Bombs cast pall over Diwali celebrations

Harju Kalbalea, 14, performs as part of the Jaipu Khan Langa dance troupe from Rajasthan at Diwali in Auckland yesterday. Picture / Kenny Rodger

Thousands thronged Auckland's Aotea Square as the city put its best hennaed foot forward for the Hindu festival of lights yesterday.

But a shadow fell over Diwali celebrations, after a series of explosions in the Indian capital, New Delhi, left more than 50 people dead. Many of the victims were women and children, out shopping for Diwali and Eid al-Fitr festivities marking the holy month of Ramadan's end.

One of the most important and colourful of Indian festivals, Diwali is a time when families light lamps and candles to welcome light and prosperity. According to Hindu belief, it is the day the god Rama returned home to the kingdom of Ayodhya after a 14-year exile.

At the square yesterday, the big bhangra beats of Bollywood boomed as people milled under the sun, enjoying offerings of Indian breads, sweets and savouries. Many - including Auckland City Mayor Dick Hubbard - sported bindis on their foreheads, and women wearing colourful saris stood out.

Inside Aotea Centre, stalls sold everything from shawls to incense, while a steady stream of people attended Indian dance workshops.

Bollywood stars Jimmy Shergill and Aiysha added a touch of glamour to proceedings. Shergill, a critically acclaimed actor, and Aiysha, dubbed the Indian pop queen of the Pacific, performed some of their best-known numbers for the crowds last night.

Born to Indo-Fijian parents, the singer, who sings in English, Hindi and Punjabi, moved from Brisbane to Bombay last year, and is making a name for herself in the Middle East and South Asia with two hit albums and a forthcoming film debut.

She said of the New Delhi disaster: "It's an unfortunate situation I guess the whole world is in ... It's very sad.

"I've always said that if it's anything that brings people together, it's music and sports. So I'm very glad that I'm actually in an industry that can hope to help people see past the atrocities and negativity."

Donation boxes placed by the Pakistan Association collected money for victims of the Kashmir earthquake earlier this month.

President Naveed Hamid said the campaign had already achieved its target of $100,000, but more could be done. "People just want to help and there is a very good feeling in the community."

Prime Minister Helen Clark has condemned the New Delhi attacks, and said she was sending a letter of condolence to India's Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh.

No New Zealand casualties have been reported.