PUTTING CITY ON CULTURAL MAP

This letter appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Putting city on cultural map

On Sunday, Hindus all over the world marked the festival of Holi with great enthusiasm and pomp.

In the UK many celebrations have been held including in Leicester.

Holi marks the end of winter and the start of spring and the vibrancy and energy that the new season brings. With the weather we have had this year I am sure that most of us would agree that spring cannot come soon enough.

It also marks the victory of good over evil and affirms the importance of having faith in the almighty.

One celebration at Spinney Hill Park was organised by Shree Hindu Mandir in St Barnabas Road and I had the honour of being invited by the Mandir.

Among the dignitaries present (including local councillors) was the Temporary Chief Constable of Leicestershire Chris Eyre. He performed the puja (ceremony) marking the start of the festivities and was given the honour of lighting the Holi bonfire.

As is traditional during the Holi festival, coloured powder is thrown over each other as part of the celebrations and, indeed, the chief constable's face was coloured a clear shade of red at the end of the ceremony!

Leicester is and should rightly be proud of its reputation as a one of the most diverse and multicultural cities in the UK and one of the important aspects of maintaining this reputation is the way all religious and cultural festivals are celebrated as part of the city's festival calendar. The Holi festival demonstrated this very clearly.

I am sure that very few Holi festivals in the UK were able to provide devotees with an opportunity to cover the local police chief's face with coloured powder or indeed had them partake in the ceremonies.

It was truly a memorable and enjoyable event and again put Leicester on the map nationally.

Jit Jethwa, vice-president, East of England, Hindu Forum of Britain