Features

Although the literal meaning of Annakut is "mountain of food", it symbolises an offering of food to God and the love and devotion that has gone into preparing it.

These items are then arranged in tiers to form a display of every item of food imaginable.

The annual Annakut in Leicester is the second largest display of food in Europe!

It is organised by volunteers from the Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS), a global socio spiritual organisation.

This year was a very special Annakut for the organisers as it was part of the 100 year centenary celebrations of BAPS. To mark the occasion the Annakut this year was more flamboyant than ever.

The Event Kicks Off!

I went along in the morning as volunteers arrived from 07.30 to deliver food items cooked at home and to help decorate the dishes of food.

It was nice to see people of all ages working alongside each other and using their creative flair to display food in interesting ways.

This year a three phase exhibition was also presented showing the past, present and a glimpse of the future for BAPS.

It involved children narrating how the organisation was founded in India and it's growth and achievements to date.

Alongside the exhibition there were also food stalls where people could taste authentic Indian dishes.

After four and a half hours and over 200 people helping, the display was finally finished for noon. With all the spectacular lighting and stunning decorations the food display came to life and filled the gym with its aroma, colour and charm!

Interview: Sanjiv Patel

I interviewed Sanjiv Patel, a devotee and volunteer of BAPS, about the Annakut festival...

Q: Why does BAPS organise such a grand Annakut every year?

A: Festivals are an integral and an important part of BAPS life. They are a recognition and appreciation of Gods role in our lives.

Traditionally Annakut symbolised devotion through offering the first harvest and distributing this to all. BAPS has continued this tradition.

Q: When was the first ever Annakut held at Soar Valley College?

A: The first ever Annakut that was held at Soar valley College was in 1986 and has continued every year since then.

Q: How long did it take to set up the Annakut?

A: Preparation has been ongoing for about 2 months. However, we started constructing the structure early yesterday and families have been busily cooking items for the Annakut over the past week.

A Huge Success

With over 350 mouth watering dishes on display and over 6000 visitors, the Annakut celebration was huge success in bringing together devotees, families and members of the community.

Throughout the day I mingled with visitors and volunteers to find out what they thought about this years Annual Annakut festival. Here's what some people had to say:

"This year's Annakut is very good! The way they have made the stage is brilliant. I am very impressed in the way the young girls have decorated the colourful pretty patterns in the steel plates. My favourite dish is the chocolate cake that says 100 years, looks delicious!" - Jashu Patel, age 56, Leicester.

"Fantastic! Better than ever with the exhibition and more people than ever visiting the Annakut event. My favourite dish as always has to be Pizza!" -Sumeet Solanki, age 40, Leicester.

"I thought it was great to meet new faces. I had the privilege of showing guests around and explain the festival of Annakut and people were impressed with whole occasion." - Kalpa Barot, age 39, Leicester.

"I thought the event was fab! The exhibition was so interesting and knowledgeable. I didn't know that BAPS is such a large organisation and people are like a one big family!" - Neelam, age 13, Leicester.

"I thought the Annakut was brilliant because today God had lots of yummy food to eat! I got to see all my friends and got to dress up in my Indian dress. My favourite dish was the chocolate 100 years cake I really wanted take some but I left it for God to eat it." - Reema Parmar, age 8, Leicester.

The day finished with each visitor leaving with a box a 'prashad' (food which has been offered to God) as all the food was distributed.

For those of you who missed out on this year's Annakut event at Soar Valley College, then I would strongly recommend attending the next year event and see the different delicious food dishes.

I know I can't wait!