Port Coquitlam celebrated the South Asian festival of Diwali with great festivities and revelry on Oct. 26, 2024, at the Port Coquitlam Community Centre.
The day long activities for Diwali: Festival of Lights Celebration began with complimentary drop-in dance workshops in the morning followed by a sensational Diwali Market, which gave the community a chance to engage with small businesses across henna arts (Pradnya), festive decor (Shubh and The Molecule Makers), traditional foods (Anitra Delights), creative gifting such as "rangoli" jigsaw puzzles (Corner Piece Puzzles), skincare (Bayu), immunity drinks (Injii Kaapi) and of course, the glitz and glamour of South Asian clothing and jewelry (Pehnawa Apna and Kaarigar).
Community members of all ages really enjoyed the "Diya" painting and art workshops led by local artist Devyani Gokhale. The take home diyas were the perfect adornment for celebrating at home.
The much loved and fondly called "PoCo Diwali" event was attended by Mayor Brad West, MP Ron McKinnon, MLA-Elect Mike Farnworth, MLA-Elect Jennifer Blatherwick, Port Coquitlam Community Foundation, Port Coquitlam Couns. Steve Darling and Nancy McCurrach, Coquitlam Couns. Daniel Marsden and Matt Djonlic, Port Moody Coun. Amy Anne Lubik, SD43 School Trustee Michael Thomas, Laura Dupont and board members of the Tri Cities Chamber of Commerce Pulkit Sharma and Adel Gamar.
An absolutely full Mabbett Hall was witness to stupendous performances opened by a prayer to Lord Ganesha followed by a vibrant, energetic Dhol Tasha rendition by the Marathi Society of BC.
Performing for the first time in the Tri Cities, acclaimed vocalist Neeraja Aptikar performed Rajasthani folk singing, semi classical and "kajri" accompanied by Kamaljit Kaur on vocals and Ustad Gurdit Singh on tabla and Ustad Baljit Singh on the dilruba.
The Saree: Walks of India fashion show choreographed by showstopper Anushka Uniyal Saxena stole the show once again with drapes featured from all parts of India. The audience was amazed to see Coun. Nancy McCurrach, Low Entropy Executive Director Ness Gale, Soroptimist Society members Maryam and Colleen walked with models to the theme of "Season and Sarees."
A mesmerizing Kathak performance by Akshaya Surve and group and a magnificent show by Coastal Edge Dance Academy set the stage on fire.
Local artistes PT Dance Company kept the tempo high and the Tri Cities experienced the magic of romantic Bollywood melodies through violinist Fiona D'Silva (Curls and Violins) who was a sight to behold on stage. Local community women performed a folk dance called Ghoomar, extremely captivating. No South Asian celebration is complete without a Bollywood performance and Garima and Rahul ensured that the finale ended on a high!
Members of the community had the opportunity to win door prizes and two little winners of the Diwali Arts contest were felicitated on stage.
This year, all the emcees were youth from SD43 and they really steered the entire playout for the event in a confident and engaging manner.
The event was organized by The South Asian Collective Society (TSACS) for the second year running. TSACS founder Mithila Karnik-Adarkar and board members Ayushya Bangur, Ekta Bangur, Dimpy Bhopal, Karan Adarkar and Srujan Gupta are thrilled with the response to PoCo Diwali and are excited to forge forward with more experiences championing inclusion and diversity in the community.
📣 Got an opinion on this story or any others in the Tri-Cities? Send us a letter or email your thoughts or story tips to [email protected].
📲 Want to stay updated on Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, Port Moody, Anmore and Belcarra news? Sign up for our free daily newsletter.
💬 Words missing in an article? Your adblocker might be preventing hyperlinked text from appearing.
