Spectacular 16th Annual Global Mela
at Global Mall kicks off the Festival
Season
By: Mahadev Desai
Pictures: Vinod Devlia
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| Dignitary Guests |
The 16th Annual Global Mela was hosted by Global Mall in Atlanta, Georgia on
Saturday, September 30th and Sunday, October 1st. The spectacular two-day
fun-filled family carnival attracted over 18,000 people to the Global Mall.
The Mela has become the largest free carnival event for the South Asian
community in the Southeast, with 60 booth vendors from all over the
Southeast and 30 retail and service stores located inside the Global Mall.
It continues to grow and get bigger and better with each passing year! This
year the Global Mall team introduced new attractions like a 40-foot cricket
batting cage, added more activities like day-long Health and Wellness
workshops and brought in 20 more booth vendors! The 2-day event was kicked
off with a warm welcome from the owner of Global Mall and host of Global
Mela, Mr. Shiv Aggarwal, his family members and emcee Kiran Sethi with
Xtrahotdjs Entertainment and Marigold Invites.
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| Dance by NNKB ( Nritya Natya Kala Bharti) Students |
A number of community dignitaries joined Shiv and his family in a Lord
Ganesh prayer and a lamp lighting ceremony by Sadhana Mandir’s pundit
Acharya Ved Joshi. The dignitary guests included Deputy Consulate General of
India in Atlanta, D.V. Singh, Georgia State Senator Curt Thompson, the
Gwinnett Village CID Executive Director Marsha Bomar, the Gwinnett County
Commissioner Lynette Howard, Executive Director of the Lilburn CID, Emory
Morsberger, Mrs. India International 2012 winner Shaveta Jain; 2017 Georgia
pageant winners - Miss India Georgia, Miss Teen India Georgia, and Mrs.
India Georgia and media representatives. Shiv Aggarwal warmly welcomed all
and wished them Happy Dussehra Day and Happy Diwali. The dignitary guests
also responded briefly thanking Aggarwal family for hosting the mammoth
Global Mela every year and for inviting them. They further extended their
Happy Dussehra and Happy Diwali wishes to all.
Atlanta’s premier Indian Dance and Music Academy, Nritya Natya Kala
Bharati’s Founder/Director Mrs. Kumud Savla presented her dance students who
enthralled the dignitaries and the audience with two scintillating dances,
followed by a riveting classical-fusion solo dance-an invocation prayer to
Lord Ganesha, by Sridevi Ranjit,Founder/Director of ‘Laasya School of
Dance,Atlanta. XrtaHotDjs team heightened the mela’s ambience with
throbbing, pulsating, foot tapping music and the latest Bollywood
chartbusters!
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At the entrance of the mall, inflatable obstacle courses, slides and a
bounce house were set up for the children to play on the perfectly sunny
fall weekend. A 40-foot cricket batting cage, organized and managed by
Atlanta Cricket Zone, attracted children and adults cricket-lovers to try
their swing at India’s top sport with a live- cricket playing experience.
Walking into the mall, visitors were welcomed with the aroma of Ashiana’s
delectable chat, samosas and pav bhaji stall downstairs alongside cool and
refreshing free ice cream served by Global Groceries. Heading upstairs, the
Global Mall food court was bustling all weekend with guests waiting in lines
for food at Chinese Dhaba, Sri Krishna Vilas, Dawat Express, Mumbai Masala,
and Curry on the Go! After eating in the food court, people capped off their
meals with sweet flavored shaved ice golas and an array of paans at Amdavadi
Gola and Global Paan House, respectively. Global Mall and Legacy Jewels
sponsored a handful of free treats and activities for children and some
young-at-heart adults, including free popcorn, cotton candy, face painting,
and balloon artistry, which brought big smiles and excitement to children’s
faces!
On both the first and second floors, booth vendors had set up their
tables and wares along the hallways of the mall, ranging from housewares,
toys, arts and handicrafts, and services such as travel, insurance,
education, health and medicine, radio and TV and non-profits. Special
attraction this year was the ‘Global Bazaar’, which brought the streets of
India into Global Mall with over 25 clothing, jewelry and accessory booth
vendors set up inside Ashiana’s banquet hall on the 2nd floor of the mall.
