Diwali Oconee Leader Article

Indian community celebrates Diwali

The 500-seat Oconee County Civic Center auditorium was filled to capacity Saturday with members of the local Indian community, many of them dressed in brightly-colored cultural outfits, watching as performers of all ages took the stage in celebration of Diwali, the Indian New Year.

The event is the flagship program organized by the Indian Association of Greater Athens. The performances were preceded by a prayer and candle-lighting ceremony, during which Athens-Clarke County mayor Heidi Davison participated.

The Indian Students Association of the University of Georgia also contributed to the event.

Performers ranged in age from four to 70, and most participated in group dances, though some dancers performed solo routines.

The program featured a variety of cultural dress donned by both the performers and the audience, and included a fashion show toward the end, featuring many of these costumes. 
"Everybody dressed in cultural costumes, depending on who (was) performing," said one of the event’s organizers, Sunita Singh. "In India, every state has its own dress and culture and food and traditions."

Appetizers were served before the program began, catered by Taste of India restaurant in Athens.

The presentations were interspersed with explanations of each dance, as well as comical introductions and transitions from one performance to another.

Tickets for the event sold out within the first week, according to Singh. Due to the success and interest generated, IAGA hopes to hold the event again in the future, perhaps in a larger venue to include the 100 or so people who wanted tickets after they sold out.

Diwali is one of the biggest Indian festivals and there are many different explanations as to why the holiday is celebrated. The reason for the celebration is the victory of good over evil, according to Singh.

"The story goes that [Lord] Rama was exiled for 14 years and his wife was abducted by a demon and he killed it. When he was returning – he was a prince – and all of his subjects were so happy they lit the city with candles to celebrate his homecoming," Singh explained.

Singh likens the holiday to the 4th of July, in that firecrackers are used to celebrate, and to Christmas, in that it is the biggest holiday celebrated in India.

"It's basically the start of the Indian new year," she said. 
The program aimed to bring together members of the Indian community and celebrate their heritage and culture. 
The event has been held in the past, but was done on a more informal level. This year, with the formation of the IAGA, the program was presented "under one umbrella," according to Singh. 
 

The Diwali program is the group's only fundraiser throughout the year, although they hold another event in the spring, to celebrate the holiday Holi. People come together in Sandy Creek Park and host a potluck dinner, which over 200 people attend. They put colored powder on each other, as tradition has it, and the children play in the park.

Organizers of the event hoped particularly to appeal to younger children, in order to keep them in touch with their Indian heritage.

"We try to have the kids stay involved, otherwise they will lose touch with our culture and all those different celebrations that we have. It’s a way for us to get together and give back to the community," said Singh. 
The program was recorded and DVDs of the event will be on sale for $10. Proceeds will go to the charitable organization, Asha ("Hope") for Education, a charity which helps with basic education in India.