News
First public Diwali Festival on the South Coast to be held in Southampton this month
15 Oct 2023
A Diwali Mela (festival) is to be held at Oasis Academy in Lordshill on October 15 to showcase Indian culture and celebrate the Festival of Light.
More than 150 people are involved in organising and running the event which will include a fashion show of 100 years of Indian fashion, a Ramleela play which tells the story of Diwali, a bazaar selling crafts and products and food stalls.
There will also be a raffle with top prizes of a Nintendo Switch and gold jewellery to raise money for Southampton 11-year-old Ansh Agrawala who was born with cerebral palsy.
Ansh had selective dorsal rhizotomy (SDR) surgery in 2020 at Great Ormond Street, but needs ongoing specialised physiotherapy to improve his movement at a cost to his family of around £1,000 per month.
Dad Nikhil, 43, a software consultant, said: ‘Ansh’s operation was a great success and he has come a long way – he no longer needs to use his wheelchair at all, and now walks with a frame or sticks.’
‘He’s able to be much more independent now – he’s started secondary school and loves horse-riding and playing FIFA – he’s also a huge fan of the Lionesses.’
‘He has physiotherapy almost every day and there is also always equipment to buy! We’re very extremely grateful to our local community for all the support they’ve given.’
Dad to Ansh
The Diwali Mela, organised by Rajan and Meenakshi Jolly and Sarika Khurana, will run from noon to 6:30pm, entrance is free and all are welcome. ‘We’re hoping to introduce Indian culture to the wider community and invite everyone to celebrate Diwali with us,’ Rajan said. ‘We celebrate every year in temples and at home, but we believe this is the first time there has been a large-scale Diwali celebration on the South Coast and we hope as many people as possible will come and celebrate with us.’
Charity Tree of Hope is supporting the family in their fundraising efforts. Tree of Hope helps families to fundraise for children’s operations, therapies and equipment that are unobtainable via the NHS and provides access to a registered charity providing more effective and efficient ways of fundraising, unlike traditional crowdfunding. CEO Gill Gibb said: ‘We’re delighted to be supporting Ansh and his family and wish them all the best with the Diwali Mela.’
To donate to Ansh’s fund, visit https://www.treeofhope.org.uk/ansh-agrawala/
