Source: Newindpress
On October 26, 2005 Newindpress reported, "On Sunday, a total of 6,000 bulbs will be switched on to mark the beginning of glittering Diwali celebrations along the Golden Mile on Belgrave Road, mainly inhabited by Asians of Gujarati origin. Amidst milling crowds of over 100,000, the garland of lights will be switched on by Ramanbhai Barber, president of Shree Sanatan Mandir temple, and his wife, Khushman. The Leicester City Council has spent nearly US$177,490 on new decorations for Diwali this year, making it one of the largest official allocations for the festival of light in Britain. The ceremony to switch on the lights will be followed by a range of entertainment shows attended by people of various ethnicities and religions - a distinctive feature of multicultural Leicester. Hailed as the best and biggest celebration outside of India, the festival is expected to attract people from Birmingham, Nottingham, Leeds, Manchester and London. Leicester's large Asian population is often held up as an ideal of multiculturalism in not only Britain but all of Europe."