As Indians across the world celebrated the festival of lights, Diwali, two of the most prominent skyscrapers -- the Empire State building in New York and the Burj Khalifa in Dubai -- were lit up in special colours.
For the first time, New York's iconic structure turned orange on Wednesday night in celebration of Diwali. The Federation of Indian Associations, the largest non-profit umbrella organisation in the tri-state area of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut of the Indian community, lit up the monument in a special ceremony. It was organised by the FIA in cooperation with the Empire State Realty Trust and attended by key members of the Indian diaspora. Photograph: Kind courtesy @EmpireStateBldg/Twitter
At the November 7 ceremony, Miss America 2014 Nina Devuluri and popular singer Jay Sean along with Federation of Indian Associations President Srujal Parikh flipped the switch to turn on the orange lights on top of the Empire State Building. The Empire State Realty Trust and the FIA have been illuminating the Empire State Building in August every year in the colours of the Indian tricolour for the past two decades to mark India's Independence day. Photograph: Kind courtesy @EmpireStateBldg/Twitter
A special dance performance and cultural show was also presented on the occasion. Parikh said this was the first time that Diwali celebration lit up the iconic building and was "witnessed by thousands of people, including tourists from all over the world." Photograph: Kind courtesy @EmpireStateBldg/Twitter
In Dubai, the world's tallest building had a special message and artwork projected on it. The LED projections on Burj Khalifa were part of the special 10-day Diwali celebrations in Dubai, which also featured a popular clip of a Dubai Police marching band playing the Indian national anthem. Photograph: Kind courtesy @BurjKhalifa/Twitter
With inputs from PTI
