London Mela attracts record crowd

The London Mela attracted a record crowd this year.

London: The London Mela -- hailed as the biggest celebration of Asian music and culture in Europe -- attracted a record crowd of 83,000 during this year`s edition, organisers have said.Bright day helped to swell crowd during festival on Sunday at Gunnersbury Park, recording the highest figure in the event`s seven-year history, they said.

The one-day festival, which was completely free of charge, had plenty of attractions for all ages. The number of visitors also reflected a growing interest among Londoners for Asian music and culture, especially after the huge success of Oscar-winning `Slumdog Millionaire`. Mela`s artistic director Ajay Chhabra said he was "delighted" with the turnout. "We have always tried to make it a kind of Asian Glastonbury, friendly and experimental in its programme. "Usually we also have Glastonbury`s mud, as it pours with rain, but this year we had a bit of the great British summer we`ve all been waiting for, which brings out the feel good factor," Chhabra said. "People came from all over, with 40 per cent non-Asians -- which is incredible for an event that`s inspired by South Asian art forms. But there has been an explosion in interest since `Slumdog Millionaire` and long may it continue," he added. Choreographer Jay Kumar got the audience on their feet during a mass-participation `I Love Bollywood` dance show. Bureau Report