Thousands flock to London Mela, the 'Glastonbury of Asian music'

London, Aug 11 : Thousands of people came to attend the London Mela, which is said to be Europe's largest Asian festival.

The day-long festival at Gunnersbury Park, West London , which is now in its sixth year, showcased the best of British and International Asian talent. Headline acts at the Mela, which means "gathering" in Sanskrit, included Raghav, Jassi Sidhu and Taio Cruz.

The free festival, supported by the Mayor of London, had seven zones and featured urban, classical and experimental music, DJs, circus, dance, visual arts, comedy, a children's area, food from around the world and a giant funfair.

The DJ Bobby Friction, the host of the Radio One stage along with Nihal, the presenter and DJ, described it as the 'Glastonbury of Asian music'.

"You could compare it [Asian music] to what happened to reggae through the Seventies," Times online quoted him, as saying.

"It was a music that expressed the voice of a small community. It's now a British form of music. It has earned its place in the history of music," he added.

Raghav, a singer from Canada, who had three UK Top 20 hits in 2004-05, made his comeback on the main stage.

"I can't think of a better place to be. The Asian scene in the UK means so much to me. To be at, I think, the biggest Mela in the world, is really important," he said.

ANI