Diwali lights brighten UK’s ‘Little India’
Tuesday, 03/11/2015
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LONDON: A giant Ferris wheel named the ‘Wheel of Light’ was the highlight of the annual Diwali lights switching-on ceremony on Monday evening in the east Midlands town of Leicester, which is called ‘Little India’ due to a large minority of Indian origin.
Diwali celebrations in Leicester reflect a complex history of migration of Indian-origin people, mostly Gujaratis.
The arterial Belgrave Road was taken over by nearly 35,000 people to mark the beginning of the Diwali period. Diwali in Leicester is reputed to be the largest outside India, a reputation the local council and people strive to carry forward every year.
Diwali celebrations in Leicester reflect a complex history of migration of Indian-origin people (mostly of Gujarati origin) from Idi Amin’s Uganda in the early 1970s.
The town has since become a ‘poster-town’ of multiculturalism in Britain and Europe.
The local council, which advised the Indian immigrants from Uganda not to move to Leicester, is now a major contributor and organiser of the Diwali events that attract people of Indian and non-Indian origin.
Describing this year’s Diwali events, the council said: “It’s a far cry from the scene of 32 years ago, when a rather more modest display heralded the beginning of Leicester’s Diwali display”.
