It was a gathering of a different kind. There were families who were dressed in their best outfits and conversed in Hindi. They were members of the Adarsh Uttar Pradesh Samaj who had come together to celebrate the festival of lights, Diwali. The Samaj is an organization that is formed by people from Uttar Pradesh who have made Coimbatore their home.

“In 2008 several people who are originally from UP but settled in Coimbatore, came together and we formed the Adarsh Uttar Pradesh Samaj. Today, we have hundreds of members,” Maneshwar Singh, President of the Samaj, says.

Around 200 families from Uttar Pradesh are settled in Coimbatore. For nearly 4,000 people Coimbatore is home. Individuals and families from this community always come together to celebrate festivals and special occasions with their fellow members.

The Diwali celebrations had a little bit of everything. There was a quiz contest organized for school children. There was a dance competition that was open to school and college students. Achievers in Standards X and XII were given trophies in recognition of their efforts. For dinner there was a lavish spread of North Indian delicacies that included salads, roti, puri, sabji, dal chawal and gajar ka halwa.

One of the notable annual events of the Samaj is their Navaratri celebrations. All the nine days is a gala celebration. “This event is open to public. On all the nine days we perform grand pooja and serve maha prasad. Around 3,000 people attend this event,” Rana Pratap Singh, Secretary, says.

There are also several social service events that are conducted throughout the year.

The Samaj invites (non-members) individuals and families who are from Uttar Pradesh to join as members. President of the Samaj can be contacted on 98432-24689.