The Indian community together celebrated the Mega Community event ‘ÍIK Diwali Mela 2016’ here at Al Zumerida Hall, Bida'a, Opp Salwa, Al Ta'awn St,Kuwait with gaiety and enthusiasm. Irrespective of region and religion, more than 6000 family crowd gathered throughout the day on Friday, 21st October to be part of the mega event, which was bought out by the community portal IndiansinKuwait.com to celebrate the ‘Festival of Lights’- Diwali.

As the name suggests Diwali Mela, was indeed a gathering of all Indian Associations and people from all walks of life who enjoyed the Carnival atmosphere with plenty of Entertainment, Diwali Gifts, Food, Shopping and games.

The colourful Rangoli Competition on the theme 'Swacch Bharath' gave the festive beginning to the Mela. Around 11 teams participated in this competition which was sponsored by Al Muzaini Exchange Company. Delicious and creative Diwali Mithais’ and Namkeens prepared by the participants for the ‘Holiday Inn - Jamawar Indian Restaurant Mithai and Namkeen Competition’ welcomed the crowed at IIK Diwali Mela.

The Mela was officially inaugurated by Deputy Chief of Mission at Indian Embassy Mr Subhashish Goldar, by lighting the lamp in presence of Mr Ali Al Sayeg , the Chairman of Lemonade International, Mr Shehzad Gidwani, General Manager of Morad Yusaf Behbehani along with IIK officials. Mr Subhashish Goldar wished Diwali greetings to the community. “I am happy to see such a large gathering here and thank IndiansinKuwait.com for providing such an opportunity for the community”, he said while inaugurating the event.

Sponsors of the Event were given mementos from IIK. The Platinum Sponsor for the Mela was Ooredoo. American Tourister, Tik Tok and Al Muzaini Exchange Co were the Gold Sponsors. Associate sponsors were Provision - Printing & Supply Printing Material and Kuwait Swedish Cleaning Services Co. Mementos for all Participanting Associations were also given during the Inauguration. Rajasthan Darpan Association, Kuwait Odisha Association, Telangana Chaithanya Sravanthi - Kuwait, Upkar Association, FOKE Friends of Kannur, Samarpan Gujarat and Tulu Koota were part of the IIK Diwali Mela.

Early Bird Raffle draw Lucky Winner received an exclusive Certina Watch from Mr Shehzad Gidwani, General Manager of Morad Yusaf Behbehani. Watch was sponsored by Morad Yusuf Behbehani.

Crowd was welcomed by the welcome dance of "Blessings of Lord Ganesha" by Malavika Krishna which was followed by a Patriotic Dance by Dancing Divas. Cultural dances performed by various associations captivated the audience throughout the day. Rajasthan Darpan Association, Kuwait Odisha Association, Telangana Chaithanya Sravanthi - Kuwait, Upkar Association, FOKE, Samarpan Gujarat and Tulu Koota actively participated in the full day Mela. The Bihu dance by Assam Association and Cultural Dance by Tamil Sangam mesmerized the audience. Traditional Fashion Show by Various Associations was an added attraction at the Mela.

The Mela brought all Indian Associations together in a common platform to showcase their rich culture through various programs and stalls. Stalls with Indian Goods like clothes, handicrafts, novelties, gifts and others brought a Carnival atmosphere for one and all. Colourful and attractive Diwali Lanterns made by the students of various Indian schools were exhibited at the Mela.

Fancy dress Competition for kids sponsored by NHE Toys, where the enthusiasm and zeal with which the children and their parents participated and performed was extremely commendable. Painting Competition for Men made the Mela more colourful

Various dances from Dancing Divas, Aart Shaala , D K Dance Group, Kalabhavan, Jas Dance Group and Shaan E Punjab - Bhangra Dance captivated the audience.

One of the highlight of the Diwali Mela was the amazing Flash Mob performance by D’ illusions dance troupe. The sudden appearance of IIK team during the flash mob took the crowd by surprise. People at the Mela were treated to a surprise as a group of young dancers emerged from the crowds to take part in the amazing flash mob. Starting from few dancers the group quickly grew, with performers emerging from all corners of the crowd as bystanders looked both delighted and bemused.

The Dandiya dance contest sponsored by Ooredoo was an added attraction for this year Diwali Mela. The crowd enjoyed watching couples dancing to the tune of dandiya songs.

Celebrity Kuwaiti Singer, Mubarak Al Rashed enthralled the audience with his specially selected Hindi Songs. He sang various, Late Kishore Kumar's songs in Hindi as well as in various other Indian languages which the crowd enjoyed. The audience were just mesmerized by his songs.

The whole day event was compareed by Dr Navniit, Ms Reshmy Krishnakumar, Ms Rachana and Ms Parimita Barooah.

The dynamic kids from D’illusions bought a real live to the Mela with variety of game stalls and surprising prizes. DJ Cheslie ( Audio Tonic) and his group kept crowds mood upbeat with their selection of latest foot-tapping music. Light and Sound systems were provided by Anand D’Souza of Waves Events and Rentals.

People were really surprised by valuable spot prizes and the regular raffles every hour though out the day. The valuable prizes were sponsored by American Tourister. Ooredoo and Muzaini also had surprizing gifts at regular intervals. This kept the event entertaining.

Prize distribution of all the competitions which was held throughout the day at the mela was done at the end of the program. Samarpan Gujarat Association bagged prize for the Best Participating Association at IIK Diwali Mela. Mr Wilson D’Souza proposed vote of thanks.

The event did not end there. The Dandiya Raas at the end for the audience kept the entertainment going. The whole family gathered at the Diwali Mela participated in the Dandiya Raas. Dandiyas were provided by Ooredoo. The mood recreated the true Indian festive atmosphere at Al Zumerida Hall.