Indian Consulate officials addressing the press briefing for the event
Dubai - Organised by the Friends of India (FOI) events, Diwali Utsav is part of the India@70 initiative
Published: Tue 17 Oct 2017, 7:28 PM
Last updated: Tue 17 Oct 2017, 9:33 PM
The Indian Consulate in Dubai will celebrate the Festival of Lights with full pomp and show at its Diwali Utsav 2017, to be held at the Amity University grounds in Academic City on October 27.
At a press briefing, Consul General of India, Vipul, said that the event, organised by Friends of India (FOI) events - is part of the India@70 initiative, which will see Indians in the UAE marking India's 70 years of Independence by attending 70 events in various emirates during the next one year.
'Unity in Diversity' is the theme for this year's event and it denotes oneness in variety. This is what India exemplifies with its coexistence of people practicing different religions, speaking different languages and having different cultures.
N Mohan, FOI's CSR activities in-charge, said: "The Unity in Diversity theme will be brought to the fore through different dances from artists from almost all Indian states, who will showcase their talents in the grand finale on October 27, 2017."
. Entry tickets cost - Dh20, Dh50 and Dh100
. Free shuttle service to take visitors from labour accommodations and nearby metro stations
. Free entry for up to 1,000 labourers
. 7,000 people expected to attend the event, including 3,000 families
. 14-15 teams will perform on stage (with 8-12 participants in each team)
. Tickets can be bought at the venue, from a few major restaurants and at the Tamil FM office
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Buoyed by the success of the previous years' events, this year's will be held on a bigger scale and have many new features. Highlights of the day will include old traditional games, set to bring back childhood memories for many.
"Our children growing up here do not know about the traditional games we played back home in India. So, we here are trying to give them a demonstration of those games and show them how enjoyable these could be. In a nutshell, it is a fun-filled event that will look forward to welcome about 7,000 people from different states of India," Mohan added.
The major crowd puller will be singer Usha Uthup, famous for her versitale singing in different languages. The star performer at the event will judge the dances and also perform and entertain the crowds.
The event starts at 3pm with a Rangoli competition and will conclude with Uthup's performance from 9pm to 11pm.
Diwali Utsav 2017 is expected to draw a crowd of 7,000 people and will offer free entry for up to labourers. FOI will also provide a free shuttle service from labour accommodations, metro stations and various other locations in Dubai, details of which will be shortly available on the FOI Events website.
saman@khaleejtimes
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