The Pretoria Hindu Society hosted the Tshwane Hindu Cultural Festival this past Saturday (August 10) at the Heartfelt Arena in Thaba Tshwane, Pretoria.

The event, which was held in association with ‘Bhai’s Lounge’ was regarded as very successful, with a large crowd attending from Gauteng and neighbouring provinces, with some even attending from KZN. People from all walks of life and the colourful diverse rainbow nation attended the event, which had live broadcast from 12 to 3pm live on Jungle FM and from 2 to 6 pm on Jacaranda FM.

There was entertainment galore for all present, young and old. The line up of dancers and artists was breathtaking and of the highest quality.

The uncles ‘Peru and Bala’ made their debut comeback to live comedy shows at the massive event and had the crowd in stitches with their jokes and crude humour.

A live cooking show called ‘Curry in a Hurry’ where a chicken curry was prepared from start to finish in just 20min, had the audience mesmerized.

The penultimate show was the fireworks which lit up the fabulous evening skies over the Voortrekker Monument and had the audience in awe with its extravagance. The evening then closed with a dance off at the Bhangra with DJ Jason 2Ray and DJ Adi B. The event had an array of stalls offering various items and information and tantalising food offerings. In keeping with the Culture of Hinduism there were stalls showcasing Yoga, Chakras, explanations of some items of the Hindu culture and high level explanations of Raksha Bhandan and other rituals performed in the Hindu culture. About 5000 people attended the event, with many smiling faces seen giving the thumbs up as they left.

Avin Moorley from JungleFM who broadcast his flagship show, Jungle Fever live at the event, told the Laudium Sun that he was pleasantly surprised by the large crowd that started building up from the early hours of the day. “I believe it was the excitement of this event being the first festival of its kind in Pretoria that attracted all those who attended.

Avin spent three hours interviewing the people behind the festival, stall holders, and performing artists.

He said JungleFM was proud to be a part of the festival, which had no shortage of entertainment, varieties of food even for the discerning palate, and fashion garments, adding “I look forward to next year’s festival, as it can only get bigger and better. JungleFM is an online radio station at www.junglefm.co.za.