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Home > City Buzz > Happenings 10,000 attend Diwali Mela in Sunnyvale http://planetguru.com/Articles/ArticleDetail.aspx?ChannelId=Happenings&ArticleId=7814 Print this page Email this page   The Hindu Temple and Community Center of Bay area held its annual Diwali Mela from the weekend of Nov. 5 to 7 at the temple premises in Sunnyvale. The three-day event featured cultural performances and commercial booths. Singers Anu Kapoor (Zee TV Antakshari) and Richa Sharma were also part of the show. A total 10,000 people attended the event, according to organizer Raj Bhanot. The Diwlai Mela started with a spirited “Rath Yatra”. Several devotees, including Chandru Bhambra, Sandeep Panwala, and others sang and danced to the beat of dhol-drums. About 30 booths with a variety of food items, services and clothing greeted the festival-goers. During the peak-time of 7 p.m. to 12 midnight on Nov. 5 devotees thronged the temple and community center premises. Some vendors said, “We are satisfied with the overall number of the crowd, which was slow in the mornings but (has) definitely picked up in the evening.” The performance on Nov. 5 by singer Anamika was well received. However, the event on Nov. 6 was a disappointment to many attendees, with Anu Kapoor “not showing much respect for the event and organizers,” organizer Anita Gunasagar and several members of audience felt. Richa Sharma too did not live up to her billing and performed only adequately. While the Antakshari program in the morning drew a decent response from the crowd, the activity was marred by “too much talk by Anu Kapoor”, several participants and audience members viewed. Organizer Raj Bhanot said, ”Some devotees would prefer that the Sunnyvale temple stop doing Bollywood style song and dance programs, and instead concentrate on (better) cultural and heritage programs. The Sunnyvale Temple committee will be looking into this issue, as more feedback is received from the community.” Sam Rao in Sunnyvale, C.A. For more information: Hindu Temple and Community Center-Bay Area (Sunnyvale )- located at 420 Persian Drive, Sunnyvale, CA www.sunnyvaletemple.org