By Vishal Bheeroo
After a lull with COVID-19, Indian food aficionadas geared up for the Indian Food Mela with bated anticipation as it made a grand comeback in August at the Indira Gandhi Centre for Indian Culture (IGCIC). This time it grew bigger in pomp, style and extravaganza as the celebration spanned over three days from August 19-21, something we’ve never seen before in this fashion as it lived up to the hype, and promise, drawing a mammoth crowd teeming to the venue.
The Indian Food Mela was meant to be special this year since it coincided with Azaadi Ka Amrit Mohotsav celebration of the 75th Independence Day of India. On the menu, food for the soul, you name it you get it, quenching the palate, tongue twister of pimping hot jalebi, Khandvi, dosa flavors, Daal Batti Churma, Dahi Bade, Papdi Chaat, Paani Puri, Dahi Puri, Sev Puri with several stalls such as Jain’s Little India, Namo India, Flame n grill, Punjabi Dhaba and Indo Moris Sarees speak and the IHCWA, among others.
Grand food, music and art spectacle
On Day one, August 19, Minister of Agro-Industry and Food Security Maneesh Gobin was the guest of honor in the presence of Indian High Commissioner Her Excellency Shrimati Nandini Singla and IGCIC Director Mr. Balwant Thakur with the event witnessing a panoply of activities splayed right from the food mela kicking to a mega cultural show spearheaded by artists of the Mahatma Gandhi Institute in offering an iridescent spectacle of India in forms and hues, and indoor stalls displaying a gamut of products heralded by Tweak Tea, Organic Village, Suhana selling powdered tea, savories and sweets and jaggery as well as Shivani Handicrafts.
IGCIC Director Mr. Balwant Thakur shared his delight while telling he never thought that the first day will draw such a tremendous response when the inaugural day has become difficult to manage the growing crowd flocking to the event. “While we didn’t launch invitations for the first day, it’s heartwarming to see the Indian Food Festival very crazy and most crazy. We wanted to show not just the food festival but also portray the different colors of India as a whole,” he quipped.
Helmed by the IGCIC Director who is an eminent artist, he told, “The whole idea about the IGCIC which is our biggest center outside India and globally posing as an occasion not to limit or restrict ourselves with many firsts taking place, be it the mega cultural show and the biggest conclave on the island with portraying the work of 75 artists from Mauritius.”
IGCIC Director Shri Balwant Thakur.
Armed with a firm belief that such events should not be done in isolation, Thakur advocated the need for all to be together as one inclusive family and in an interdisciplinary fashion whether it’s for food, visual and performing arts. “Such an event is a community occasion for people to come together and interact, owing to the vision in showcasing culture in all hues and forms where never before we have so many things happening together whether it’s the classical dance performances by Manipuri dancers and Sufi ghazal singers performing.”
The Open Day, started on India’s Independence Day celebration on August 15 infusing such sentiments which he says, lots of thoughts and creative churning has led into its making. No stone is being left unturned, tells the IGCIC director that the little and inquisitive ones are not left behind. “We need to attract our children where we have put in place an exciting array of fun games and complete show for them,” he tells.
An interesting aspect according to the visionary director is an entire store has been converted into a permanent art gallery, the same place hosting paintings in the context of the Art Conclave featuring 75 distinguished artists based on the theme, “My Vision of India” currently held from August 22 to August 27. The Art Conclave has met with a huge response and in this context of popular demand that saw its extension in terms of access for visitors till September 1 from 10 a.m to 5 p.m.
The teeming crowd was enthralled with the whole experience of Indian delicacies, music, arts, handicrafts say a lot not only about the diversity but also the global appeal of Indian food, as a whole. It felt like the food mela has never stopped in the context of the pandemic where it brought people together in this human jamboree.
A diverse Indian cuisine, celebrates a unique bond and enshrines rich values
As echoed by the Deputy Indian HC Shri Vimarsh Aryan: “The teeming crowd at the venue today tells you a lot about the diversity and variety of Indian food as we speak about its popularity where there is no one particular cuisine but rather a multitude of them all to explore. Today’s event truly celebrates unity in diversity which covers every aspect of the Indian food mela and is truly significant celebrating the India and Mauritius bonding and ties as we speak about culinary appreciation.”
What can Indian food and savories be without piping hot masala chai? A unique taste concocted and a blend of India at the festival bearing the signature style of the Indian High Commission Women Association (IHCWA), the first stall at the venue with its members all decked up in colorful sarees and welcoming every guest with the traditional Namaste echoing the rich Indian values.
