Delightful Diwali
Oct 27, 2008
SPEKE Resort Munyonyo turned into one big kitchen on Sunday. Aromas wafted in the air as the Indian community celebrated Diwali Day.
By Alex Balimwikungu
SPEKE Resort Munyonyo turned into one big kitchen on Sunday. Aromas wafted in the air as the Indian community celebrated Diwali Day.
Though attendance fell short of the 7,000 people the Indian Association of Uganda anticipated, those who turned up for the biggest festival of lights, sponsored by Zain, did so with enthusiasm.
There is something about Diwali and food. In the 26 tents representing different parts of India, there were over 120 foods, none of which were repeated. And boy, did we dig into the elaborate feasts! We gorged ourselves on whatever we set our eyes upon.
People made a beeline for the purely meat-eating Indian Catholic community tent. The pork sorportel, chicken masala and kebabs were the biggest attractions.
The Kutch community tent’s sweet and sour Kutch Dabelio teased our taste buds.
The peppered Khaman dish and the Rotla, vegetable brinjals from the Patel palav group represented the Gujarati part of India.
The Sagaar restaurant, Krunchy Bites and Hydrabadi Dhum tents were equally swarmed.
But Diwali is not just about food. There was a talent show where all age groups tussled it out for a PVR decoder. Some performances were fascinating and memorable while others were dull.
Even with no food in sight, the Kampala Casino and Pyramids tent was one of the busiest — the gamblers were trying out their luck on this day. “Gambling on Diwali Day is good because the wife of the God Shiva (Parvati), played dice with him on this day and thus all those who gamble on this auspicious day are blessed with prosperity throughout the year,†said Nitin Vekariya of the Seyani Brothers.
An elder from the Goa region of India lamented that Diwali has become more of a materialistic festival than one about sentiments and feelings.
With a high degree of awareness about environmental pollution, not every one in attendance at Munyonyo was at liberty to burst fire crackers, like Diwali entails. A huge volley of fireworks lit the air at 7:00pm. For many in attendance it was a time to mark new beginnings.
Many should have acquired new clothes by now.
SPEKE Resort Munyonyo turned into one big kitchen on Sunday. Aromas wafted in the air as the Indian community celebrated Diwali Day.
Though attendance fell short of the 7,000 people the Indian Association of Uganda anticipated, those who turned up for the biggest festival of lights, sponsored by Zain, did so with enthusiasm.
There is something about Diwali and food. In the 26 tents representing different parts of India, there were over 120 foods, none of which were repeated. And boy, did we dig into the elaborate feasts! We gorged ourselves on whatever we set our eyes upon.
People made a beeline for the purely meat-eating Indian Catholic community tent. The pork sorportel, chicken masala and kebabs were the biggest attractions.
The Kutch community tent’s sweet and sour Kutch Dabelio teased our taste buds.
The peppered Khaman dish and the Rotla, vegetable brinjals from the Patel palav group represented the Gujarati part of India.
The Sagaar restaurant, Krunchy Bites and Hydrabadi Dhum tents were equally swarmed.
But Diwali is not just about food. There was a talent show where all age groups tussled it out for a PVR decoder. Some performances were fascinating and memorable while others were dull.
Even with no food in sight, the Kampala Casino and Pyramids tent was one of the busiest — the gamblers were trying out their luck on this day. “Gambling on Diwali Day is good because the wife of the God Shiva (Parvati), played dice with him on this day and thus all those who gamble on this auspicious day are blessed with prosperity throughout the year,†said Nitin Vekariya of the Seyani Brothers.
An elder from the Goa region of India lamented that Diwali has become more of a materialistic festival than one about sentiments and feelings.
With a high degree of awareness about environmental pollution, not every one in attendance at Munyonyo was at liberty to burst fire crackers, like Diwali entails. A huge volley of fireworks lit the air at 7:00pm. For many in attendance it was a time to mark new beginnings.
Many should have acquired new clothes by now.