It's raining in Maharashtra. My mom messaged me in the morning telling me that they couldn't set up the lantern at home as it was raining. The whole spirit of Diwali is dampened due to the excess rain. People can't get out of the house to meet friends and relatives. Sitting at home and doing nothing in this festive season is not a very good idea. But there is no option but to wait for the rains to recede. Hopefully, tomorrow, it will be better.
We celebrated Diwali in Karlsruhe today. Ideally, today, there is nothing in the lunar calendar for Diwali. Friday, Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday are the four days of Diwali this year. Schools in Karlsruhe have holidays for a week, and hence Saturday, the 26th of October was the best bet to have a celebration. Maharashtra Mandal Karlsruhe had organized a Diwali FaraL event on Saturday evening. It was not very long, but a short and crisp program for about 2 hours. I was not a part of the core team, this time. I supported a few other things instead of planning and coordinating. I made a collage of all the Marathi artists in Bollywood along with another friend. I also helped pack the boxes for Diwali snacks that were going to be distributed for the event. I was at the registration desk to welcome people and hand them the boxes along with another friend, who prepared them. There were close to 125 people excluding the baccha party (kids who were below 6 years). People had come from near and far, from all over Germany, in fact! MMK is growing by leaps and bounds, and we are happy to meet Marathi people in Germany and give them the best programs.
Various artists, young and old, participated in the cultural program. The theme was the contribution of Maharashtrian people in Bollywood. Many names like Asha Bhosle, Lata Mangeshkar, Madhuri Dixit, Bhagwan dada, Leena Chandawarkar, Lalita Pawar naturally came up. The songs in the event were woven in such a way that it represented the Marathi artists in Bollywood. A skit was also presented on the meaning of the Diwali and the significance of various days. We had a wonderful time. Time flew so fast amidst friends, a family away from the real family.
After the program ended, the various volunteers who helped in making this event successful were called on the stage. They had helped to decorate the stage, arranging the tables and chairs, and what not! They were thanked in front of the whole public. I was also called on the stage for my little contribution. But I think it was a collective effort, and the core team (Gharpure, Jawale, Deshpande families, Yashaswini Patwardhan, and Manoj - who was the photographer of the day) did an excellent job!
Food partners had put up their stalls, and people enjoyed the choicest food after a beautiful and fun-filled evening. Monika's Kueche (The Deshpande family) had put up idli chutney, pani puri, and pav bhaji! We tasted all three dishes. T is a sucker for pani puri. He took several rounds of it and wanted to eat more. We also ate Chole kulcha from the other food partner that was also ok.
With hearts and stomachs filled, people went home with a smile on their face. Now the next event planning will begin soon! That's the Gudi Padwa event in March-April 2020! So keep watching this space for the updates on the next event!
We celebrated Diwali in Karlsruhe today. Ideally, today, there is nothing in the lunar calendar for Diwali. Friday, Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday are the four days of Diwali this year. Schools in Karlsruhe have holidays for a week, and hence Saturday, the 26th of October was the best bet to have a celebration. Maharashtra Mandal Karlsruhe had organized a Diwali FaraL event on Saturday evening. It was not very long, but a short and crisp program for about 2 hours. I was not a part of the core team, this time. I supported a few other things instead of planning and coordinating. I made a collage of all the Marathi artists in Bollywood along with another friend. I also helped pack the boxes for Diwali snacks that were going to be distributed for the event. I was at the registration desk to welcome people and hand them the boxes along with another friend, who prepared them. There were close to 125 people excluding the baccha party (kids who were below 6 years). People had come from near and far, from all over Germany, in fact! MMK is growing by leaps and bounds, and we are happy to meet Marathi people in Germany and give them the best programs.
Various artists, young and old, participated in the cultural program. The theme was the contribution of Maharashtrian people in Bollywood. Many names like Asha Bhosle, Lata Mangeshkar, Madhuri Dixit, Bhagwan dada, Leena Chandawarkar, Lalita Pawar naturally came up. The songs in the event were woven in such a way that it represented the Marathi artists in Bollywood. A skit was also presented on the meaning of the Diwali and the significance of various days. We had a wonderful time. Time flew so fast amidst friends, a family away from the real family.
After the program ended, the various volunteers who helped in making this event successful were called on the stage. They had helped to decorate the stage, arranging the tables and chairs, and what not! They were thanked in front of the whole public. I was also called on the stage for my little contribution. But I think it was a collective effort, and the core team (Gharpure, Jawale, Deshpande families, Yashaswini Patwardhan, and Manoj - who was the photographer of the day) did an excellent job!
Food partners had put up their stalls, and people enjoyed the choicest food after a beautiful and fun-filled evening. Monika's Kueche (The Deshpande family) had put up idli chutney, pani puri, and pav bhaji! We tasted all three dishes. T is a sucker for pani puri. He took several rounds of it and wanted to eat more. We also ate Chole kulcha from the other food partner that was also ok.
With hearts and stomachs filled, people went home with a smile on their face. Now the next event planning will begin soon! That's the Gudi Padwa event in March-April 2020! So keep watching this space for the updates on the next event!
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