ASDA adds a Splash of Colour to Navratri and Durga Puja events

ASDA adds a Splash of Colour to Navratri and Durga Puja events

ASDA adds a Splash of Colour to Navratri and Durga Puja events

Children and families come together for Asda’s Rangoli activity; three talented children at each event win a £50 gift card from Asda for their festive designs

Every year during the nine day Navratri and Durga Puja festival, devotees worship Goddess Durga in all her glory. This festival marks the triumph of good over evil and age old traditions and a rich cultural heritage are celebrated of by both young and old alike.

This year, to enhance the festive mood, Asda partnered with two local community events and celebrated the spirit of the festive season. Asda added a splash of colour to the festivity with kids Rangoli contests at Music Arts Leicester in Leicester City on the 7th October and Panchmukhee’s Durga Puja celebrations at Harrow Arts Centre on 8th October, where 25 local children created beautiful Rangoli designs.

It was a moment for family bonding, as the communities got together under one roof to celebrate with song and dance. The Rangoli events created a buzz with the excited children creating beautiful, colourful Rangoli patterns. As part of Asda’s initiative to celebrate with the community, the Rangoli pattern’s helped set the mood for parents and children alike and the events were the highlight of the evening.

At both events, three children were selected for their talented creations and each of them received an Asda gift card worth £50. One winner of the Rangoli contest at Panchmukhee’s Durga Puja, Dipti Jain, age 14, said, “I think it was a pretty amazing experience and am really happy that I participated. I will give the Asda gift card, that I have won to my mum so she can shop for my favourite sweets and also buy herself something fun from Asda.’’

Debdutta Manik, mother to one of the prize winners at Harrow said: “The Rangoli activity for children has been a brilliant experience. It is a great way to engage the kids. They were really into it. My daughter who cannot talk was actually typing on her communication aid to tell us which colour she wanted. And her friend Ayona and I helped her create it. At home we do ‘Alpona’ which is the Bengali version of Rangoli and its great when Asda does something like this to keep kids engaged. It feels good to see mainstream brands appreciate our heritage and our community and become a part of it through such creative initiatives. Growing up outside of India they don’t know much about Rangoli and it is important to engage them in such activities during festivals and introduce them to our rich cultural heritage.”

One of the parents at the Navratri event in Leicester, father of two Sushant Sharma said: “Activities like this are brilliant for bringing the community together. It is very important for brands like Asda to recognise and celebrate each community. For the Hindus, Diwali is the biggest celebration and it is great to see Asda becoming a part of the community with fun activities like this. Especially for kids, it is a great way for them to understand and get involved in traditions then they will begin to enjoy the process of Diwali shopping and preparation.”

Speaking about the event the organisers of Panchmukhee said: “We are thrilled to have had Asda join in with the Puja celebrations by bringing the community together, the Rangoli activity was a big hit with the children and parents alike.”

Here and Now 365‘s  MD Manish Tiwari, one of the judges on the day, said: “The traditions and culture from the Indian subcontinent are unique and are being handed down from generation to generation. It is exciting to see Asda organise this Rangoli activity for children, as it shows that Asda truly understands and appreciates our culture.”

Traditionally at home, it’s the mother who makes the Rangoli with the children helping, but this event saw the roles being reversed. The children displayed their artistic skills as the parents fondly looked on, only lending a helping hand when required.

Spokesperson from Asda said: “It was so heart-warming to see families come together to celebrate Durga Puja and Navratri and bond over the Rangoli activity. As a supermarket we always endeavour to bring the community together and this was the ideal opportunity. The magic of the festive season was brought to life by infusing a strong sense of community and togetherness for the families at Leicester and Harrow, just like the many vibrant colours of Rangoli.”

Here and Now 365 has always prided itself for promoting multiculturalism and celebrating the ethnic diversity of the UK.

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