After last year's mudbath, the Glasgow Mela chose the right day to celebrate multi-culturalism.
Organised by Glasgow City Council, The Scottish Arts Council, Scottish Academy of Asian Arts (SAAA) and Star TV, the Asian channel, the day in Queens Park was ideal.
There were many improvements from last year, no red mud fields. It was a hot and calm day as hundreds of people made their way to the Mela. It was almost like 'T in the Park' The green grass, people sunbathing and lazing in the warmth, while watching the endless display of local and national talent on stage, made for a fine day out.
One big stage gave every artist an equal platform and the line-up truly reflected our multicultural community. The blend of all the different cultures was more noticeable this year, from salsa dancers to ribbon dancers. There was an inflatable village and even a magic show to keep the kids busy.
The opening performance was from Glasgow-based Dance Asia who put on well-choreographed routines performed to the sound of Asian music.
This was followed by Scottish Highland Dancing, Chinese Ribbon Dancing, Caribbean music, and a bit of lively salsa from the Latin cultures. Child proteges, Dhol Crusaders from Edinburgh, were a big attraction. These youngsters, aged between 10-15 years, have been playing the Dhol from the time they came out of nappies! This year their performance, as expected, blew the crowd away, with the fast and furious way they played. There were calls for more, as they finished their set.
The kids seemed to be stealing the show as more child performers and singers got the crowd's attention. Punjabi Number One, a troupe of 5-12 year old singers and dancers put a big smile on the crowds face, as they performed some hilarious sendups of traditional Asian music.
As the evening kicked in, what better way to relax than to the sounds of B Ding?
Add some club music, mix it up with a little cultural revolution, and the end result is an electric set of chilled out musical vibes.
Then came the Oceanic Fashion Show with a good mix of both male and female Asian haute couture. The best aspect of the show was the use of local people from Glasgow as models, which added its own flavour to the show. The best part was the wedding suits, which recieved gasps of delight from the crowds.

To wrap the evening up, came Jazzy B,(pictured), another bhangra superstar.
He is regarded as an important exponent of bhangra, in fact he has been hailed as the crown prince of bhangra and he proved this, as the crowd clapped, danced and sung along to his songs. The crowd could not get enough as he danced around the stage, trying to outdo all the posers in the crowd! There wasn't one single person sitting or standing still - even the writer of this article, Elyas Hussain, was moving to his music!.
The Glasgow Mela has improved considerably from last year, and this is how it should be. As Claire Robertson, co-ordinator of SAAA said; 'We decided to make it more compact, but have a lot more artistes here. To see people from all walks of life coming together and enjoy the different culture represented, in their best form, is what the Mela stands for. This year they have achieved that.'

This report is taken from the article by Elyas Hussain
in the September 2001 Issue of the Free Local News for Southsiders.

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