Quotes from multiple faiths and background
Bangladeshi Muslim woman not wishing to be named, 32
“I used to live in London before and now live in Thurmaston which is a bit of a drive from Belgrave road but we come to see the Diwali lights with our friends. We do not celebrate Diwali ourselves, so for us coming here is more like a touristy thing and why not? Yes it is chaotic, loud and noisy but it is a festival after all. We have Id celebrations at Victoria Park, and it is not on such a grand scale but similar. I think it is great that people get to enjoy different cultures in this way.”
Muslim lady 38, not wishing to be named
“My brother lives on Belgrave road and I often visit him. I have never been to see the lights. My brother avoids it too, and on Diwali day he is very particular not to take his car out because otherwise he might never get it back in! It is a nightmare with all the closures and the restrictions.
I used to live in London but hated it. The community feel and the cost of living were major factors why we came back. Plus, I was born and raised here. It feels good to be here. I love it.”
Sikh woman not wishing to be named, 73
“Way back, I never came down to see the Diwali celebrations when my kids were little. We were a young working couple, busy building a life for the children. We had a cloth factory that kept us quite busy.
However, I have brought my grandkids to Belgrave road. By the time they came along, life was better and we could enjoy what we had worked so hard for finally.
As I mentioned earlier, we had a cloth factory in the heart of the town and women from Belgrave road used to come to us to work. They used to work in shifts and we used to look after them well. When we had deadlines for orders, they had to work more but we made sure they were paid well and that they got time off when the workload was not that heavy. Diwali time would sometimes be busy and we couldn't afford to give them time off.
As owners we were very conscious of how we treated our employees. There were others who exploited their workers to increase their profits but we were not like that. For us, if the employee is happy, they will work better, if they are not they will curse us in their minds, and we do not think any business can thrive on ill-well. So we were very conscious of how we treated them. The women used to tell us that coming to work was like being at their mother’s place, that they felt pampered. It used to make us very happy that we could have such a great working relationship with our employees.”
27-year-old female Muslim school teacher
“I teach at the local school on Belgrave road but live on the other side of the city. I do not come to this side during Diwali at all. The traffic and the road closures put me off. “
Dan Urch, 37, Manager at Neighbourhood centre
“I first moved to Leicester in my early twenties to pursue my studies. I stayed ever since and have started my own family here. I have always felt that the city has rich cultural offerings, whether that be the Diwali Lights, the Caribbean Carnival, the Pride parade, St. George’s day or any of our packed calendar of cultural events. The city centre has a character of it’s own, and always feels like a place worth spending time, in contrast to some other cities I have been to. Our cities arts and culture are second to none.
Attending the events in our city, representing the many cultures that make up our home, always fills me with pride and serves as an example of the kind of world I want to live in.”
Srilankan Muslim woman not wishing to be named, 42
“I came here in 2019 from France and after living there for 5 years. I was so happy when I came to Leicester, it felt like I was back home in Srilanka! You could hardly see any Asian faces in Paris, except for La Chappelle, an area which has a significant Asian presence. Moreover the shops in Paris close at 7 pm and here in leicester they are open at 12! It made me so happy.
But apart from that, I like the fact that my children learn about different cultures. It gives me great pleasure to explain the relevance of a Diya and why it is a certain colour whereas when we go to the Mosque the dominant colour is very different. The children make cards at school and it is nice that they are able to learn about different cultures here.
As a family we do not celebrate Diwali, but I am very conscious of the celebrations around here. It is nice to see how they celebrate on such a large scale.
I am really pleased that we moved here, Leicester is a great place to raise a family while making the younger generation aware of different cultures.”
Black Muslim woman, 44
“I love how your community organises these celebrations. It is important to stand up for what we believe in and to mark these occasions. I like the community aspect of it, the way it brings people together. I have never been there myself but I am aware of its importance. We must all live to learn and respect each other's religions and cultures, I feel and you guys do a good job of it.”