The London Eye has been illuminated to mark Diwali for the first time while our showbiz reporter Kiran Rai shows 30 minutes worth of Diwali at Trafalgar square and goes back stage and interviews the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan.
Joining the Indian High Commissioner for the switch-on were Britain’s first turbaned Sikh MP, Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi, comedian and actress Meera Syal, Eastenders actor Nitin Ganatra and British film Director, Gurinder Chadha.
After the countdown Gurinder Chadha said: “The lighting up of such an iconic image of Britain is a measure of how successful we have been as a community. I remember as a child in Southall, in West London where I grew up, lighting a few candles on my mum’s doorstep – and now we are lighting up such an iconic feature.”
Diwali is one of the most significant festivals in the Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist and Jain calendar.
