On Saturday 6 and 7 June the Harrow Leisure Centre buzzed with excitement, as Asian Voice and Gujarat Samcahar hosted it's fifth and so far the biggest Anand Mela in the last four years. Over 6000 people gathered at Harrow Leisure Centre as determined shoppers went around enjoying the excellent display of Indian culture, aromas of Indian snacks and drinks, and the lively entertainment, showcasing some of Britain's best and biggest British Asian stars. MPs, Peers and local councillors were present for the inauguration and all proceedings through ticket sales and raffles went to St Luke's hospice- the chosen charity for this year. The main sponsor for the 2015 mela was Worldremit.
Thousands come together to celebrate Anand Mela in Harrow
The mela that started from 10am onwards on both Saturday and Sunday, had long queues outside, as people streamed in to be a part of London's biggest summer mela of the area. It displayed a variety of stalls from different sectors- food & drink, education and entertainment, Health and Medical, Travel and Tourism, Banking and Finance, Fashion and Wedding, Electrical goods, Real Estate and many more. Visitors had opportunity to indulge in endless fun, do some shopping, enjoy the day's entertainment, eat some tasty food, meet near and dear ones or dance to their favourite Hindi songs.
Entertainment over both days included performances by well-known artist Navin Kundra, singer Kishan Amin, Vikesh Champenari, Hemina Shah, Muhammed Fahad, Tauqeer Khan, Nalini Pattni, Jayden, Pritee Varsani, young dhol player Kivraj Gharyal, young Tabla player Mehul Shivji, dhol player Rasikbhai Bhudia, dancers/performers from Archana Kumar Dance Academy, Honey Kalaria's Dance Academy, Sanskriti Guru and Meera Salat Dance Academy and musician Alan Watts.
This year's chosen charity was St Luke's hospice, for Harrow and Brent. The charity takes care for people whose illnesses are no longer curable, enabling them to achieve the best possible quality of life during the final stages of their illness.
On Saturday alone, Silver star charity parked their mobile diabetes van parked outside the venue, helping people with diabetes screening on the go. It is a registered Charity operating in the UK and India, that was launched in January 2007. The main role of the Mobile Diabetes Unit (MDU) is to carry out important diabetes testing in the community and to promote culturally sensitive healthcare, with particular regard to the high prevalence of diabetes in the major towns and cities of Britain.
Reaction from Mela attendees
Anu and Pratik Sheth, a young couple who travelled all the way from East London looked really thrilled as they gorged on some tasty golgappas. “We think this is great. The food, stalls, the entertainment- all look so nice. We just came across a stall selling 3 sarees at a steal away price. We have bought one for our mother, one for sister and one for me (Anu). We came to know about this Mela from my uncle who subscribes to Gujarat Samachar. We clubbed this with our family visit.”
Mandeep Bal and Sukhdip Singh, carrying quite a few shopping bags, were standing at the St Luke's stall when I walked upto them asking how they are enjoying the mela. “It's lovely. We just saw Meera Salat perform, and wish we could bring Ba along with us. We spoke to your charity partners this year- and it is amazing how much you are doing for a good cause.”
Amit Patel, who was visiting the Mela with his two children, wife and elderly parents said, “We are locals and have visited this Mela from year one. Must say quite impressed with the mela this year. However we would have liked it more if you could have had a separate play area for children.
“My parents want to buy a flat in Gujarat and your property exhibition upstairs is quite helpful for research purposes.”
Ketan and Pushpa Pujara, an elderly couple seemed enjoying every bit of the Mela. When asked what they liked the most about it, “It's the people, colour and extravaganza. We are old and spend most of our times alone. Such melas ensure we get to meet the larger community, sometimes old friends and it makes us feel happy. It's a welcoming break from our otherwise boring and mundane lives.”
Artists who performed at the Mela
- Vikesh Champaneri was a 19-year-old participant when he appeared on the singing reality show, The Voice, where he won many accolades and won everyone's heart.
- Honey Dance Academy (HDA) performing arts is one of the UK's first Bollywood dance and performing arts training institution. HDA's founder, Honey Kalaria is a choreographer, dancer and Bollywood specialist. She has worked with esteemed celebrities, such as Shah Rukh Khan, Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai.
- AK Dance Academy was founded by Archana Kumar. The dance group are fresh and dynamic, bringing you dance with an impact. They specialise in Bollywood dance and fuse it with a variety of other dance forms, such as classical, traditional, modern contemporary and hip hop.
- Navin Kundra is a multitalented singer, songwriter and musician and has six number one smash hit singles and a Guinness World Record. He is also the first British Asian artist to be invited by the Royal family to perform at St James' Palace.
- Kishan Amin is known for his soulful voice. He has acquired intense training in Hindustani Classical Music from well renowned artists, Pandit Rajan-Sajan Mishra from a very young age. He has attained the versatility to sing in various styles and genres, such as Sufi, Bollywood or devotional.
- Hemina Shah is a talented singer and performing artist, specialising in a range of different styles of Indian music including Bollywood, Bhangra, Garba, Fusion, plus much more. Her music and voice has proven to cater for people of all ages and background.
- Tauqeer Khan is a Holland-based talented singer and lyricist. His first song “Dil Rokya” was released in 2014 and became a huge success on British Asian music channels. Singing has always been Tauqeer Khan's passion and becoming a successful singer ultimately became his goal.
- Muhammed Fahad has been an avid Mohammed Rafi fan, which is evident in his singing. He is popularly known for his rendition of popular Mohammed Rafi songs and has been a part of many concerts, paying tribute to the singer.
- Nalini Pattni is the artistic paragons of perfection who has a voice that is soft and mellow. She has released three definitive albums and also co-presented London's first ever Asian radio show on LBC 'Geetmala'.
- Alan Watts, is a sound therapist at St Luke’s Hospice. He uses sound, vibration, bhajans and chanting to help patients with illnesses that are no longer curable and their families to deal with stress, anxiety and emotional trauma and he connects them with a higher state of consciousness. He is performing here today with tabla player Dee.
- Kivraj Gharyal is an extremely talented 13-year-old; he is an outstanding dhol player. He has been learning the tabla and dhol for over 5 years and aims to pursue music as a career when he is older.
- Jayden is a young, sensational singer and songwriter. His new single 'Sun Zara' is coming soon.
- Mehul Shivji is a 13-year-old student from Alperton. He is a tabla player and plays with the group Sanatan Bhajan Mandal. He is also a student of classical tabla.
- Meera's Dance Academy was set up by Meera Salat. She is a professional dancer who has been dancing for 16 years. She teaches Bollywood, Kathak dancing and also does Bollywood workouts. Her dance group have performed at numerous shows, including the Shreya Ghoshal concert in May 2013.
- Pritee Varsani is an internationally recognised Gujarati folk singer, who has released her own albums and music videos.
- Rasik Bhudia, from Dhol Sensation started playing dhol as an ambition in Indian music where he first participated at Willesden Temple as a chorus singer, at the age of 13. He has also performed at the IIFA awards held in Yorkshire, and performed to Amitabh and Abhishek Bachchan's performances.
- Darshini began training in classical Indian Dance – Bharat Natyam and Odissi at an early age. Having performed at local, national and international dance events in India and UK, now her main aim is to develop and expand her centre - Sanskriti Guru in Finchley and Harrow.
Property Show
The Affordable India show was a part of the Anand Mela and showcased properties from all over India. The main aim to organise the exhibition in Harrow was to ensure you do not have to travel far, bringing the developers near you. The show had some reputable developers exhibiting Indian properties. Asset India Ltd and Investor Decode, brought together this show to actively help buyers with all assistance even after the show.
