Indian expatriates in Dubai celebrated the festival of lights with great fervour, gaiety and enthusiasm.
Lamps and festive lights dotted supermarkets, restaurants and residential communities and people exchanged sweets and gifts on the occasion.
Rini Pursnani, who moved to Dubai after getting married, celebrated her seventh Diwali in the city. Although she enjoys marking the festival with her husband’s family and friends, she said she misses her folks back home in India.
However, this year, Rini is celebrating the festival with the newest addition to the family – her one-year-old daughter Mehr.
Rini and her family visited a Gurdwara to offer thanks and introduce Mehr to Diwali rituals. This was followed by a family dinner with relatives, fun session of cards and enjoying family time.
Dubai couple Malvika Sengupta and Sreejish Nair, who are spending their second Diwali in the UAE, said they were happy to see the high-octane celebrations this year.
Jaya Harikumar, a yoga teacher from South India, who has been living in the UAE for the last 30 years, said festivals are an important way of staying connected to one’s roots to tell them how and why we celebrate,” she said.
This was also the first festival for her three-month-old grandson.
Jaya started her Diwali day by distributing sweets at her workplace – Yoga Studio in Jumeirah Lakes Towers – after which she went home to decorate with rangoli and lights.
Dubai came alive with a series of spectacular displays at the iconic Burj Khalifa accompanied by Dubai fountain show; a tailor-made show at Expo 2020’s Al Wasl Plaza and Diwali-focussed performances as well as shows at Global Village.
The annual festival also saw fantastic fireworks displays in the backdrop of the world’s largest observation wheel, Ain Dubai, and also at Dubai Festival City.
Apart from the fireworks and shows, the city witnessed city-wide star-studded concerts, parades, food fiestas, luxurious outings and retail offers with prizes galore.