British Airways joins Club India for Diwali celebration

The British Airways Jamaica team joined the Indian community in Jamaica in celebrating the Diwali 'Festival of Lights' at Club India, in Kingston, recently.

One of the most important festivals on the Hindu calendar, Diwali, also called Divali or Deepavali, which means rows of lights, celebrates the victory of good over evil and features the decorating of homes and buildings with earthenware oil lamps called diyas.

Recently, members of Club India lit diyas and hosted an entertainment package which features members' children and friends performing traditional Indian dances. They also served a variety of Indian foods, including roti, dhal, curried chicken and chick peas (garbanzos), and sweets like gulab jamvoon.

Diane Corrie, commercial manager, Caribbean, British Airways, said that her team was pleased to join in the celebration with the Hindu community in Jamaica, many of whom are passengers on the airline.

British Airways currently operates flights three times weekly Kingston/London and from London to 10 gateways in India - Delhi, Mumbai, Agra, Bangalore, Madras, Calcutta, Hyderbad, Jaipur, Pune, and Goa. A fourth flight Kingston/London will be added in the summer of 2014, further increasing the options for onward travel beyond London.

Noting that British Airways offers fares from Kingston and other Caribbean gateways from as low as US$1,715, inclusive of all taxes and fees, Corrie said that "flights to India, a wide range of three to five-star hotels and attractions like the famous Taj Mahal, and Bollywood - the film mecca, can be booked on ba.com"

She said that, "As home to many world heritage sites, India offers a fine blend of old and new, current and modern, a melting pot of cultures and religion. It is one of the most exciting destinations to visit."