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Wales Celebrates Diwali

First Minister Mark Drakeford (left) joins Indian Honorary Consul Raj Aggarwal (2nd from right) and Health Minister Baroness Eluned Morgan (centre) and Economy Minister Vaughan Gething (2nd left), and Deputy High Commissioner Shri Sujit Ghosh (right) in Cardiff

The packed Diwali celebration was attended by hundreds of guests and included some exuberant festivities, with traditional Indian music, dancing and food…reports Asian Lite News

Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford announced plans for a new Welsh and India economic initiative next year at the official Indian government Diwali event in Cardiff last night.

Indian Honorary Consul in Wales Raj Aggarwal speaking at the event

Speaking at the event at Glamorgan Cricket club in Pontcanna, the 69-year-old Labour politician revealed the details for the Year of Wales in India 2024 which aims to create even greater economic and cultural ties between the two nations. The launch is due to take place in India around St David’s Day (1st March 2024) and other events are planned in a number of cities including Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru.

Naheed Bardai Principal of Atlantic College, and Raj Aggarwal (centre) and Indian students

The First Minister was joined by Health Minister Baroness Eluned Morgan, Economy Minister Vaughan Gething, Deputy High Commissioner Shri Sujit Ghosh, who all spoke at the event which was organised by Indian Honorary Consul Raj Aggarwal.

The packed Diwali celebration was attended by hundreds of guests and included some exuberant festivities, with traditional Indian music, dancing and food.

Dancers and drummers at the Diwali in Cardiff event last night

Speaking at the event Indian Honorary Consul Raj Aggarwal voiced his excitement for the forthcoming initiatives.

Raj Aggarwal said: “We are looking forward to organising several events in India next year to build even stronger links between our two nations. The main themes for these meetings will include trade and investment, education, culture and health. This is a great opportunity to consolidate our relationships to ensure greater cooperation in the coming years.”

And he added: “I’m also glad to see Indian students here tonight who attend all the eight universities in Wales. There are currently over 2,200 Indian students studying for degrees at Welsh Universities and increase of over 200% since 2016, which brings in around £200m of revenue to our educational establishments. I myself was a graduate of Cardiff University and I owe so much to the education I received in this country.”

Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford speaking at the event

The event was also attended by several representatives from major Indian companies in Wales, as well as some Indian start-ups.

ALSO READ-Trudeau Joins Diwali Celebration Amid Strained India-Canada Ties

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 Welsh First Minister Dances at Diwali Celebrations in Cardiff

Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford joined the dancers at the official Indian government Diwali celebrations held in Cardiff last night. The 68-year-old Labour politician joined in with the traditional Indian dancing at Glamorgan Cricket club in Pontcanna, Cardiff, for the Hindu celebration of Diwali. He was joined by Health Minister Baroness Eluned Morgan and Indian Honorary Consul Raj Aggarwal, who organised the event which was attended by hundreds of guests and included some exuberant celebrations. 
Speaking at the event Raj Aggarwal spoke about the excitement in the British Asian community to have the UK’s first ever Asian Prime Minister. Raj Aggarwal said: “This week has been a hugely important one in the story of Asian development in British society. As I’m sure you are all aware we now have the first ever Asian Prime Minister. Regardless of your political persuasion, this is a matter of vital importance. Something that was unthinkable in the 1970s and 80s, has come to pass, and now all British ethnic minorities can know for sure that there are no limits to their ambitions.”

First Minister Mark Drakeford (second right) joins Indian Honorary Consul Raj  Aggarwal (right) and Health Minister Baroness Eluned Morgan (centre), with dancers at the Diwali Celebrations in Cardiff
The launch night had numerous visitors including Welsh dignitaries including Lord Lieutenant of Glamorgan Morfudd Meredith and Brigadier Andrew Dawes, pictured centre above. 
The launch night had numerous visitors including Welsh dignitaries including Lord Lieutenant of Glamorgan Morfudd Meredith and Brigadier Andrew Dawes, pictured centre above. 
Raj Aggarwal Speaking at the Event
Left to right, Naheed Bardai Principal Atlantic College, Health Minister Baroness Eluned Morgan, Mark Drakeford, Morfudd Meredith Lord Lieutenant of South Glamorgan, and Raj Aggarwal
Health Minister Eluned Morgan with Prof Mark Gumbleton, Head of Welsh School of Pharmacy and Raj Aggarwal

ALSO READ-Welsh first Minister joins the Diwali event in Cardiff

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Welsh Slate Landscape UK’s newest World Heritage Site

The Slate Landscape of Northwest Wales, which runs through Gwynedd, became the world leader for the production and export of slate in the 1800s…reports Asian Lite News.

The Slate Landscape of Northwest Wales has become the UK’s newest UNESCO World Heritage Site, having been granted the accolade at the 44th session of the World Heritage Committee.

The landscape has become the UK’s 33rd UNESCO World Heritage Site and is the 4th in Wales, following the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, Blaenavon Industrial Landscape and the Castles and Town Walls of King Edward in Gwynedd.

The Slate Landscape of Northwest Wales, which runs through Gwynedd, became the world leader for the production and export of slate in the 1800s.

Slate has been quarried in the area for over 1,800 years and had been used to build parts of the Roman fort in Segontium in Caernarfon and Edward I’s castle in Conwy, however it wasn’t until the industrial revolution that demand surged as cities across the world expanded with slate from the mines at Gwynedd being widely used to roof workers’ homes, public buildings, places of worship and factories.

By the 1890s the Welsh slate industry employed approximately 17,000 workers and produced almost 500,000 tonnes of slate a year, around a third of all roofing slate used in the world in the late 19th century.

The industry had a huge impact on global architecture with Welsh slate used on a number of buildings, terraces and palaces across the globe including Westminster Hall in London’s Houses of Parliament, the Royal Exhibition Building, Melbourne, Australia and Copenhagen City Hall, Denmark. In 1830, half the buildings in New York had roofs made of Welsh slate.

Centuries of mining in the area transformed the landscape on a monumental scale with the inscription reflecting the important role this region played in ‘roofing the 19th century world’.

“UNESCO World Heritage Status is a huge achievement and testament to the importance this region played in the industrial revolution and Wales’ slate mining heritage,” UK Government Heritage Minister Caroline Dinenage said in a statement.

“I welcome the prospect of increased investment, jobs and a better understanding of this stunning part of the UK,” the minister added.

The City of Bath – originally inscribed on the Word Heritage List in 1987 – has also been awarded a dual designation as part of the Great Spas of Europe.

A transnational nomination, Bath, along with 11 other European spa towns including Baden-Baden in Germany and Vichy in France, has been added to the UNESCO World Heritage List for the second time, becoming only the second place in the UK with a double UNESCO listing.

The 11 towns making up the nomination are all mineral water sources. While Bath has been famous as a spa town since the Roman period, other nominations represent the heyday of European spa towns from around 1700 to the 1930s.

“We are pleased to see both the Slate Landscape of Northwest Wales and the city of Bath being recognised in the UNESCO World Heritage List,” Duncan Wilson, Chief Executive of Historic England said.

“Beautiful Bath thoroughly deserves its rare double World Heritage Site listing. From its Roman remains to its stunning Georgian architecture, Bath is a city which has captivated residents and visitors for centuries. Being inscribed, along with ten other European Spa Towns, as a joint World Heritage Site demonstrates Bath’s importance as one of the earliest and most significant “Great Spas” and we are delighted to have worked alongside international colleagues to make Bath’s joint inscription a reality.”

ALSO READ-Welsh first Minister joins the Diwali event in Cardiff

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