Diwali
The festival of Diwali (also known as Deepavali) is observed to celebrate the return of Lord Rama, his brother Laxman, and his wife Sita to Ayodhya after spending 14 years in exile in the forest and defeating Ravana. To this day, the day of their return is celebrated with the same enthusiasm and auspiciousness as Diwali. It is one of the most popular festivals of the Indian Sub-Continent celebrated by Hindus, Jains, Sikhs and is an official holiday in Fiji, Guyana, India, Malaysia, Mauritius, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago.
The gala Diwali 2022 celebrations were organized in the building G, Koh Pich last night – 29th October 2022 with fun, frolic and festivities. The event was opened by the chief guest – Her Excellency Dr. Devyani Khobragade, Hon. Indian Ambassador to Cambodia along with the participation of the key people from the kingdom including HE Mr. Duong Dara, Special Assistant to Prime Minister and HE Mr. Ly Thuch, Senior Minister and First Vice-President of Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority (CMAA). The event was graced by key dignitaries from diplomatic missions of Indonesia -H.E. Mr. Abdul Hakim, Counsellor, Laos- H.E. Mr. Soukinda, Myanmar -H.E. Mrs. Aye Thandar, Minister Counsellor/ Deputy Chief of Mission and United Kingdom- H.E. Dominic Williams. The principal sponsors were present at the opening ceremony with the key dignitaries, these included Mr. Anurag Mehrotra from Fixderma, Mr. Khit Chhern from CSC, Mr. Kiran Reddy from Star
5, Mr. Venugopal Myana from VV Deals and Mr. Pundari baba from Telpha.
The event was attended by more than 450 participants including Indians in Cambodia, expat community members, Cambodians and was supported by key business groups in Cambodia. The event started with the traditional lighting of the lamp as per Indian traditions, followed by a fascinating Bharatnatyam dance performance by Guru Kapil Sharma with kids lighting lamps at each of the tables within the hall taking the Diwali celebrations across to each corner of the hall.
· The main attraction of the event was the all-girls band form India led by popular singer Ms. Jyotsna. The band played Indian melodies and peppy dance umbers for the participants enthralling them with awe and music. This was backed continually with the choicest of the Indian culinary delights.
· The IAC leads the action with the Embassy of India in Phnom Penh, and in close coordination with the other Indian coalitions including Pharmaceuticals, Chamber of Commerce and connects the Indian Diaspora in Cambodia by means of WhatsApp, telegram channel and Facebook page. Further, IAC has a vibrant website which attracts considerable traffic from the Indian and other Expat community members in Cambodia and beyond.
Event Pics