Throngs of visitors enjoyed the look and feel of South Asian street shopping
in the Global Bazaar and through the hallways of the mall.
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| Mega-Prize. A Flat-Screen T/V ! |
The guests were courteously greeted by the entire Global Mall family, staff
and volunteers at the welcome table. Every year, Global Mall & Legacy Jewels
sponsor free raffle tickets and free entrance gifts to all attendees.
Raffles were run every hour around the clock, and attendees got a chance to
win prizes sponsored by Global Mall and Global Mall tenants including Legacy
Jewels, Ladlee, Basuree, Unique Touch, Marigold Invites, 5th Season, Glamour
World, Kiann and others. This year the Global Mall family ran the Mega Prize
Raffle on Saturday and Sunday evening giving away a free large flat screen
TV on both days!
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The weekend-long cultural show is always the highlight for visitors! Lively
entertainment was provided on both days by the young and talented students
from Global Mall’s dance studios, Prem’s Dance Studio and Nritya Natya Kala
Bharti, and Atlanta based local artists who performed a variety of dance,
songs and music items. The Gaudiya Vaishnava Association’s volunteers and
children serenaded the crowd with beautiful religious medleys. The crowd was
regaled more with new performances including a foot-tapping Irish Dance
performance by Drake Irish Dance Company and many lively dance performances
by local young artists to the top Bollywood chartbusters! That was not all!
There was a captivating magic show on both Saturday and Sunday followed by a
special kids-only raffle with fun-filled goody bags of toys and sweets and
kids prizes. This year the Mela entertained the attendees and Facebook
followers with not just one but two magnificent glamorous fashion shows by
5th Season and Kiian Jewelers. As in the previous years, this year’s Global
Mela’s fashion shows were once again a super hit, with beautiful
fashionistas displaying elegant and one-of-a-kind fashionware and jewelry.
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| Fashion Show-A Center-piece at the Mela. |
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| Sridevi Ranjit performs Lord Ganesh Dance |
New this year, Global Mall organized a free Health and Wellness program with
workshops and seminars running all day both Saturday and Sunday. Visitors
enjoyed free yoga classes conducted by Sunita Joshi, meditation workshops
for adults and kids hosted by Science of Spirituality with speaker Arvind
Naik, Nutrition and Body seminars focused on South Asian diets and diabetes
conducted by Saira Gillani with Thrive Health Systems and Nilam Desai with
Emory St. Joseph Hospital, and a Diabetic Foot Seminar with Vinay Matai from
Kaiser Permanente. Co-organizer of Global Mela, Aarti Aggarwal stated “The
goal of introducing a Health and Wellness component is to help focus on
providing free workshops and seminars that can reduce stress in people's
lives and help them learn ways to live healthier lifestyles.”
Well known and respected Global Mall owner, social activist and
philanthropist Shiv Aggarwal commented, “Global Mela is dear to me as I
consider it as my small gesture in giving back to the South Asian and
Atlanta community. To see families come together and smile and enjoy
themselves during this culturally festive weekend is why Global Mall hosts
Global Mela free for all every year. I want to thank my family and Global
Mall’s staff and volunteers for making this event possible through their
hard work for months prior to the event. I wish to thank the media -
including India Tribune, Atlantadunia, NRI Pulse, Desi-Express, Rashtra
Darpan, Khabar, Desh Videsh, and Saathee. My special thanks to Vinod Devlia
of Photography by Vinod, for his photography services in recording the
entire event. I wish to thank the Norcross Police Department with
well-deserved compliments for manning the parking lot and handling the large
crowds. I am happy that the attendance at the Mela is increasing each year
and we are able to make Global Mela the cornerstone for community events in
future!”
For more information about the Mall and to view photos of the event, please
visit www.amsglobalmall.com and
the Facebook Page for Global Mall.