By K.D.L.Khan Last year- 2007- saw tumultuous Diwali celeberations in the Nasdaq Tower in New York and in the Trafalgar Square in London.
The Indian Diaspora spread across 110 countries, is perhaps the most widespread and heterogeneous than any other, with its half a dozen religions and sub-ethnic identities.
With a population of over 20 million ( two and half million in USA and..just 51 in Iceland) the NRIs are geared for the celebrations of this festival, which has all the hallmarks of Christmas (in its consumerism), the Ramzan ( in its religious approach) and of course the exuberance of Diwali in India.
"In NRI Diwalis, even my Muslim friends and colleagues take part in the celebrations - just as people of other faiths participate in Christmas in the U.S".
says Amarjeet, a taxi driver in NewYork.
Diwali reflects the tendency among non-resident Indians to clutch on to their culture in an effort to retain a sense of self in an alien environment.
Festivals are a perfect occasion to renew one's 'Indianness' and introduce it to younger generations who are otherwise turning into the Indian parent's worst nightmare?..that American kid next door.
The grandest celebration of Diwali outside India, is held every year at the city of Leicester in U.K, when thousands sightseers -local NRIs and foreign tourists- converge on the suburb of Belgrave to watch Diwali lights.
Leicester is home to nearly 42 thousand Hindus, in addition to other citizens from the subcontinent, namely 12 thousand Sikhs and 32 thousand Muslims.
In fact, Asians own over 3,000 small and medium enterprises accounting for nearly a half of the city's commercial turnover.
These Asian businessmen include at least six millionaires.
And Leicester has come to be known as the city of Indian Lights.
Diwali is celebrated every year on Belgrave's Golden Mile, which gets its name from the countless gold jewellery shops down the road.
Most signboards are in Hindi or Punjabi, and these include those of Indian banks.
They say more jewellery is sold on Belgrave Road than anywhere else in Europe.
If you fancy a Banarasi paan after a round of delicious dhokla, no problem.
Two cinema halls show the latest Vol.
19 (06) 07-08 31st October 2007 MF-D- 1352: Topical 3) One pic * :2: Hindi films.
This area attracts crowds of up to 60,000.
Every year the Diwali highlights include a spectacular funfair and fireworks in a recreational park in Belgrave Road.
That day, both Belgrave and nearby Melton Road in the city are decorated with thousands of colourful light bulbs which transform the area into a bright, fascinating showcase.
Visitors to the Diwali Mela have the opportunity of watching bollywood dancing, tasting authentic Indian cuisine, listening to traditional songs, as well as helping a professional rangoli artist create large-scale rangoli paintings (traditionally painted by hand on the floors in courtyards and walls of Indian houses).
The show is attended by community leaders including the Lord Mayor, MPs and councillors, the lights being switched on by a prominent local Britisher of Indian origin.
In fact "Leicester Diwali" has become one of the tourist attractions of Britain and many tourist firms offer' Two days of Diwali in Leicester " as a regular tour programme.
Ironically, it is the Indians living away from India who often extend themselves to celebrate the festival in a semblance of its original avatar(?) with lavish poojas and warm get-togethers with friends and family.
In India it has become a festival of consumerism.
As Dilip Sanghavi recounts, "When we lived in New York, Diwali used to be a day-long community event.
Every family I knew, including my own, would have a pooja on Diwali.
In downtown New York, there would be a fair of sorts with Indian food stalls, and we used to get together and celebrate with our friends here.
At the end of the day, there would be a fantastic fireworks display.
Of course, unlike the case in India, here, for noisy crackers and fireworks you need permission from the city and it is usually held in an officially designated open space, with all type of fire/security protections." Similarly, hotelier Anshuman Chatterjee, who spent 17 years in Los Angeles, recalls how he spent his Diwali there.
is celebrated in a ball park.
We burned an effigy of Ravana".
Chemical engineer Anuradha Phadnis echoes the nostalgia of celebrating Diwali abroad, in her case, Singapore, which has quite a substantial Indian population.
"There is a lot of lighting up.
No crackers and noise, but entire streets were decorated with strings of lights and it made a very pretty picture." In New Zealand, Diwali has now moved from the relatively private sphere of ritual and performance within the Indian community to a public display and outward celebration.
The festival has been held annually in distinct public spaces since 2002, with tens of thousands of Vol.
19 (06) 07-08 31st October 2007 MF-D- 1352: Topical 3) One pic * :3: people attending the event in Auckland and Wellington each year.
As the diaspora wants to preserve the identity of Indians abroad -it is evident in a Ganga Talab in Mauritius and a Diwali Nagar in Trinidad in South America.
South African Indians, numbering nearly 1.2 million, maintain their religious traditions, often observing rituals more zealously than their counterparts in the sub-continent, but many of the festivals have been tailored to their adopted homeland.
The biggest festival for Hindus is Diwali, , where celebrations include African dances and music along with Indian songs and "Bollywood" hits and Indian chartbusters belted out in Zulu language!.
Among all these Diwali tumult, the NRIs are very clear of their responsibilities towards India and what is today their adopted motherland.
For most of them, there no conflict between Indian and local identities, with many elder NRIs keeping "keeping their feet on both continents." "I tell people: I'm 100 percent British, I'm 100 percent Indian.
And if they can't add up, then that's their problem!" said a British NRI..
