MELAKA, The annual bazaar sale and Deepavali Carnival will be held at Melaka's Little India in Jalan Bendahara from Oct 16 to 30 to enliven the atmosphere ahead of the festival of lights. State Youth Development, Sports and Non-Governmental Organisations Committee chairman Datuk VP Shanmugam said they are targeting to attract 30,000 visitors throughout this year's programme. "Last year, we achieved our target of 20,000 visitors, but this year, in conjunction with Visit Melaka Year 2024 (VMY2024), we believe more tourists will come. "A total of 50 stalls will be set up, especially for Hindus to purchase items in preparation for Deepavali," he told reporters here last night. Shanmugam added that during the Deepavali Carnival, several programmes will be held to highlight Indian culture and traditions. He said the programmes will involve people from all walks of life and feature performances by renowned artists. "Among the activities planned are traditional Indian food cooking demonstrations and a kolam-mak ing competition. "We hope that this carnival will further boost tourism activities in conjunction with VMY2024 and also help entrepreneurs to increase their income," he said. Source: BERNAMA News Agency