Tussle Within
As the war drags on, the US discovers the perils of allying with a dictator who wants to appear a statesman abroad and a politician at home.

Battle Weary Wasteland
An exclusive photo feature captures images of Afghan life during unending conflict.

Down and Out
An account of sebi's undoing under D.R. Mehta and the tasks for a new team that will be at the helm in the regulatory body early next year.

UK SPECIAL: DIWALI

All That Glitter

The festive spirit is overrunning towns across the UK as Indians prepare for Diwali

By Manjushri Mitra

Every Indian bazaar in the UK is teeming with colourful clothes, clinky bangles and sumptuous sweets, not to mention crazy fireworks and clay lamps. The Indian festival season lasts an entire month-beginning with navaratras, Dussehra and ending with Diwali. The Gujarati community in the UK kicks off the celebrations with garba dances typical of the Navratri festival. Teenage talk revolves around the latest styles of chania-cholis and potential dandiya partners. The Bengali community's Durga Pooja is around the same time, while fasting is the done thing.

FEISTY OFFERINGS: Annakoot celebrations at Swaminarayan Temple, Neasden

Both the festivals end with pyrotechnics when the giant villainous 10-headed Ravanas are set ablaze at Dussehra festivals, like the ones in Victoria Park mela in Finchley, north London, or the Cossington Recreation Grounds in Leicester. Karva Chauth (November 4 this year) follows in which women fast and offer prayers for long and happy marriages.

But it is the prospect of Diwali that buoys the spirit the most. The tradition of new outfits for the entire family is good news for fashion retailers around Wembley, Southall, Leicester and Birmingham. "It's the busiest time of the year. Diwali is a very important festival in Leicester-the biggest in Europe-so we get people from all over the UK and overseas too," explains Hemant Mattani of Sona Rupa, a saree and music emporium at Leicester's Belgrave Road, nicknamed the Golden Mile for its many Indian jewellery stores. Since it first put up Diwali lights in 1983, Leicester's festival has grown and now boasts one of the largest Diwali celebrations outside India.

It's An All-Round Festival

RAMOLA BACHCHAN Famed for her Diwali parties in London To me it's all about celebrating life with family and friends. We always begin with a Puja at home. I grew up in Kolkata and like Diwali best of all the festivals. I don't like Holi, such a torture with all that stuff being thrown around. But Diwali is very important and it has been important all my married life. We always give each other presents. What's wonderful about Diwali is that it is such an all-round festival. You call your family and friends to your home and ask for God's blessings. -AR

The switching-on of Diwali lights on October 29 drew crowds of about 30,000 people. And it is expected to double at the main Diwali celebration on November 14 which will be ablaze with 6,500 lights, cultural programmes and fireworks. Belgrave Road will be closed to traffic that evening, as it turns into a giant community centre for Indians and locals alike. The festival has become a mainstream event, sponsored by the likes of Carlton TV and Birmingham International Airport.

"It's the feel-good factor. It's the one time of the year when everyone gets to meet friends and relatives and wish each other on the new year; it becomes a huge multi-cultural event," says Rajendra Chauhan of Leicester's Hindu Festival Council.

UPBEAT: Bhangra sets the tempo for Diwali celebrations at the Leicester festival

Wembley's Diwali festival, on the western London suburbs, may not have as many lights, but will pack a greater punch in terms of celebrity attraction, the organisers are confident. Last year, the Diwali lights at Ealing Road were switched on by none other than the martial arts actor Jackie Chan, while Bollywood actress Hema Malini took part in the Diwali parade. This year's line-up is under wraps, but it promises to be special.

Ealing Road, the main retail centre for London's Gujarati community, is the place to buy sarees. Variety Silk House and Krishna Sarees offer competitive discounts at Diwali when one can buy a pure French chiffon saree for an affordable £40. At RCKC, the London arm of Delhi's Ram Chander Krishan Chander of Karol Bagh fame, sales discounts touch 50 per cent on a wide range of designer sarees, salwar suits and pashmina shawls.

Diwali is also a time to spruce up the home and buy new utensils. There's a crowd at Popat Stores, a small store packing everything from clay diyas and religious artefacts to cookware, fireworks and rangoli colours. Plus, it has several attractive "buy one get one free" offers. Similar stores dot Southall. Little India and Pooja Ghar, provide the Diwali essentials, while Daminis, Creations and Santoshi's cater to the fashion seekers. Southall remains one of the best places in London to buy fabric, with stores like Banwait & Co. and Pratap Fashions. Rainbow Sarees, meanwhile, retains a niche in wedding sarees. Many jewellers offer seasonal discounts. K.K. Jewellers specialises in diamonds and other precious stones, offering discounts of 15 to 25 per cent, says proprietor Sushma Duggal.

A New Start

S.P. HINDUJA Businessman I always remember the basic truth behind Diwali: to me it is about the return in the Ramayana of Rama. It's about defeating evil. So to me it marks the start of a new year. This year is not the western calendar year but the lunar calendar so Diwali gets shifted by a few days each year if you follow the western calendar. We have some holy event almost every month but what is special about Diwali is that is the beginning of the new year. -AR

Sweets are the order of the day with traditional halwais and restaurants doing quick business. From the all-vegetarian Bikaner or Royal Sweets outlets in Southall, Sakonis or Chetna's in Wembley, Sharmilee or Bobby's in Leicester, the Indian fast-food outlets are preparing for a busy time. Royal Sweets, which has 35 outlets in the UK, is giving special Diwali gift boxes, available at Waitrose and Sainsbury's supermarkets.

A new factor is the burgeoning fabric stalls run by enterprising Afghani merchants of Indian origin who have brought a new range of products to the Southall market. "Each new wave of immigrants brings fresh blood and the Afghani Indians are shrewd business people providing good service at good prices," says Harbans Lal Shukla, secretary of the Southall Chambers of Commerce.

In Birmingham, the main celebration is scheduled on November 25 in Centenary Square, but there are a number of smaller events planned. Temples in the city, the Lakshmi Narayan Temple at Warwick Road, the Gita Mandir at Heathfield Road and Sparkbrook's Sri Krishna Mandir, all have lined up special poojas. Religious fervour draws devotees to temples in other towns as well-Sri Murugan Temple in east London and the main iskcon and Swaminarayan temples.

The Swaminarayan Hindu Mandir in Neasden regularly holds the largest Annakoot festival. Last year, it had 15,000 visitors at Diwali, with a further 45,000 people arriving the following day on Annakoot, the first day of the financial new year. It set another record-the world's largest display of food last year with 1,247 dishes on display. This year too 1,000 varieties of vegetarian dishes will be prepared by a team of 350 volunteers, cooking up tons of items for the "bhoja" on November 15. The temple has an impressive volunteer workforce numbering over 600, including a small army of car park attendants, and another team of teenagers looking after some 60,000 pairs of shoeson the festival day. "Not even one pair of shoes has ever gone missing. They take up the job in true Diwali spirit of service and giving," remarks Tarun Patel, temple spokesman. Happiness is in service, and in festivities.

MetroScape

Banglore: Pub

Delhi: Furniture Store

Kolkata: Restaurant