• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Chandler's Ford Today

  • Home
  • About
    • About Chandler’s Ford
    • Chandler’s Ford War Memorial Research
  • Blog
    • Blogging Tips
  • Event
    • Upcoming Events
  • Community
    • Groups
    • Churches
    • Schools
    • GP Surgeries
    • Leisure
    • Library
    • Charities
      • Eastleigh Basics Bank
      • Cat & Kitten Rescue in Chandler’s Ford
    • Fair Trade
      • Traidcraft stalls in Chandler’s Ford
    • Chandler’s Ford Parish Council
  • Contact
    • Subscribe
  • Site Policies
  • Site Archive
    • Site Archive 2018
    • Site Archive 2017
    • Site Archive 2016
    • Site Archive 2015
You are here: Home / Arts / Review: Eastleigh’s 12th Annual Mela on Sunday 30th July 2017

Review: Eastleigh’s 12th Annual Mela on Sunday 30th July 2017

August 18, 2017 By Cecily Casey 1 Comment

As always, I had a great time at Eastleigh’s 12th annual Mela on Sunday 30th July. The word means “a public event held to celebrate a special event” (Cambridge Dictionary) and comes from the Hindu word for a festival.

Ours is a multicultural carnival of music, dance and cuisine with such diverse contributors as; Irish Dancers, Southampton Buddhist Centre, Thai dancers, a band from Afghanistan called the Kabul Boys, traditional Indian dancing, Chinese Lion Dancing, the local Nepalese association, more bands including Crestwood’s Panatical steel drum band, who who always make me feel cheerful when I hear them, and a large range of stalls. 

Kabul boys onstage
Kabul boys onstage

The Eastleigh and Bishopstoke Carnival Queens popped in as did the Mayor of Eastleigh, Cllr Mo Sollitt, who also had a stall supporting her charities. There were many food stalls offering curries, wraps, samosas, naan breads to burgers and chips, coconut drinks, mango lassie and the wonderful iced kulfi cones from the Asian Welfare & Cultural Association stand. I like the mango ones. And the pistachio and coconut ones…

“What’s coal?”

There was a climbing wall and circus craft activities for kids plus a miniature steam engine on a track for the grandparents! I overheard one such talking to a young lad saying “Look, there’s the driver putting coal in the firebox to heat the engine.” Only to have the young kid reply, “What’s coal?”

My, how times have changed! There was still a big queue to ride all the same.

Miniature train
Miniature train. “What’s coal?”

Master chef winner Shelina Permaloo gave a cookery demonstration on the big stage and was later helping out on one of the food stalls along with a pile of her recipe books.

Shailly’s Bollifit

So after enjoying myself by eating too much, and buying too much from all the stalls, including bracelets from the “Aunties” on the AWCA stall and a lovely silk saree from a charity stall, I got up on stage with all my friends from Shailly’s Bollifit class at the Velmore Centre and performed a medley of songs from Indian films in a less-than-classical style of dancing!

The idea is to mix upbeat Bollywood songs with an Indian-based dance workout for exercise. We vary considerably in both age and fitness but the classes are such good fun that you almost don’t notice that you are working out!

Bolifit Mela group - Eastleigh Mela 2017
Bollifit Mela group – Eastleigh Mela 2017

We were very well received with a large audience clapping along to the music. Right afterwards Unity Bollywood, a professional dance troupe run by Shailly danced a considerably more energetic set.

The whole free event was masterminded by the AWCA (Eastleigh Asian Welfare and Cultural Association) and Unity 101 FM, our local Asian and Ethnic Radio station, compered by Coco P. in his wonderful, laid back Caribbean accent. The station plays all sorts of music and are looking for volunteer presenters of all ethnicities if you fancy yourselves on air!

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.


Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Google
  • Email

Related posts:

The 10th Eastleigh Mela Hope Eastleigh 2015Hope Eastleigh 2015 Highlights In the Gang Show: Lyn Darbyshire Chandler's Ford Today upcoming events in Chandler's Ford and around EastleighChandler’s Ford Produce and Craft Market and Other Local Events – from October 2018 FEATURE IMAGE - A Christmas Carol - The MDG Players - Review by Allison SymesA Christmas Carol – The MDG Players – Review by Allison Symes
Tags: arts and crafts, Chandler's Ford, community, Eastleigh, entertainment, event, good neighbours, Leigh Road, local interest, social, volunteering

About Cecily Casey

Happily married to Keiron for 36 years, mother of two, lived in Chandler's Ford for more than 17 years. Currently Akela at 1st Hursley Scout Group, parishioner at St Edwards. Love books, gardens, wine and food!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Janet Williams says

    August 18, 2017 at 10:10 pm

    Wow! You Bollifit divas look fabulous! Thanks for sharing this with us, Cecily. It’s truly a multicultural event. I’ve watched a few of the video clips of martial arts and dances, and they all looked fantastic!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Search

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to Chandler's Ford Today blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Archives

Top Posts & Pages

999, 111, 101, 112? Emergency Numbers You Must Know
Questions In Fiction
101 Things to Put into Room 101
Home
101 Things to Put into Room 101 - Part 7 - The Final Leg
About
Blog
David Beckham's Chinese Tattoo
Peculiar British House Numbering System
Library

Categories

Tags

arts and crafts books Chandler's Ford Chandler's Ford Today Chandler’s Ford community charity Christianity Christmas church community creative writing culture Eastleigh Eastleigh Borough Council education entertainment event family fundraising gardening gardening tips good neighbours Hiltingbury Hiltingbury Road history hobby how-to interview Joan Adamson Joan Adelaide Goater local businesses local interest memory Methodist Church music nature news reading review social storytelling theatre travel Winchester Road writing

Recent Comments

  • Allison Symes on Paragraphs and Punctuation in Fiction
  • Mike Sedgwick on Paragraphs and Punctuation in Fiction
  • Robbie Sprague on Mrs Doncaster
  • Jill Leask on Mrs Doncaster
  • Allison Symes on Originality in Fiction
  • Mike Sedgwick on Originality in Fiction

Regular Writers and Contributors

Janet Williams Allison Symes Mike Sedgwick Rick Goater Doug Clews chippy minton Martin Napier Roger White Andy Vining Gopi Chandroth Nicola Slade Wellie Roger Clark Ray Fishman Hazel Bateman SO53 News

Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal by Joan Adelaide Goater

Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal by Joan Adelaide Goater

Growing up in Chandler’s Ford: 1950s – 1960s by Martin Napier

Growing up in Chandler’s Ford: 1950s – 1960s by Martin Napier

My Memories of the War Years in Chandler’s Ford 1939 – 1945 by Doug Clews

My Memories of the War Years in Chandler’s Ford 1939 – 1945 by Doug Clews

Chandler’s Ford War Memorial Research by Margaret Doores

Chandler’s Ford War Memorial Research by Margaret Doores

History of Hiltonbury Farmhouse by Andy Vining

History of Hiltonbury Farmhouse by Andy Vining

My Family History in Chandler’s Ford and Hursley by Roger White

My Family History in Chandler’s Ford and Hursley by Roger White

Do You Remember The Hutments? By Nick John

Do You Remember The Hutments? By Nick John

Memory of Peter Green by Wendy Green

Memory of Peter Green by Wendy Green

History of Vickers Armstrongs (Supermarine) Hursley Park by Dave Key

History of Vickers Armstrongs (Supermarine) Hursley Park by Dave Key

Reviews of local performances and places

Reviews of local performances and places

Copyright © 2022 Chandler's Ford Today. WordPress. Log in

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.