Bharat Samiti participated in 2022 Stadtteilfest in Cologne Chorweiler!
Our club Bharat Samiti took part in the International Stadtteilfest “Fest der Kulturen” in Cologne-Chorweiler on Sunday, 12th of June 2022.
Numerous club members came together for the event after a gap of two years (due to the Covid-19 pandemic) and represented Indian culture and flavours in the form of traditional Indian food, dance and music on a global platform.
Our vibrant Food Stall set-up in richly-red Bandhni scarves was a part of a series of international pavilions in the street fest. It proudly flaunted the Indian Tricolour and offered the fest-enthusiasts with a variety of delectable snacks from many parts of India.
Our members arrived as early as 10am in the morning to prepare some freshly made flavoursome, popular Indian street food. It was a time for members of all ages – both the veterans and the newbies to enjoy a day in the weekend like a family while making tasty snacks together, much like it happens in a traditional Indian home.
The most popular snacks among the international visitors were the spicy potato filled Samosas or Shingara, the crispy Beguni or Eggplant-batter-fry, the crunchy Peyanji or Onion Fritters and the refreshingly chilled sweet Mango Lassi.
The last one was surely a crowd puller on a bright warm summer afternoon. Festival guests also loved the Puri-Sabji platter as a yummy lunch option.
As the afternoon turned into a pleasant evening, four of our Indian ladies enthralled the multinational audience with some traditional Indian dance performances on stage. There was a gorgeous rendition of ‘Dholida’ by two of our lovely young performers followed by an energy-packed ‘Chakachak’ dance number by two others.
It was a moment of sweet pride for our Indian diaspora in NRW to see people from other nationalities not only enjoying Indian dance and music but also trying to sing and match footsteps along.
This year’s club participation in the Stadtteilfest was definitely a fun and satisfying one. And we already look forward to next year’s fest.
by Sukanya Chakraborty
