The world over, festivals have been transmitters, preservers anddevelopers of culture through generations. What's more, they are funevents that almost everyone looks forward to.
Andwhen a pan-Indian festival is in the offing, we are talking abouthundreds of millions of people all over the world looking ahead withanticipation, not just to a day of great fun and frolic, feasting,singing and dancing, but to a dynamic that brings about positive changesin everyone's lives, primarily through prayers – for peace, happiness,prosperity and all the good things in life – for oneself and one'sfamily and for every suffering sentient being in this world.
In Vietnam, the celebration of Diwali, the festival of light, hasemerged as a major annual event on cultural calendars in Ho Chi MinhCity and Hanoi. This year, both cities will celebrate the festival onNovember 9, with cultural galas that combine singing, dancing andfeasting with a vigour that draws in thousands of residents – Indians,Vietnamese and expatriates from every corner of the world.
In Ho Chi Minh City, the celebration is set to be a particularlyfitting tribute to the pan-Indian festival, with the celebration'sspotlight firmly trained on Udit Narayan, a singer whose mesmerisingvoice has delivered songs in as many as 20 Indian languages.
Narayan, considered one of the greatest singers of this generation,has a vast repertoire of more than 15,000 of his own songs covering allmoods known to humankind, so he is well positioned to satisfy the whimsand fancies of just about everyone in the audience.
Fittingly, his illustrious career is packed with a plethora of awardsincluding one of the highest civilian honors bestowed by the Governmentof India, the Padmashree.
It is worth remembering thatNarayan and his team will be celebrating a festival that is celebratedby Indians, the Indian diaspora the world over, and their friends in allcountries including Vietnam, cutting across all lines of language,caste, class and religion.
One great reason forcelebrating this festival in these trouble times is that it symbolisesthe triumph of good over evil. It is a time to foster and celebrateamity and communal harmony.
Diwali, also known asDeepavali, is also an important event for the business community: itmarks the beginning of the Hindu commercial calendar. Businessmen opennew account books on this day after praying to Lakshmi, the Goddess ofWealth.
The 15th edition of Diwali Gala in Ho ChiMinh City will be organised by Indian Business Chamber in Vietnam(INCHAM) at Hotel Sheraton, 88 Dong Khoi street, District 1, from 6.30pmuntil late.
Apart from a concert to remember, theevening will feature one of the biggest spreads of Indian food from allparts of the Indian-sub continent. Organisers are promising an eveningof non-stop fun, free flow of soft and not-so-soft spirits.
Most importantly, a sizeable donation will be made to charity, as has been the practice over the years.-VNA
Andwhen a pan-Indian festival is in the offing, we are talking abouthundreds of millions of people all over the world looking ahead withanticipation, not just to a day of great fun and frolic, feasting,singing and dancing, but to a dynamic that brings about positive changesin everyone's lives, primarily through prayers – for peace, happiness,prosperity and all the good things in life – for oneself and one'sfamily and for every suffering sentient being in this world.
In Vietnam, the celebration of Diwali, the festival of light, hasemerged as a major annual event on cultural calendars in Ho Chi MinhCity and Hanoi. This year, both cities will celebrate the festival onNovember 9, with cultural galas that combine singing, dancing andfeasting with a vigour that draws in thousands of residents – Indians,Vietnamese and expatriates from every corner of the world.
In Ho Chi Minh City, the celebration is set to be a particularlyfitting tribute to the pan-Indian festival, with the celebration'sspotlight firmly trained on Udit Narayan, a singer whose mesmerisingvoice has delivered songs in as many as 20 Indian languages.
Narayan, considered one of the greatest singers of this generation,has a vast repertoire of more than 15,000 of his own songs covering allmoods known to humankind, so he is well positioned to satisfy the whimsand fancies of just about everyone in the audience.
Fittingly, his illustrious career is packed with a plethora of awardsincluding one of the highest civilian honors bestowed by the Governmentof India, the Padmashree.
It is worth remembering thatNarayan and his team will be celebrating a festival that is celebratedby Indians, the Indian diaspora the world over, and their friends in allcountries including Vietnam, cutting across all lines of language,caste, class and religion.
One great reason forcelebrating this festival in these trouble times is that it symbolisesthe triumph of good over evil. It is a time to foster and celebrateamity and communal harmony.
Diwali, also known asDeepavali, is also an important event for the business community: itmarks the beginning of the Hindu commercial calendar. Businessmen opennew account books on this day after praying to Lakshmi, the Goddess ofWealth.
The 15th edition of Diwali Gala in Ho ChiMinh City will be organised by Indian Business Chamber in Vietnam(INCHAM) at Hotel Sheraton, 88 Dong Khoi street, District 1, from 6.30pmuntil late.
Apart from a concert to remember, theevening will feature one of the biggest spreads of Indian food from allparts of the Indian-sub continent. Organisers are promising an eveningof non-stop fun, free flow of soft and not-so-soft spirits.
Most importantly, a sizeable donation will be made to charity, as has been the practice over the years.-VNA
