Venue: The Blind School, Next to Oberai Hotel, Lodhi Road, New Delhi

Designated Parking: Bhairav Mandir Parking, Near Pragati Maidan

Date: 26 Oct to 1 Nov 2013, Timings: 10.30 am to 7.30 pm

Diwali Mela at the Blind Relief Association (Near Oberoi Hotel, LAL Bahadur Shastri Marg, Lodhi Road, Delhi) is a harbinger of Diwali in Delhi.

The Mela this year was not very different from other years. Goods on offer comprised arty diya stalls, fancy hanging lamps, clothes, ornaments, home décor, Feng Shui items, dry flowers, handmade chocolates et al.

The colorful hand-made paper gift bags, in interesting shapes (we saw a cow and an elephant), at the Blind Relief Association stall deserve special mention.

The Sunday afternoon crowd was a happy assembly and we saw many shoppers trying to balance their shopping on both hands. The dry flowers, like in other fairs, appeared to be a hot favorite with almost every visitor trying to protect the sticks (some taller than them) from damage while navigating the crowd.

The pre-winter pleasant weather that Delhi is experiencing added cheer to the event.

The parking scene, as in the last years, was extremely messy. The designated parking area at the Bhairav Mandir parking (Pragati Maidan) was miles away and the shuttle from the Mela till the parking refused to drop us midway. We do hope that the organizers make a more practical parking arrangement in future.

Must Buy: Cow & Elephant Bags, Coconut shell diyas in bamboo frames and Incense sticks from Blind Relief Association Stall

Must Eat: Mawa Kachori at Rajasthani Food Stall

Fun-do tip: Try to get a driver with you, will save you a lot of time from parking and then walking down to the venue. If you can, do the fair on weekdays.