Taking the biggest Indian celebrations of Diwali in the South Island to a totally new level, the Indian Social and Cultural Club’s (ISCC) event on October 21, will be hosting a Mallakhamb troupe from Mumbai for the first time.
For the uninitiated, Mallakhamb is a traditional Indian sport where a gymnast (or a group of gymnasts) performs aerial yoga postures and wrestling moves around a vertical wooden pole.
“And for this, the wooden pole is being manufactured right here in Christchurch,” informed Mr Thomas Kurian, Chairman of Diwali Organising Committee at ISCC, adding, “Not only this, we will have a Bollywood dance performance by 36 girls from the Irish Step dance group, a Latin American dance group performing to Bollywood dance numbers, as well as Community Patrols Association performing for the first time. Canterbury Police whose dance act was the highlight last year, will mesmerise the audience again this time around.”
“Over the past 11 years, ISCC has celebrated Diwali festival with the wider community of Canterbury through its event that showcases the many different facets of Indian culture including traditional festive activities such as cultural performances, food stalls, trade, arts and craft stalls and workshops amongst others.
These activities make an important contribution to the cultural diversity that enriches our region. This year the event will be held as usual during the labour weekend on October 21, at the Horncastle Arena from 2 to 9 pm, and we are hoping to make it bigger and better that ever with an estimated attendance of 12000,” Mr Kurian said.