Thousands of locals and tourists gathered to celebrate the Festival of Lights at the state-level Deepavali open house in Little India, Penang, recently. Many Indian shops and stalls in the vicinity extended their opening hours and were decorated with tiny twinkling lights to commemorate the occasion. The public was treated to Indian delights such as tosai and vadai that were served free of charge at food stalls set up along the roads. Food was also for sale at colorfully decorated booths setup by hotels from all over the state that sold traditional delicacies. Dancers and singers from Penang and Kuala Lumpur took to the stage and belted out lively songs to entertain the energetic crowd. The audience was also treated to a modern multi-ethnic opening performance. Sequined dancers performed an energetic Indian dance with oil lamps. The crowd was also treated to an entertaining Malay dance with performers in colorful outfits of green and yellow. Jumping from side to side with boundless energy, Chinese dancers performed a vigorous fan dance to the beat of booming music. As the highlight of the opening performance, a solo Indian dance was executed to perfection with the dancer adorned in a sparkling green-coloured peacock suit with full plume.

Yang di-Pertua Negri Tun Abdul Rahman Abbas and his consort Toh Puan Majimor Shariff graced the event and were joined by Chief Minister Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon, Penang Tourism Development Committee chairman Teng Chang Yeow and Malaysian Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Penang chairman N. Gobalakrishnan. “Little Indian has really come alive over the last 10 years,” Dr Koh said in a speech. “Together with the Malay and Chinese precincts, it has truly become a confluence of rich and diverse cultures. With the International Cruise Centre opening in Port Swettenham next year, we can expect thousands of visitors to Little India,” he said. Also present to join in the celebration were state secretary Datuk Jamaludin Hasan, Penang Municipal Council president Datuk Zainal Rahim Seman and state executive councilors Datuk Teng Hock Nan and Datuk Koay Kar Huah. The open house was sponsored by the Penang Tourism Action Council and the Malaysian Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Penang.
Datuk Koay Kar Huah also visited the stalls and met some foreign guest who showed up at the event. Among them were Mr & Mrs. Bragger from England who had spent one week vacation visiting Penang.

Source: Extracts from The Star Newspaper, StarMetro, Tuesday, 27 November 2007 by Andrea Filmer.