Photo Gallery: Dashehra and Diwali Mela celebrations light up Manchester

Posted by Helen Nugent | Oct 16, 2017 | Uncategorized | 0 |

Northern Soul photographer James Lynd attended the 12th annual Dashehra Diwali Mela at Manchester’s Albert Square and took some stunning images of the colourful celebrations. The action-packed day featured food, live music, crafts and dance. Later, the finale featured fireworks and special effects which lit up Albert Square.

Organised by the Indian Association Manchester, the Mela event featured an impressive programme of live entertainment on two stages, as well as in Albert Square with performances by the Global Grooves, Bollywood Brass Band, Channi Singh and Mona Singh, Nachda Sansaar Bhangra dancers, the Annapurna Indian Dance Company, Explosive Band Baja and BrotherHood Punjabi singers.

At dusk, a lantern procession set off from Manchester Central Library, and there were plenty of entertaining characters including a Tiger puppet, crane puppets and large lanterns of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva.

12th annual Dashehra Diwali Mela, James Lynd

12th annual Dashehra Diwali Mela, James Lynd41

12th annual Dashehra Diwali Mela, James Lynd42

About The Author

Helen Nugent

Helen Nugent is the Founder and Editor of Northern Soul. A Northern lass, born and bred in Manchester, Helen has been back in her home town for 12 years after working in London for The Times and a number of other national newspapers. When she’s not writing, her time is spent exploring the North’s nooks and crannies. You can find articles by Helen in, among others, The Guardian, The Mail on Sunday, The Times, the i newspaper, The Observer, Big Issue North, the Yorkshire Post, The Spectator, the British Theatre Guide, and The Journal of Trading Standards. Previous roles include producing and presenting the business news at BBC Radio 5 Live and on BBC local radio across the UK, and freelancing for The Daily Telegraph, The Independent on Sunday, The Sunday Times and the Financial Times. She also spent 18 months as Money Editor of The Spectator. During ten years at The Times, she won a series of awards including Journalist of the Year and had a number of jobs including News Reporter, News Editor, Lobby Correspondent in the House of Commons, Business Reporter, and Financial Writer. In addition, Helen runs her own media training and consultancy firm, Helen Nugent Consulting. Helen has appeared on Sky News, BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 3, BBC Radio 4, BBC 6 Music, BBC Radio Manchester, BBC Radio Merseyside, BBC Radio Lancashire, BBC World Service, talkRadio and GB News. She regularly chairs conferences and events for, among others, Penguin, HOME, and The Lowry. She was also a Guest Lecturer at Westminster University in the Department of Journalism & Mass Communication, and a Guest Lecturer at City University. At present, she teaches Music Journalism at the University of Salford, and has previously taught Political Reporting at the University of Huddersfield. In 2017, she was shortlisted for Person with Purpose at the Northern Power Women Awards. Helen also chairs events for the Rochdale Literature & Ideas Festival and for literature events run by Trafford Libraries. In 2019, she was a judge for the HWA Gold Crown Awards which recognise the best historical novels published in the UK. Feel free to drop her a line at nugenthelen@hotmail.com or via the contacts page. All correspondence is welcome, particularly if you would like to share a magical Northern experience.

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