India Abroad - November 25, 2011

Diwali event lights

3,000 candles for

9/11 victims

A CORRESPONDENT

The Hindu American Seva Charities and the Hindu Temple
Society of North America organized an event to celebrate
Diwali, lighting 3,000 candles and, on the 10th anniversary of
the 9/11 attacks, offering selfless service to honor those
impacted by it.
The event was held at a
historic immigrant entry
point, Castle Clinton, New
York City, November 6.
The HASC collected
non-perishable canned
and packaged food to
replenish food banks in
New York.
The guests included
Ashok Ramsaran, execu-
tive vice president, Global
Organization of People of
Indian Origin, Dr
Gaddam Reddy, chair-
man, Hindu Temple
Society of North America,
representatives from
BAPS, and other Hindu
leaders.
The candles were part of a
large display decorated by colors of the flag. Devotional music
by the temple choir and the national anthems sung invoked
the unity of their pluralistic values and traditions.
The HASC thanked temples across the country for their sup-
port and encouraged them to take the New York effort further,
organizing food drives, lighting candles and offering prayers of
peace.
‘Many months in the making, HASC’s pioneering effort to
connect Diwali, a universal holiday with the 10th anniversary
of 9/11 is a way to celebrate the meaning — the victory of
goodness and light of knowledge — and augment nation
building as we move forward in healing and strengthening our
country and the world,’ said Anju Bhargava, HASC’s founder.

Anju Bhargava
Diwali celebrated at
Vallabdham, Connecticut

A CORRESPONDENT
More than 1,500 people from across New England joined the
Diwali and Annakut mahotsav at Vallabhdham in Newington,
Connecticut, over two weekends.
There was a darshan of Lord Shri Govardhannath and Shri
Balkrishnalal, a fireworks display, and a feast for all. The
Diwali event began with a cultural show including dances and
a play by devotees enacting the story of Krishna and his friend
Sudama. Dance groups from Connecticut and New England
area showcased their talent in the cultural programs. A musi-
cal program was followed by a dinner. The evening culminated
with a traditional lighting of Diwali sparklers outside the tem-
ple. The building was decorated with lights, both within and
without. Volunteers prepared food items for the event.
During the Annakut celebration, volunteers placed a small
replica of the Govardhan mountain before the deities.
Devotees went around it, singing bhajans.

A cultural performance at the event
Telugu association
celebrates Diwali in
Lemont, Illinois

About 400 people attended the Tri-State Telugu Association’s celebration of its 75th anniversary at a Dussehra-
Deepavali cultural function at the Hindu
Temple of Greater Chicago in Lemont, Illinois,
November 5.
The evening started off with a dinner, and
cultural performances from children and their
parents followed. The host was singer, mridan-
gam player and composer Angara Sai Ramana
Rao.

The 72 people present participated in song, dance, and joined in a special feast
A nostalgic Diwali for seniors in Skokie, Illinois

The Hindu /Jain/Sikh seniors residents of the Grove North nursing home in Skokie, Illinois,
celebrated Diwali recently with their friends and
family. The 72 people present participated in song,
dance, and joined in a special feast.
“Almost all our South Asian residents (have) one
thing in common – a sort of loneliness,” said
Minaben Kansara, the seniors’ program coordina-
tor, adding that such events help avoid the depres-
sion associated with being away from family, espe-
cially during a festival.
Dipti Patel came to celebrate the day with her
mother-in-law, Indira Patel. She took the day off to
be with her mother-in-law. Describing the memo-
ries the event awoke in her mother-in-law, Dipti
said, “You can see it in their eyes that they have
boarded the time machine and gone back to the
many wonderful nostalgic moments they had.”
Indira Patel admitted she missed the old days,
particularly the fireworks, but added that she and
others at the home enjoyed the celebration. “It’s
different, but we all feel like a bigger family,” she
said.

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