Experience the vibrant culture of India this weekend in Leicester’s Cultural Quarter, which is undergoing a complete transformation for a two-day extravaganza.
The annual Indian Summer festival, which is now in its second year, has a number of fun interactive activities taking place on both Saturday 16 June and Sunday 17 June from 11am onwards till late.
Festival director Bipin Anand said: “It’s a fun day out. We want people to go away thinking ‘wow’ that’s something we’ve never seen before. We want to touch their hearts about a culture that exists in Leicester.”
A specially created Mumbai Bazaar will be open to visitors where they can experience some traditional aspects of Indian life including the old-fashioned razor shave, a typical Indian head massage and give their shoes a bit of a shine with some old-style boot polish.
Both classic and modern Bollywood films will be showcased at the Phoenix Square along with some special musical collaborations.
Talking about one of the performances, Bipin added: “We will be having a live link up with two tabla players in Leicester in the cinema screen, with a tabla player from the USA and one from India, projected on the screen behind. They will all be playing together through a digital collaboration.”
Organisers are also trying to revive the old sport of Carrom and will be aiming to find the ultimate champion through their tournament, which will be held at the Curve.
Other activities include a ‘rotli roll-off’ at the LCB Depot, in Rutland Street, where the search will be on to find who can roll the fastest and roundest chapatti. A number of food stalls will also be set up across the city centre, serving mouth-watering dishes from the different regions in India.
Meanwhile, various talks will be held at the Ramada Encore hotel, in Charles Street, along with some Bollywood and classical Indian dance classes at Calcutta 34, on Rutland Street.
With around 50-60 additional volunteers expected to help out over the weekend, organisers are anticipating in the region of 10,000 people to attend the event over the two-days.
For a full list of activities, visit:
www.indiansummer.org.uk
