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The annual Baisakhi Mela held in Brick lane yesterday defied everyone’s expectations of there being a “good turnout” after thousands attended the fun-fuelled event.

Sunday 8 May 2011 signified the fourteenth year of Brick Lane’s ever-growing Baisakhi Mela in celebration of Bangladesh’s New Year. It was evident the event was designed to provide that bit more than the usual Mela, for example, “I love Bangladesh” T-shirt stalls were seen at regular intervals.

From bumper cars, to mehndi stalls to the main musical stage, the free event offered a range in activities for both the young and the old. Throughout the day, the main stage featured well known young British Asian musicians to traditional Bengali folk singers such as Mriganka Goswami and Shahana Akter.

One of Desi-Box.com’s regularly featured artists, Mumzy Stranger, also performed – and it seemed this was only appropriate as he is now regarded as one of the most successful British Bengali artists in the UK. Mumzy said: I know I am seen as a role model to the young Bengali community and being the headline act of the event, that’s something I can really respect. He added: It was amazing performing on the main stage to over 100,000 people, this was probably the best Mela performance for me. The Heartbreaker singer thanked his fans via Twitter after his performance and said he had A great time.

It was not just Mumzy Stranger the younger generation would have recognised from Sunday’s event. In fact, Mumzy also performed with Junai Kaden who performed his first single, for the first time, Aaja Mere Naal. Following his explosive performance, Junai said: I never expected to stand on a stage and see that number of people singing my song. He added: Roll on the Mela season – indeed, roll it on if it was anything like this one!

It wasn’t just the main stage that was attracting attention musically. Asian Network managed to get the party started and the crowd jumping with their DJ on hand. It was very clear that there was a huge appreciation for music at the event and at some points, it felt as if the Mela was more than a New Year celebration but also a celebration of Asian music, specifically Bengali music, and how advanced it has become.     

By Kiran Kaur