikato region.
The Diwali or Deepavali festival is the biggest and charismatic Indian festival where people from all age groups give expression to their happiness by lighting “diyas” (lamps), decorating houses, bursting firecrackers and inviting their kith and kin to their households for partaking in a sumptuous feast.
The Sanskrit word “Deepavali” means “an array of lights” and signifies the victory of brightness over darkness. As darkness represents ignorance and light represents knowledge, lighting a lamp symbolizes the destruction, through knowledge, of all negative forces- wickedness, violence, lust, anger, envy, greed, fear, injustice, oppression and suffering, etc.
It marks the victory of good over evil. It gives a message of love, brotherhood and friendship. This festival which illuminates the hearts and lives of hundreds and thousands of people is celebrated not only in India but all around the world.
Tickets are available at most of the Indian dairy shops and takeaway outlets. Make sure to grab your tickets as early as possible as normally all the tickets of Diwali function will be sold out a week in advance.
For further information, please contact the president of Indian Cultural Society Harkrishen Singh Kung on 07 824 3715 - or secretary Roy Vellara on 07-850 1434. Email: royvellara@hotmail.com
Sponsors of Diwali: Lion Foundation, Wel Energy, Trust Waikato, Creative Community, Asia: NZ, ANZ Bank, Dream Pool Productions and Hamilton City Council.
Hamilton Indians will today (Sunday October 25) light up to celebrate Diwali.
The festival will be celebrated by Indian Cultural Society by holding a three-and-a-half hour stage programme at Founders Theatre, Hamilton from 6pm.
Four professional dance schools from Auckland, Waikato and...
Hamilton Indians will today (Sunday October 25) light up to celebrate Diwali.
The festival will be celebrated by Indian Cultural Society by holding a three-and-a-half hour stage programme at Founders Theatre, Hamilton from 6pm.
Four professional dance schools from Auckland, Waikato and Hamilton are participating in this auspicious event. Classical, semi-classical and folk dances from most of the Indian states and Bollywood dances will be portrayed on stage.
Also, for the first time in the history of the society, an Australian film production company sponsored the organisation with an exclusive documentary on Diwali which will be shown for 10 minutes at the beginning.
As food and sweets are an unavoidable part of Diwali, this time food packets will be given to all the attendees. The ticket price is $10 which is the cheapest in town for a professional programme with food.
Indian Cultural Society Inc, a non-profitable organisation based in Hamilton, has been celebrating this biggest Indian festival with all its fervour and enthusiasm for the past 19 years.
Every year, it gives opportunity to around 200 local based artists to showcase their talents in Indian art forms. It also serves as an occasion of annual get-together for most of the 1500 Indian families in the Waikato region.
The Diwali or Deepavali festival is the biggest and charismatic Indian festival where people from all age groups give expression to their happiness by lighting “diyas” (lamps), decorating houses, bursting firecrackers and inviting their kith and kin to their households for partaking in a sumptuous feast.
The Sanskrit word “Deepavali” means “an array of lights” and signifies the victory of brightness over darkness. As darkness represents ignorance and light represents knowledge, lighting a lamp symbolizes the destruction, through knowledge, of all negative forces- wickedness, violence, lust, anger, envy, greed, fear, injustice, oppression and suffering, etc.
It marks the victory of good over evil. It gives a message of love, brotherhood and friendship. This festival which illuminates the hearts and lives of hundreds and thousands of people is celebrated not only in India but all around the world.
Tickets are available at most of the Indian dairy shops and takeaway outlets. Make sure to grab your tickets as early as possible as normally all the tickets of Diwali function will be sold out a week in advance.
For further information, please contact the president of Indian Cultural Society Harkrishen Singh Kung on 07 824 3715 - or secretary Roy Vellara on 07-850 1434. Email: royvellara@hotmail.com
Sponsors of Diwali: Lion Foundation, Wel Energy, Trust Waikato, Creative Community, Asia: NZ, ANZ Bank, Dream Pool Productions and Hamilton City Council.
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