Fairview United Methodist Church was the place to be in Columbia for Diwali, where more than 60 people gathered for the Festival of Light, the largest Hindu celebration of the year.
Bright clothing, loud music and smiles all around painted the plain auditorium. As music played, a small child snored in a stroller near the entrance. Families gathered around homemade food, and women browsed the embellished sarees and salwars, traditional Indian ensembles for special occasions. Tables of merchandise held clothing and jewelry. There was no shortage of sweetly fragrant desserts to sample.
Diwali is the Hindu Festival of Light, one of the most important holidays in the Hindu religion. There is some difference on what the holiday represents between the northern and southern Hindu traditions. The common theme, however, is that light has triumphed over the darkness and ignorance and the people are liberated.
People spent all morning and the day before preparing the food for the festival, and vendors came from as far as St. Louis to set up their booths.
The Columbia Diwali Festival came to fruition in only a few days. Pratibha Tripathi, along with Nitu Patel and Megha Garg, planned the festival so that the Hindu community and beyond could be together and enjoy the holiday.
The hardest part of planning the event was finding space and vendors. Tripathi said there were not many traditional vendors that live in or around the Columbia area.
But once the location and wares were established, the event was an opportunity for vendors to expand their businesses and share traditional recipes.
Abhilasha Sharma had been cooking since she was in high school in India. She remembers being taught by her mom and dad and has carried the recipes and techniques into her later years. Sharma explained what the festival meant to her, saying "no matter what happens, good always wins." Sharma’s table had chole chawal, a chickpea curry and rice bowl, and sweet deserts to try.
Around the corner in the auditorium stood a booth with vibrantly colored dresses and fabrics. Indu Varatharha, owner of Boutique 4 India in Ballwin had her booth set up to display sarees, salwars, jewelry and more.
"The clothes are different from south to north," said Varatharha. "There are so many different traditions and variations of them."
She designs most of her clothing items. Many are handmade in India with detailed jewels and stitching and then are shipped to the United States. Varatharha has owned Boutique 4 India for six years and traveled to Columbia for Diwali to showcase her collections.
Clothing isn’t the only thing at the Columbia Diwali celebration that can create a stylish look. Handmade with Joy is a jewelry business, started by Preeti Shirgur just a few months ago. Shirgur got her start selling one-of-a-kind pieces in markets and fairs similar to the Diwali festival and has since expanded her business to Etsy.
"I just like to make," Shirgur said. Watching the pieces come together is very exciting, she said.
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November 07, 2021 at 06:10AM
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Festival of Light: Columbia celebrates Diwali - Columbia Missourian
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