Not even the threat of rain, or the mud-red playing fields, could prevent hundreds of people from turning up at Glasgow's Millennium Mela.
The weekend of celebrations took place in Queen's Park playing fields.
The Mela - an Asian version of the Carnival - was organised by the Scottish Academy of Asian Arts (SAAA) as a 3-year inititive, working in conjunction with the City Council's Culture and Leisure Service, the Scottish Arts Council and the Lord Provost's Millennium Fund.
The aim was to enable people to experience the fun and artistry of different cultures.
As Clare Robertson of the SAAA said; "We want to open people's minds to understand the different cultures that exist in Glasgow, and the Mela is a great way to do this".
As well as famous names appearing, there were some good local performers such as the Glasgow-based drummers, Dhol Foundation(left). Their performance had the audience entranced by the hypnotic sounds of the Dhol.
Another local band, 'Echoes of Africa', played on the main stage. Their music is traditional, classical African music and they played a rather moving set. As the vocalist Jerry Boweh (pictured right) commented, 'I want to prove that rythm and music can unite and educate people.' His music certainly had that effect on the audience.

SING-A-LONG
The two biggest attractions on Saturday were The Saleem Sabri and Party, and Malkit Singh, the 'King of Bhangra'.
Both flew in from India to perform specially at the Mela.
Saleem Sabri and Party (left), had everyone in the tent singing along as they performed their classic Qawalli's, as well as the more traditional folk Qawalli Ghazals.
Saleem said; 'We have flown in especially for this Mela, and hopefully we will help educate people about our culture'.
Hordes of fans were screaming for Malkit Singh's autograph as he was being interviewed. He has earned himself the title of 'Unofficial King of Bhangra', which is due to his wide range of fans ranging from teenagers to old-age-pensioners.
As Malkit (pictured right) commented; 'I play traditional Bhangra, which is meaningful and romantic. This is what appeals to so many people.'
He certainly lived up to his name as he performed on stage. The whole tent was up and dancing along with his songs.
On Sunday night the two big attractions were Legacy and The Sahota, both famous Bhangra bands.
Legacy (pictured left) are fairly new to the Bhangra scene, but have made quite an impact with their fusion of Eastern and Western music.
The Mancunian boys said; 'We hope that our music will unite all the people, and we like to make music for music's sake.'
It certainly worked on the night.
The Sahota brothers, brought a climactic conclusion to the Mela with their performance.
These five brothers have released six albums over their thirteen years in the business. They have kept up-to-date with the changing trends in Bhangra and drawn inspiration from other cultures such as reggae and dance music. The result is a fusion which creates their own, unique style of Bhangra.
Mukhtar said; 'We like to make music for ourselves, and there's nothing better than when people appreciate our music'.
Apart from the over-priced food and drinks (£1.50 for coffee and 90p for cans), which seemed a bit extortionate for an average family day out, and the red mud fields which spoiled a lot of nice clothes, nothing else seemed to deter a lot of people from enjoying themselves.
However, the main message was the music, which achieved the objective of opening people's minds and helping folk to appreciate other cultures.
That is what the Mela set out to do.

This report is taken from the article by Elyas Hussain
in the September 2000 Issue of the Free Local News for Southsiders.

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