Thousands flocked to London’s Trafalgar Square at the weekend to join in the Diwali celebrations.
ADVERTISEMENTThousands flocked to London’s Trafalgar Square at the weekend to join in the Diwali celebrations.
One of the major festivals in Hinduism, Diwali is also known as the festival of lights and signifies the victory of good over evil. Though it represents the Hindu new Year, it is also observed by Sikhs, Jains and Buddhists around the world.
London mayor Sadiq Khan called on the public to “be the change you want to see in the world”: “There are people who want to divide our communities, there are people who want to turn Hindus against Sikhs, Muslims against Christians, Jews against Jains. Are we going to allow them? Are we going to allow them? You know, I think diversity is a strength,” he said, adding “we don’t just tolerate each other’s differences, we embrace them”.
The British capital is one of the most ethnically diverse cities in the world with a large Asian population.
“For us it’s the biggest platform, where we meet each other and become a big unity and enjoy the biggest celebration of the year,” said one participant.
“I just feel this is closer to home, like so many Indians out here, so many people enjoying culture and not just Indians, so many people from London, Spain, everywhere, everyone. It’s a true showcase of Indian culture,” said another.
In other news, Paul McCartney took to the stage for the second weekend of the Desert Trip festival in Indio, California. Spread over two weekends, the event features six of the biggest rock’n roll bands of the Sixties and Seventies including The Who, Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, Neil Young and Roger Waters.
For their second performance at the event, the Rolling Stones wowed crowds with classics like ‘Get Off Of My Cloud’ and ‘Jumping Jack Flash’.
Frontman Mick Jagger took time out of his band’s set to congratulate Dylan on winning the Nobel Prize for Literature.
The veteran singer-songwriter has still not commented officially on his surprise award.
