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Bradford Mela
Still the biggest Mela in Europe, Bradford fills you with the biggest expectations, a great reputation and a great event.
Entering Peel Park along the pathway, lined with stalls selling spicy food, the aroma filled the air and you know you are at a Mela.
Greeted by giants on stilts and Dhol Drummers emerging from a massive drum, the welcome at Bradford Mela let’s you know that you are here to have a good time, have fun and get involved.
Considering it is world cup season, the crowds came out in numbers, beautiful sunshine on Saturday, a little rain on the Sunday but nothing could dampen the festive feeling of the weekend. Bradford Mela draws people like a magnet and it was the people who attended on the day that made this years event worthwhile. |
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| I do think the layout was a little confusing this year, the 2 main stages were too close together and the sound crossed over between them and although the food stalls along the path worked well, the natural flow of people through-out the rest of the site was scattered. The site map and arrow signs had me going in circles. |
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The most disappointing thing this year was the programme.
I know Fuzonnow cancelled at a very late stage, but there was no real buzz for any of the star attractions. |
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Shehzad Roy had some of the girls swooning with his boyish looks and sweet ballads, with Rafaqat Ali Khan filling up the Bollywood hits, yet the best thing was the DJ / MC´s who kept the audience on board and interested with Rishi Rich, Juggy D and J Sean working well.
The weakest part of the schedule has to be the amount of Bollywood style dance routines, using backing tapes, that was on show. I know people like it and it’s good community entertainment, but surely it would make more sense to run a competition or seperate stage, for after the first 4 it just seemed like a poor excuse to fill out an already uninspired programme. |
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The greatest excitement of the weekend was the appearance of Amir Khan, although not part of the official Mela, he appeared to help promote int2one telephones in one of the marquees.
A mixture of respect, awe and affection given from the crowds was reciprocated by Amir who reacted professionally, gentlemanly and courteously, taking it all in his stride.
As the madness was going on outside I managed to spend some time with his family inside, they’re proud of their boy and tight together, dealing with the trappings of fame with a quiet dignity or as his sister said “you get used to it”. |
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Some of the more interesting acts were to be seen on the smaller stages, with Wayang Golek 'the puppet masters' captivating the audience with West Java storytelling, beautifully manipulated puppets and traditional music capturing the attention of children and adults alike.
Make no mistake, at the end of the day Bradford Mela delivers, it is a great day out, the staff and the way the people are, is just lovely and there is enough going on that makes you want to stay longer, but for such a significant and important Mela, I can only hope that next year more care, attention and funds are given towards putting on a show that lives up to and surpasses the reputation that this amasing Mela deserves. |
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