Miri’s Deepavali celebration showcases Sarawak’s spirit of togetherness

MIRI (Oct 31): The small Indian community here gathered with friends and family from various ethnic groups today, celebrating Deepavali in a distinctly Sarawakian way.

“We have a very multicultural approach to celebrating Deepavali here. We have many friends who have come to visit us and even help us to do all the Deepavali decorations as well as prepare food,” said Miri Indian Association chairman Karambir Singh when met at his Deepavali open house today.

He highlighted that the involvement of Miri’s multiracial community adds a unique dimension to the celebration.

“We have the Orang Ulus, the Malays, the Chinese and we have various Indian ethnic groups here today. All of them coming together adds to the uniqueness and the fun of celebrating Diwali here in Miri.

“Perhaps, compared to in Peninsular, I think this really encapsulates the spirit of ‘oneness-living’ among the multiracial community in Sarawak here,” he said.

The uniqueness extended to the variety of dishes prepared for the occasion, according to Karambir.

“Our ladies have prepared all the food today and they made various types of culinary delights from the various regions of India.

“We have ‘briyani’, we have the ‘laddoos’ desert, ‘barfi’ and ‘idli’, and we also have some of the local cuisines which we had incorporated into our Deepavali.

“So, it becomes like one Sarawak culinary delights. I think you can see these in any Deepavali celebration in Miri,” he said.

Karambir also shared insights on the Miri Indian Association, which was founded in 1939 and currently has a membership of around 60 to 80 people.

“However, we hope to increase this number once our Indian Association Building is completed.

“Currently, it is still under construction and we need about half a million Ringgit more to complete it. Once that happens, we will be able to carry out our activities on a sustainable basis, and we can also actively recruit more members,” said Karambir.

Looking forward, Karambir expressed his hope that the Indian community in Miri would continue to unite, supporting each other’s activities, particularly in areas like education, welfare and senior care.

“Of course, we also look forward to our Sarawak government’s support in achieving this vision,” he said further.

The Deepavali celebration at Karambir’s residence today saw family and friends of all backgrounds enjoying food and dancing together, capturing the true spirit of Deepavali.