The preparation has been going on for a long time where everything was prepared at home and for which we ordered from India such as the masala tea, says the Secretary at IHCWA Priyanka Tiwari. She beamed: “People are excited after the COVID pandemic where we are absolutely happy to welcome them all and it shows that across the world, people absolute drool over the delectable Indian spices and recipe.”
A three-day grand event celebrating an avalanche of music, food, dance and dazzling ghazal show where truly art was celebrated in its multiple forms. On Day One, the cultural dance programme gave a peek at what would unfurl for the next three days, exuding the rich Indian cultural extravaganza, the deeply anchored and rooted cultural diversity cum similarity between India and Mauritius with artists of the Mahatma Gandhi Institute (MGI) showcasing the rich cultural ties.
As remarked by the Indian High Commissioner Her Excellency Shrimati Nandini K Singla in her speech, “The beauty of the deep bond and relationship between India and Mauritius cannot be counted in numbers and we cannot say that the relationship started in 1948 nor can we say that it was incepted in 1834 with the arrival of the first bonded laborers yet a relationship of blood with the mind, heart and soul in the right place.”
The HC’s words echoed through this bond, “The beauty can only be demonstrated through the language of music, dance, and art where on this evening we witnessed this technical perfection in the music, artists performance, singers and dancers is something unique yet it serves as a tribute to their hard work, talent, effort, devotion, emotion, love and truth that cannot be measured by anything but the heart.”
A glittering affair to remember as the Indian Food Mela has everything in store for everyone making it special as India celebrated the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, be it food, culture, music, or handicrafts.
Like they say, music is food for the soul. You name it, you get it…a slew of mesmerizing performances echoing the cultural richness and diversity of India, Sangeet Nritya Utsav heralded by the students and teachers at IGCIC, a Mega Cultural show performed by MGI students and a special programme showcased by the Jawaharlal Nehru Manipur Dance Academy performing to Raslila and showcasing the rich Manipuri culture, Martial Arts of Manipura.
Enthralling Ghazal: A matter of divine, rythm and intensity with Hussain Brothers
The celebration culminated with a special Ghazal, Mehfil-e-Ghazal by renowned Ghazal singers, the Hussain brothers Ustad Ahmed Hussain and Ustad Mohammed Hussain hailing from Jaipur, Rajasthan. A special evening that saw guests swooning and swayed by the divine, soulful and soothing voices of the Hussain brothers stroking the many aesthetic senses among the audience, seeping into a trance of sort offered by the beauty of Ghazal.
The beauty of the music composition and voice rendering struck a chord with the receptive audience showcasing a unique symbiosis by the Ghazal duo reverberating with intensity, touching all strings and nerves in the soul, moved by such beauty and prose.
A night to remember with the numbers crooned, “Tujhse Milne ki Justojoo bhi hai…aur tu meri Rubaru bhi hai…chal mere saath bhi chaal aaye meri jaabe ghazal” resonated with the audience and moved hearts and soul endlessly, with palpable energy and synchronizing with each other, the intonation, the gentleness and pitch resplendent with exuberant energy, naturalness and ease.
Each Ghazal performance lent a pinnacle of sort in the rhythm, intensity and lending meaning through the rich combo of mellifluous voices, immersed in such elevated performances be it the enthralling words, “Mein Hawa Hoon, Kahan watan mera” which gave the duo their identity on stage or the Yash Chopra directed Veer-Zaara composed by Madan Mohan. This energetic song about love, passion, and heartbreak laden with Sufism, “Aaya tera dar par Deewana”, carries its indelible charm and recreates this compelling number during the special night, immersed with intensity and simply put, enchants the soul of Ghazal lovers.
It would be fair and just to call it a night to remember where one hopes that such Ghazal meets are churned more often in bringing the vicissitude of Ghazal, richly intoned poetry at the step of lovers of such pristine and beautiful music.
The Indian Food Mela 2022 celebrating the Azaadi ka Mahotsav was truly a memorable affair to the credit of the IGCIC and the Indian High Commissioner in raising the bar a notch higher celebrating with fanfare India making it all sheen and splendor, the rich dance and music repertoire charming and wooing the audience. From toys for kids such as cards, peddle bikes, bunny castles, and face painting to yummy food and handicraft products laden with music, there was something for everyone, cutting across age in making the Food Mela a largely successful and extravagant family outing.
