Global Mela A Grand Time for Children
From the beautifully illuminated entrance and hallway, there was no hiding that the Global Mall in Norcross had donned the festive hat. Once, inside, balloons, cotton candies, popcorn and games greeted the young at heart. All of these goodies were at no charge to visitors. According to Shiv Aggarwal of the Global Mall, the Global Mela is an attempt to rekindle the festive times surrounding Diwali and Eid that we left behind. "People are coming here for fun. They should not feel they are 12,000 miles away from home," said Aggarwal. Indeed, the various stalls of saris, salwar-kameez, terracotta jewelry and food like chaat and curries helped to create a native atmosphere.
More mela-like environment was created by friendly clowns, face-painting and other similar activities. There was a children's drawing & essay competition organized by Balvihar of Atlanta.
Health seminars and yoga classes by the Art of Living foundation were other activities tied in. Evenings at the mela saw took on an even more festive turn with performances of the traditional dandiya-raas.
- Lopa D Chowdhury
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