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Photos: Homes, shops in Dubai deck up for Diwali

Dubai - Indian expats are getting ready to celebrate the festival in Dubai on Wednesday.

No stones have been left unturned by Indian expatriates and retailers across the UAE to celebrate the most important Hindu festival - Diwali. From guilt-free shopping sprees to spring-cleaning of homes, Indian expats are getting ready to celebrate the festival in Dubai on Wednesday.
Homes in several neighbourhoods across Dubai, Sharjah and Ajman, have been decked in colourful lights, flowers and festive-themed trinkets.
Khaleej Times caught up with expats gearing up to celebrate Diwali on Wednesday, who said celebrations are exactly like how it is in India.
Varsha Surekha, a Dubai-based freelance artist, has been decorating shopping malls, offices and homes for Diwali for the last nine years.
She told Khaleej Times: "Diwali is one of the most colourful festivals in the world and I love the motifs and all colours used to signify the festival. People are dressed in colourful clothing, their homes are decked up in so many colours, we meet our friends, family and relatives. It is a very happy, great atmosphere.
"Diwali is a very busy time for me. Apart from decorating homes and offices outside, I also have to look into taking care of festivities in my own home. I do the Diwali decorations because I am very passionate about using Indian arts and themes in my artwork," she said.
This year, Varsha decorated two lobbies in Dubai Outlet Mall and will be organising decoration workshops in the Global Village. "The materials I use are handmade. I use paper pom-poms, flowers garlands, umbrellas from India, decorative stickers, mud lamps, etc."
Silky Jain, a professional make-up artist and mom-of-two who stays in Gardens in Dubai for eight years, said: "We start preparations for Diwali a few weeks ahead of the actual festival. We put a lot of lights in our balcony and put decorative items all across the house. I involve my kids and get them to make small trinkets out of glitter to hang around the home."
Describing celebrations at home, Silky said: "We buy a lot of sweets and head home for Diwali parties prior to Diwali. We prepare a small altar for pooja (prayers) and decorate the home with Rangoli (a decorative pattern on the floor made with coloured powder). We exchange sweets, head out to friends' homes for parties and play games.
"Even though our parents are back home, we try to bridge the gap between celebrating in India and the UAE," she added.
Retailers report heavy footfalls
Flower shops, novelty stores and fashion retailers in Meena Bazaar in Bur Dubai are also experiencing a windfall in Diwali sales. Jitendra Dadlani, store manager at Regal Fabrics in Meena Bazaar, said: "A week ahead of Diwali, we witnessed a lot of visitors. Now since the weather has improved, our customers come in at 11.30am, and there is a second surge after 5.30pm. Right now, customers are spending on gifts in the form of suits and saris and are purchasing fabrics."
Festivities kick-off with Dhanteras
On Monday, Diwali festivities kicked-off in Dubai with Dhanteras, the first day that marks the festival of Diwali in India. Residents made a beeline to gold shops to purchase gold and silver as there is a long-standing custom of buying precious metals during Dhanteras.
Joy Alukkas, chairman and MD of Joyalukkas group, said: "Dhanteras holds a special significance, especially for businessmen, as traditionally they believe buying gold will improve their prospects of prosperity. Considering the significance, it's common to witness a rush during the festival."
Gold retailers also said they are experiencing a windfall in sales. Abdul Salam KP, group executive director of Malabar Gold, said: "We get almost 500 per cent increase in footfall and sales on Dhanteras. We have got a reasonable sale so far and are witnessing a positive trend in sales figures since we started our Diwali promotion."
dhanusha@khaleejtimes.com