The Annapurna Indian Women's Club is hosting Diwali Night on Nov. 3 at the Millennium Hilton, and promises an evening of culture by the Indian community in Seoul.
"We are all coming as one big family to bring this night," said Geetha Parthasarathi, wife of the Indian ambassador. "Diwali is a very important and glamorous festival and it is celebrated by everyone in India irrespective of religion, caste, creed."
She added that it is more of a cultural festival than a religious one and is appreciated most by children because of the fireworks that light up the sky and the exchange of gifts and money.
Known as the "Festival of Light," it symbolizes the victory of good over evil. Lamps, called "deeya," are lit as a sign of celebration and hope for humankind.
In Seoul, the night will kick off with cocktails followed by the lighting of the deeya.
While everyone is getting ready to walk into the ballroom, which will be decorated with an Indian motif, they will be served six different kinds of snacks, including samosas, chicken tikka, barbequed fish and tandoori dishes.
Then the evening kicks into full swing with traditional Indian dances followed by dinner and entertainment.
On the cards will be a Bollywood-style performance by the young ladies of the Indian community and a traditional folk dance by the men from Chakraa Restaurant. India will meet Korea with another Bollywood dance performance by the International Youth Federation. Each year, the federation sends high school students around the world to learn and absorb the local culture, bringing it back to Seoul to show and enlighten the local populace.
Last year, the Indian Embassy flew in talent to help with the evening's entertainment but this year's event will be slightly different.
"We are bringing Indian and Koreans who are learning Indian dance so we want to give them the opportunity to display their talents," said Geetha. "There's a lot of talent in Korea so why not show it."
This brings us to the dinner part of the evening, which will be "typically Indian" and prepared by two Indian chefs flown in from Mumbai especially for the event.
"It'll be very special. A real authentic meal," said Devika Popli, one of the main organizers of the event.
The meal will start with a lentil soup for vegetarians or a cardamom-flavored chicken broth with saffron essence for meat lovers. There will be several choices for the main meal, including paneer (Indian cheese) steaks served with gravy made from tomatoes and bottle gourd and spices for vegetarians, and stuffed chicken with fresh almonds and saffron gravy for non-vegetarians.
No Indian meal would be complete without naan and methi paratha. Indian sweets will be served for dessert. Once all the food has been enjoyed and the entertainment appreciated, the evening kicks into high gear with an open dance for everyone.
"That's Indian culture, we want everybody to participate and have fun," said Devika.
Geetha announced to The Korea Herald that the ladies from the Annapurna Indian Women's Club will also perform.
Organizing events of this magnitude is a challenge, said Geetha, time but rewarding.
"Last the response was overwhelming, we had 550 people so but this time we are cutting it down to 35-40 tables because it was very difficult to handle so many things," Geetha said.
"Especially the food part," Devika chipped in. "Indian cooking is very elaborate and difficult so we don't want to mess up on that. This is one very important aspect of Diwali."
If that is not enough, guests will have the chance to win prizes which will be awarded all through the evening.
The raffle prizes will include a 1 million won ($1,090) cash prize sponsored by KEB Bank, a plane ticket from Air India, two $500 cash prizes also from Air India, a handmade rug, silver jewelry and vouchers from hotels, just to mention a few.
Tickets are 120,000 won with parts of the proceeds donated to charity. For tickets or more information, either contact Geetha by e-mail at geethapartha@gmail.com or by phone at 010-3148-1108; Dimple Singh at 010-7116-9301 or dimple71@hotmail.com; or Devika Popli at poplianil@hotmail.com
By Yoav Cerralbo
(yoav@heraldm.com)
2007.10.22
"We are bringing Indian and Koreans who are learning Indian dance so we want to give them the opportunity to display their talents," said Geetha. "There's a lot of talent in Korea so why not show it."
This brings us to the dinner part of the evening, which will be "typically Indian" and prepared by two Indian chefs flown in from Mumbai especially for the event.
"It'll be very special. A real authentic meal," said Devika Popli, one of the main organizers of the event.
The meal will start with a lentil soup for vegetarians or a cardamom-flavored chicken broth with saffron essence for meat lovers. There will be several choices for the main meal, including paneer (Indian cheese) steaks served with gravy made from tomatoes and bottle gourd and spices for vegetarians, and stuffed chicken with fresh almonds and saffron gravy for non-vegetarians.
No Indian meal would be complete without naan and methi paratha. Indian sweets will be served for dessert. Once all the food has been enjoyed and the entertainment appreciated, the evening kicks into high gear with an open dance for everyone.
"That's Indian culture, we want everybody to participate and have fun," said Devika.
Geetha announced to The Korea Herald that the ladies from the Annapurna Indian Women's Club will also perform.
Organizing events of this magnitude is a challenge, said Geetha, time but rewarding.
"Last the response was overwhelming, we had 550 people so but this time we are cutting it down to 35-40 tables because it was very difficult to handle so many things," Geetha said.
"Especially the food part," Devika chipped in. "Indian cooking is very elaborate and difficult so we don't want to mess up on that. This is one very important aspect of Diwali."
If that is not enough, guests will have the chance to win prizes which will be awarded all through the evening.
The raffle prizes will include a 1 million won ($1,090) cash prize sponsored by KEB Bank, a plane ticket from Air India, two $500 cash prizes also from Air India, a handmade rug, silver jewelry and vouchers from hotels, just to mention a few.
Tickets are 120,000 won with parts of the proceeds donated to charity. For tickets or more information, either contact Geetha by e-mail at geethapartha@gmail.com or by phone at 010-3148-1108; Dimple Singh at 010-7116-9301 or dimple71@hotmail.com; or Devika Popli at poplianil@hotmail.com
By Yoav Cerralbo
(yoav@heraldm.com)
2007.10.22
