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By Laura Drinan
Hometown Weekly Reporter
Westwood High School’s cafeteria was transformed into a cultural celebration on the evening of November 11, as the community came together for the fourth year in a row to celebrate the Indian holiday, Diwali. Thanks to the Westwood Indian American Association, India’s biggest holiday made its way to town to be experienced by any and all.
Colorful pieces of Indian art and photography lined the hallway leading to the cafeteria and strings of lights wrapped around the columns in the cafeteria. Westwood students and their parents, as well as members of the surrounding communities, wore beautiful and bright traditional Indian clothing as they socialized and took part in the evening’s activities.
A group of Westwood students receive huge applause after performing a Diwali dance, ‘Nagda Dhol Baje.’
A group of Westwood youths celebrate their Indian heritage with their parents as they perform a skit and dance.
“Somebody here said that this is the event of the fall in Westwood,” said Vishnu Venkatesh, who led the evening’s entertainment program. “Honestly, I thought he was kidding. But it got me thinking… We can Google Diwali and get Wikipedia articles explaining the mythology behind Diwali. But what’s really difficult to do,” Venkatesh continued, “is to figure out why Diwali happens and what the spirit of Diwali is.”
Holding up a small candle in an earthen lamp, called a diya, Venkatesh elaborated on the holiday’s significance, as the diyas represented vanquishing evil and the triumph of light over darkness.
To celebrate that triumph, Westwood youths sang an invocation song to start the evening. Superintendent Emily Parks and Assistant Superintendent Allison Borchers lit the diya and discussed their own culture and traditions. Even Westwood High School Principal Sean Bevan was in attendance with his family to experience the cultural celebration.
Ashwin Gowda, a senior at Westwood High School, also spoke among his peers to discuss the significance of Diwali in his life.
“Growing up as a child with an Indian background living in America, the only family I had nearby were my brother and my parents,” Gowda said. “In 2005, I moved to Westwood, but I did not expect the warm, welcoming community in this town. I made lots of friends that I got to celebrate every single Indian or American holiday with that are still here today. Diwali, traditionally, is meant to be celebrated together with relatives and a big family. I believe that the Westwood community is one big family, and I’m blessed to be able to celebrate this great tradition with each and every one of you.”
With a Diwali dance from Thurston Middle School and Westwood High students and a cultural skit and dance from youths and their parents, the entertainment program welcomed one last performance: an a cappella performance from Boston University’s SUNO, a South Asian fusion a cappella group.
A group of Indian youths and teens within the Westwood community sing an invocation song to kickstart the Diwali celebration at Westwood High School.
Diwali, of course, is not complete without eating a delicious meal and dancing, which the community spent the remainder of the night doing.
“The Diwali spirit, I realize, is incredibly relevant for us today, not just as Indians, but as Americans, as well,” said Venkatesh. “So we, as an Indian community, wanted to share this with everybody and emphasize that the spirit of Diwali is not just Indian. It’s global.
“It’s American.”
A group of girls from Thurston Middle School and Westwood High perform a Diwali dance, ‘Nagda Dhol Baje.’
