Celebrants, from left: Vinod Bharadwaj (AD), Mukul Agrawal (ARDA), Tina Datu (ACC), Ram Kanth Chunduri (BAS) and Brijesh Bhatnagar (MD) (Photo by Vinod Bhardwaj)

By Kausalya Ganapathi

The SLAC Asian Indian community celebrated Diwali (a festival of lights) on November 4 in the Beige Room during lunch hour. An enthusiastic group of around 25 Indians participated in a potluck by contributing sumptuous Indian food. This was a first time effort to bring the SLAC Indian community together.

Diwali is a festival of lights symbolizing the lifting of spiritual darkness. This festival commemorates Lord Rama’s return to Ayodhya after completion of his 14-year exile and after his victory over the evil demon king Ravana. Lord Rama is the reincarnation of Vishu, who is one of the Trinities. The other two are Brahma (the Creator) and Shiva (the Destroyer). The goddess Lakshmi (consort of Vishnu) who is the symbol of wealth and prosperity is also worshipped on this day.

In southern India, this festival has another legend connected with it, in which Lord Krishna (also an incarnation of Lord Vishnu), the celestial cowherd, vanquishes the demon Narakasura. New clothes are bought and family members and relatives gather together to offer prayers. Hindus rise earlier than usual, rub perfumed oil on their heads and bodies before bathing, and then have a large breakfast with relatives and friends. Lunch is a feast with special sweet dishes and traditional cuisine. Oil lamps illuminate the house in the evening and firework displays are common all across the country.

Diwali celebrations are not the same in the U.S., where the celebrations include family get-togethers, playing games, eating sweets and generally having fun. In India, housewives, moms and grandmothers spend days making a variety of sweets and savories for the occasion. However, some Indians in the U.S. are diet conscious and forgo making a lot of sweets because they are high in calories. In Weight Watchers’ terms, some of them are 20 points per piece!

Instead of complaining about what we don’t have, at SLAC we came up with the plan of celebrating the function, as we would back in India. We brought memories from our days in India, set the ambiance for the occasion and had a great time with a low cal lunch.