October 9, 2006
By Tabisa Mntengwana
NEWTOWN took on an eastern flavour on Saturday as the people of Joburg celebrated Diwali - and the city's 120th birthday.
Brightly adorned dancers treated the crowds attending the annual Newtown Diwali Festival to spectacular routines, while children's workshops, an esoteric fair and food stalls were scattered around the square.
The day - held to observe the Hindu festival of light - is also an opportunity for the people of the city to come together to celebrate peace and harmony.
"It is great to see people of different cultures come together in a celebration of this nature," said festival director Nisha Moodley.
October also happens to be Johannesburg's birthday month - with the official birthday on 4 October. This year is the city's 120th birthday and it has made great strides since its inception as a gold rush mining camp.
Johannesburg is now considered the economic powerhouse of Africa.
Saturday, 7 October began with a host of dance groups, including the Midrand Academy of Indian Dance, Suraj Dance Academy, Radha Krishna Dance Academy, Kantharuby Dance Academy and Thiloshinie Dance Academy, showcasing a wide range of dance styles.
The Kala Mandir dancers perform an Indian dance fusion
At 11am, the Museum Africa opened its doors for an Indian-themed children's art workshop, where the young artists learnt how to do beadwork, received colouring books and painted clay lamps.
The esoteric fair, also at Museum Africa, attracted many visitors with offerings from foot, head and back massages to tarot card reading and henna painting.
Other activities on offer included workshops by dance teachers such as Anusia Pillay, Urvashi Dass, Kirti Mistry and Dr Ranjit Lalloo. Held at the Dance Factory, participants were shown the different types of dance, from folk to kathal and from fusion to bharahta natyam.
Putting in a special appearance were former Mr India, Dr Pubern Padayachee, and the current Mrs India SA, Chanalee Pillay.
Between the dances, various musicians took to the stage, with a highlight being the bhangra performance by the Institute of Indian Art and Culture.
The food stalls were filled with exotic and spicy foods such as mutton and chicken curry, beryani, samoosas, pineapple sticks with cinnamon, burfee and koeksisters.
Other stalls had ranges of the latest fashion trends.
The Chidambaram dance group takes to the stage at the Newtown Diwali Festiva
Musicians such Suraj, Samarasa, Mona Maharaj, Dickson Pillay and Patrick Ngcobo were also in the line up.
"It is my first time attending a Diwali festival and this has been a great experience. I enjoyed the dances and music," said Lubabalo Jacobs from Rosebank.
As the sunset, Newtown turned up the heat with a Bollywood-style street party, hosted by Lotus FM. Music pumped out across the Mary Fitzgerald Square, with the crowds dancing to the latest bhangra and hip hop hits.
For the stalwarts determined to fill the day, the Bassline hosted an after-party.
The mayoral committee member for health, Prema Naidoo, summed up the festival as "a great way of bringing together all cultures".
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