PHOTOS: The Dorset Indian Mela 2022 event was held at Poole Park
A spice DASH was added to Poole on Saturday as a celebration of Indian culture was enjoyed by hundreds.
Hosting the annual Dorset Indian Mela event in 2022 brought live music, traditional dancing, crafts, henna painting and of course a range of Indian cuisine.
Hundreds of families, friends and couples descended on Poole Park on Saturday August 20 for the annual one-day event.
Bournemouth man John Croft attended the event with his wife Sonya and didn’t take the time to savor the tasty offerings.
Sonya has a “very tasty” chicken biryani, while John tried the medu vada – a savory doughnut-shaped snack made with lentils, ginger, curry leaves and green chillies.
2022 Dorset Indian Mela at Poole Park
John told the Echo: ‘We love Indian culture and part of the attraction is the food. We love Indian food, but we also really enjoyed the singing and dancing. We will definitely be back next year.”
The weather was also welcomed, with hardly any clouds in the sky over sunny Poole Park.
From banana fritters, fried chicken and grilled kebabs, there was something for everyone at the festival celebrating all things India.
Shaurya, a Poole resident of Indian origin, came to the event with his son and said, “It’s great to see a lot of people enjoying our culture, and that means it doesn’t just have to be ours, it can be everyone’s.
A mela, or Indian fair, is used in the Indian subcontinent for all sizes of gatherings and can be religious, commercial, cultural or sporting.
