Diwali With A Difference

• bey0ndM@gz!ne
• November 16, 2018
• Festival
• 0 Comments

Come September and Hong Kong’s Indian community gears up to showcase it’s legendary Diwali celebrations! The sheer scale of the celebrations gives the festivities a whole new dimension with the build-up starting months in advance and festivities continuing well past Diwali.

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Mrs Indra Banga, President of The Hong Kong Indian Women’s Club, a registered charity started in 1957 says, “HKIWC supports various worthy causes in India, our home and Hong Kong our adopted home. We have a committee of 15 that is elected and everyone works for a cup of coffee. Last year in 2017, on our 60th anniversary, we hosted ‘Kohinoor” a gala Diwali event at the Four Seasons. Our charity for the event was ‘Habitat for Humanity’ and we raised over HK$2.5 million for them and our ongoing charitable work.” While this year’s lunch ‘#Let’s Diwali’ on 19th October, promises lots of fun, games and entertainment, it has a more serious side to it. This year we will be presenting a cheque to The Kerala Relief Effort. Hectic preparations commence five months prior to the event, with the President and two Vice Presidents as overall coordinators and committee members taking up various roles. Members are free to invite friends and family.
“Diwali is special to us as it ushers in the Indian New Year. We also celebrate Christmas with underprivileged children and Chinese New Year with people from Old Age Homes. Our aim 60 years ago and today remains helping those less fortunate,” says Indra.

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Sarjan Group established in 2006 as a non-profit organization was started by nine members and now membership is close to 350 families. Started with the aim of nurturing a close bond between the Indian community and supporting meaningful causes, Sarjan Group prides itself on offering a wide range of events to its members with Diwali Ball being one of the major annual events. Sarjan Group’s philanthropic endeavors in India include Clean Ganga campaign, Books for Purpose and Jaipur Foot in addition and Old Age House, Feeding Homeless, Police and Firemen Welfare in Hong Kong.

My love for letter writing started very young, as it was my way of staying connected despite all my travels. A personally written and beautifully presented correspondence card arriving at your doorstep can be the most touching and comforting at special moments.

Mr. Zulu Ghevriya from Sarjan Group’s managing committee says, “In order to offer our members a unique experience, every year Diwali celebrations are centered around a new theme. in 2016, the theme was ‘Passage to Gujarat’ with invitees being taken on a journey through various destinations in Gujarat. In 2017

Diwali theme was ‘Mahatma Gandhi – Sabarmati ke Sant’ with enthralling performances by the community. The event has drama and dance performances by the community and members’ children are encouraged to exhibit their talent through various dance performances during Diwali function. Diwali organizing committee gets three months to plan, organize and execute the dazzling event and their intense efforts are on full display during the evening. The event is exclusive to Sarjan Group members and special invitees.

This Diwali, Pen & Paper House brings a premium festive card collection with vibrant patterns, ornate elephants and intricate peacocks that truly depict the rich Indian culture. Tiana V Chellaram, Founder and Creative Director says, “My love for letter writing started very young, as it was my way of staying connected despite all my travels. A personally written and beautifully presented correspondence card arriving at your doorstep can be the most touching and comforting at special moments.” What a thoughtful gift for Diwali – bespoke stationery in a beautiful presentation box!

Diwali may carry nuanced differences according to regions, but in all interpretations one common thread rings true – the victory of light over darkness, knowledge over ignorance, sharing and giving.

Happy Diwali to you all!

– by Geetanjali Dhar