India Post News Service

CHICAGO: Diwali celebrations were held at the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir (BAPS), located in Bartlett, a northwest side Chicago suburb, where hundreds of devout families gathered to commemorate the five-day long Diwali festival. The culmination was the grand Annakut held on November 10.A week earlier, a special Diwali celebration was organized just for children at the Mandir.

Diwali, the festival of lights, was celebrated in a grand fashion on November 9. The Annakut showcased how Diwali is celebrated throughout the different regions of India. According to the Atharva Veda, "The whole world is one nest." It was this message that was portrayed by the exhibition titled, "Unity in Diversity."

The highlight of the exhibition was the vast array of traditional Indian cuisine offered to the sacred images of Bhagwan.US Congressman Peter Roskam, State Representative Randy Ramey, State Representative Paul Froehlic and the Dean of the Kellogg School Management, Dr Deepak Jain were among the dignitaries present during the festivities.

Dr Jain shared his feelings after viewing the exhibition, "Here lies a jewel which has remained hidden from me for the past 22 years. It has only now been unveiled!"Said Sanjiv Purohit a resident of Holland, Michigan and monthly visitor of the BAPS Mandir, "Witnessing the Diwali celebrations and participating in the divine ambience related to such festivals at the Mandir in Bartlett felt as if I was in India. The experience was divine."