More goodies than before at 10th Deepavali Carnival

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THE Deepavali Carnival, which is held annually for the past 10 years, is now in full swing at the Kuala Lumpur open carpark in Brickfields (behind KL Sentral), Kuala Lumpur.

This year about 240 booths are offering a variety of products from bangles to sarees, jewellery and shoes — all in ethnic Indian style until Oct 25.

The festive atmosphere was thick at the site of the carnival as visitors are blasted with Deepavali songs to entertain them as they shop.

Add colour to your feet: These colourful jhootis are perfect for those who want to be shod in something ethnic yet comfortable this festive season.

A stage has also been set up for talent and fashion shows as well as cooking competitions to put everyone in the festive spirit. One such competition was the Nestle Everyday Mother Child Competition.

Since the Deepavali Carnival and celebration go hand in hand, this year Mista G, who just launched his album Arpanam — The Final Cut, will hold his launch concert at 8pm tomorrow night.

The public are welcome to enjoy the show and meet Mista G.

For avid shoppers, especially women, there is a booth selling the famous Hyderabad Pearls. The colourful and uniquely-designed costume jewellery which includes wedding sets, are simply eye-catching.

Wrap up: Mandeep Kaur from Libas Fashion showing some of the scarves they have this season.

Silver and decorative items made from German metal are also a hit among carnival-goers as the oxidised silver effect gives character to the products.

No woman can have enough pairs of shoes, and the carnival features a wide array of ethnic and colourful leather footwear.

According to Agenda Suria Communication Sdn Bhd director D.P. Ganaa, they are trying to attract more visitors by bringing in as many items as possible.

He said about 30% of the items on sale this year were not available in previous years.

“There are more products from Pakistan, Bangalore and Hyderabad. The jewellery from Hyderabad is selling well because they are being sold according to prices in India, that’s why they are so popular.

Time to sparkl e: Some of the latest collection of jewellery at the Hyderabad Pearl booth.

“Another new attraction this year is the inclusion of five wedding planners as exhibitors. This is to provide visitors with something extra ­— apart from the usual Deepavali must-haves,” he said.

He said most of the products were brought in according to demand.

“Although there are other Deepavali bazaars around, a lot of people have been waiting for ours and the response has been good,” he said.

As part of the carnival organisers’ corporate social responsibility, a special booth has been set up to create more exposure for Anbu Illam Home.

S. Muthiah, one of the caregivers at the home, said they were grateful to have been given the opportunity to be present at the carnival.

“It is a nice gesture by the organisers and we hope to create more exposure for our home. We have about 32 boys under our care and they are all schoolgoing children. So every donation we get counts,” he said.