While Indian expats across Qatar brought in Diwali with all sorts of festivities, the Punjabi Association of India – Qatar (PAI) lived up to the famed celebratory fervour of Punjabis by launching into a colourful revelry complete with music, dance, games, gifts, bonhomie, and delicious food.
The grand community event held at Rumella Banquet Hall in Sapphire Plaza Hotel was in celebration of Diwali, also known as Deepawali, which is arguably India’s biggest festival, marked by family gatherings, festive fireworks, sharing of sweets, lighting of lamps, bonfires, flowers, and worship.
PAI’s Diwali 2016 gathering comprised a series of interesting performances by kids of all ages, a fun round of games, Punjabi dances, and a scrumptious buffet dinner, among other things.
H P S Bhullar, President of PAI, told Community, “The main aim of the event was to celebrate the festival of Diwali with the community and to educate our young generation about all festivals and cultural activities. During this Diwali, there was active participation from young children who performed a variety of cultural dances. We are trying to not limit such occasions to Punjabi families but to extend the invitation to all the Indian families to celebrate Indian cultural events and festivals together. Since we are living abroad far away from our country, it is by organising such events that we wish to bring alive our culture and festivals in the community here in Qatar.”
The evening began with a detailed introduction on Diwali, given by the host U K Razdan, elaborating on when, why and how Diwali came to be celebrated in India. The Punjabi Gidha dance performed by a talented bunch of kids – Dilpreet, Ustad, Jasanpreet, and Pranika – drew much applause and rightly so. A dance performance on the Punjabi song Punjabi Shukeen Kudiye by Aarna and Jasmine was equally enjoyable. Simran pulled off a cool solo performance on Punjabi Bhangra-Gidha.
As for Bollywood dances, young Aarav Mahajan performed solo dance on Char Shanivaar. D4D presented interesting dances on a variety of old Bollywood hits, along with Punjabi dhool and bhangra at the end of the event. Amrit Pratap sang soulful Punjabi and Hindi numbers. There were also “surprise games and gifts” in store. The audience readily participated and danced to the grooves of the DJ spinning a bunch of popular Punjabi and Bollywood tracks. After breaking into a Balle Balle dance, it was time to tuck into authentic Punjabi buffet dinner.
Later, PAI presented all the families who attended with a token of love and appreciation; the gifts were sponsored by Inder Walia and Atul Kumar Singh from PWC. Bhullar thanked each and every guest on behalf of PAI for being part of the event and making it successful.
Known for bringing people together, Diwali or Deepawali derives its name from the row (avali) of clay lamps (deepa) that Indians light outside their homes “to symbolise the inner light”. Over the centuries, Diwali has turned into a national festival that is enjoyed and observed by most Indians regardless of religion.
Hindus celebrate the return of deities Rama and Sita to Ayodhya after their 14-year exile, and also celebrate the day Durga destroyed a demon called Mahisha, explains BBC in its note on the festival. “Sikhs particularly celebrate the release from prison of the sixth guru Hargobind Singh in 1619. But Sikhs celebrated the festival before this date. In fact, the foundation stone of the Golden Temple at Amritsar, the most holy place in the Sikh world, was laid on Diwali in 1577.
“The founder of Jainism is Lord Mahavira. During Diwali, Jains celebrate the moment he reached a state called Moksha (nirvana, or eternal bliss).”
PAI – Qatar was established in January 2013 and is affiliated with the Embassy of India – Indian Cultural Centre, Doha. In the nearly four years since it started, PAI has been regularly organising cultural events like Diwali, Baisakhi, Lohri, picnics and various get-togethers.
Every year, new members have been joining the association and making it more successful, PAI members say. Very soon, PAI says it will be organising a picnic as the impending cooler weather would make outdoor activities more enjoyable.