Indian mission in London showcases Indian delicacies for Christmas

London, Dec 13 (PTI) India House in London has been decked out in Christmas lights as it showcased a wide array of Indian delicacies to celebrate the festive season.

A celebration hosted by the High Commission of India on Thursday evening brought together a broad spectrum of diaspora organisations and representatives of Indian churches, with Archbishop Miguel Maury Buendía representing the Catholic Church as Pope Francis’ Apostolic Nuncio to Great Britain.

“The Holy Father prayer for all of us this Christmas is that we may grow in fraternity, generosity and understanding, building stronger bonds of friendship and mutual respect, especially in this time when the world is in such need of healing and reconciliation,” said the Archbishop in his chief guest’s address.

Gandhi Hall, which was decked out with a resplendent Christmas tree, rang out to the tunes of jazz and carols led by opera singer Anando Mukerjee and the Bernardi Music Group. The talented musicians got the gathering, made up of parliamentarians and community leaders, to join in with some of the famous Christmas carols such as ‘Silent Night’ and ‘Joy to the World’.

“In all parts of India, joy of the festive season is celebrated with equal gusto by all members of all communities and that to me is both the magic of the festive season and the magic of India,” said Vikram Doraiswami, Indian High Commissioner to the UK.

“We ask you to share with us in this very difficult moment globally the fact that we have this message of hope, joy, love and sharing that comes to us in Christmas and reminds us afresh, most of all, that our common humanity is all that matters,” he said.

The address was followed by the ceremonial cutting of a specially crafted two-tier Christmas cake by celebrated Goan-origin chef Clanny Rodrigues and guests exploring a range of Indian food products – from Coorg coffee to Indian wines and whisky. The festive celebration, held for the second year in a row, showcased a wide variety of offerings from the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) – an organisation which is part of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. PTI AK SCY SCY SCY