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Diwali, one of the most popular festivals of India, was celebrated by the Indian-American community with a lot of verve and enthusiasm in various towns and cities across the United States in the past several weeks, replicating the mood and spirit of the festival that symbolizes triumph of good over evil and light over darkness.
Although the actual Diwali falls on Nov. 11, celebrations were held on various dates, mostly on weekends in the past six weeks with dance, drama, music and of course dazzling fireworks and bursting of firecrackers that are typically part and parcel of the festival. Many more are in the offing, including some on the actual day.
In some places, like in Aurora, Illinois, which is known as the city of lights, the festival was held at a local school auditorium converted for a few hours into mini-India Oct. 24. The celebrations seemingly appealed to non-Indians as well. Mayor Tom Weisner of that city who formally opened the event by lighting a lamp in honor of goddess Lakshmi, complimented organizers for holding the festival. “Since man discovered fire, every culture has celebrated the triumph of light over darkness in one form or another. That gives me hope for a better future for all of us,” he said.
But then, it was not just Aurora. In New Jersey as also in New York and Pennsylvania many from outside the community attended the festival, enjoying Bollywood dance and music, and of course savoring delicious food. In Exchange Place, which is close to Wall Street, Diwali lights were galore as the Saraswati Cultural Association of New Jersey hosted Diwali Oct. 24, showcasing folk dances, musical entertainment as well as children’s activities, Indian food, vendors.
In Jersey City the Newark Avenue Jersey City Chamber of Commerce celebrated Diwali Oct. 31 with musical entertainment and raas garba in a bid to showcase Indian culture and traditions before local merchants and city officials. More than 5,000 colorfully-dressed Indian-Americans danced, dined and celebrated the festival at the street-style Diwali mela on India Square. The main attraction there was Bollywood actress Preeti Jhangiani who spent a few hours at the mela interacting with the crowd. “The idea was to give locals a taste of Indian culture and traditions and take the Indian-American residents down the memory lane,” according to one association official.
Another major celebration was organized Nov. 1 by Rajasthan Association of North America in Long Island, New York, which was attended by some 600 people, enjoying dance and music. Many shuffled their feet to the pulsating beats of Bollywood songs. Comptroller of Nassau County, George Maragos, and Bollywood actress, Preety Jhangiani were the guests of honor at the event.
Celebrations titled Diwali Motorcade were slated Nov. 7 by DivyaJyoti Association in Richmond Hills, Queens which is traditionally attended by thousands of people. The event, organized by unpaid volunteers and funded with generous donations from local businesses, has traditionally been a major area attraction.
Along with community organizations, others like the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York will celebrate Diwali with a variety of programs as will the Princeton University and the New York University. Diwali will be marked with a celebration and worship service Nov. 13 in the Princeton University Chapel. The celebration is hosted by the University’s Office of Religious Life and organized by the University’s Hindu Life Program. The celebration held in 2008 marked the first time an official Diwali service was held in the chapel.
“”This year we’ve made ‘East meets West’ the theme of Diwali at the Chapel,” Vineet Chander, coordinator for Hindu life at Princeton and main organizer of the celebration, said. “One of the things that we’re most excited about is the opportunity for guests to experience a harmonizing of Hindu traditions and ritual and Western influenced art form. The celebration honors the roots of Diwali, and at the same time recognizes that the spirit of the holiday can find new expression when we expand our horizons,” Chander said. Bala Devi Chandrashekar, the artist in residence at the University’s Carl A. Fields Center for Equality and Cultural Understanding, will perform a dance drama that pairs classical Indian dance form with a composition by Tchaikovsky. The event also will include devotional performances by students who study Indian classical music and dance, and Princeton professor of mathematics Manjul Bhargava will play the tabla.
Chander expressed the hope that this year’s celebration will also serve as an exploration of cross-cultural collaboration.
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