Event heralding Diwali held at Burlington

GEETHA PATIL

BURLINGTON Massachusetts: The Indian Americans for Burlington ( IAB) organized and celebrated the festival of lights Diwali as “Kutumbaka Samasana – Family & Togetherness” September 29 in at Burlington Town Common with US Rep. Seth Moulton, State Sen. Friedman, State Rep. Ken Gordon, and other dignitaries in attendance.

Indian community members appreciated the cultural extravaganza that showcased the talents of young children and women from all around the New England region. The first part of the program started with the welcoming of all the dignitaries, invitees, and the audiences by Anil Saigal and Indra Deb of IAB. Gini Pookattil, IAB president, addressing the gathering, talked about the significance of the event and the objectives.

Ma Lakshmi and Ganesh Vandana as invocation songs and an Odissi classical dance piece as an invocation dance were presented by local young artists. A dance, “Garba Spirit”, as a part of Navaratri festival was shown through Bollywood and Tollywood medley by young girls. This was followed by a kids’ group dance medley displaying the mehndi ceremony in Indian weddings.

A dance piece called ‘Natanam Aadinar’ – classical Bharatnatyam celebrating Lord Shiva – was also performed. “Hema Ki Katputliyan”, puppet show, was also presented. A Bollywood style group dance to the tune of “Ghar More Pardesia” depicted the essence of Diwali festival and a vibrant Odissi dance to the song “Nache Bholanath” showcased the cosmic ecstatic dancer Lord Shiva.

In the second part of the event, the DFD Academy’s team shared its Sangeetha Medley in flash mob style which depicted the fun factors at Indian weddings.

Burlington Queens presented a traditional dance from the Indian state of Kerala. Another group performed a skit, “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam – the world is one joint family”. 
State Rep. Ken Gordan, and State Senator Cindy Friedman went around the booths and talked to the children. The event included some tables especially dedicated for kids’ activities such as making of paper Diwali hanging lamps, painting and decoration of earthen lamps and greeting cards, and drawing henna patterns.

Some other tables depicted the importance of Navaratri and Diwali festivals through many traditional artifacts and write-ups.

IAB members decorated the main gazebo in the Burlington Town Common with deities and colorful puppets that highlighted the Navaratri and Diwali theme.