On Saturday evening, the Indian Association Luxembourg (IAL) together with the Indian Business Chamber Luxembourg (IBCL) held their annual Diwali festival at Casino2000 in Mondorf-les-Bains, welcoming around 350 members and friends of India to the Chapito ballroom where they celebrated together the Festival of Lights, good succeeding over evil.
Sudhir Kohli, IBCL Chairman, explained that this year the IBCL and the IAL joined forces to organise this major event in the Indian calendar, whereas in previous years they held separate events.
Selva Agumalai, IAL President, welcomed everyone to what is a new venue for the IAL and reminisced back to the first IAL Diwali celebration in Luxembourg, 28 years ago in Capellen. He also welcomed representatives of the Indian embassy in Luxembourg and also the Honorary Consul, Nicolas Graas.
Dhirendra Singh Garbyal, Counsellor at the Embassy of India in Brussels, also said a few words and mentioned that he was delighted to be celebrating his 3rd Diwali in Luxembourg.
The formal part of the evening was concluded with the lighting of candles and prayers.
A sumptuous 3-course Indian meal was served to the tables; such a Diwali celebration would not be complete without colourful cultural performances, courtesy of a cabaret-style programme of entertainment provided throughout the evening. This included both traditional and modern Bollywood dance performances, as well as both classical and modern, and also traditional, Indian music and song - by a dance troupe and music band from Munich - between courses, which featured an audience-participation Bollywood dance workshop, with an Indian stand-up comic and finally a DJ entertaining everyone into the early hours.
