Light over darkness: Diwali brings hundreds to Balboa Park
Hundreds celebrate light overcoming darkness at the Deepotsav Festival of Light in Spreckels Organ Pavilion
Photo Essay by Brittany Cruz-Fejeran, Edited by Lauren J. Mapp
Hundreds of San Diegans celebrated Diwali at the Deepotsav Festival of Lights at the Spreckels Organ Pavilion in Balboa Park last Saturday.
The Festival of Lights was first started by Murugappa Madhavan because he wanted people in San Diego to know about Diwali, said Neelu Bhardwaj, a committee member with the Indian Cultural Leadership Council.
The event was a joint celebration for Navaratri, the Festival of Dolls, and Diwali, the Festival of Lights, which is also known as Deepavali, its original Sanskrit name.
Throughout India, the holidays are celebrated in different ways.
Diwali, which denotes the start of the Hindu new year, is a celebration of light overcoming darkness. Bhardwaj said Diwali is a social, spiritual and cultural extravaganza during which people buy new clothes and furniture, start new ventures and begin friendships. It is also a time to spend with family.
Navaratri — honored just before Diwali — is a nine-day festival when people reflect on the divine feminine and good triumphing over evil.
A 7-foot Navaratri Golu, an arrangement of dolls representing the nine step stairway to inner evolution, was displayed across the pavilion stages for attendees to admire. The display included hundreds of dolls donated by local artists, ranging from animal figurines at the very bottom to elaborately dressed dolls representing Hindu deities at the top.
Left: People stand in front of the Navaratri Golu, or doll display depicting the nine steps of inner evolution in Hindu culture. Right: A woman gets her photo taken next to the Navaratri Golu. Brittany Cruz-Fejeran/Daylight San Diego
Traditional North and South Indian dancers performed throughout the festival, which was hosted by the Indian Cultural Leadership Council with Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation, Sewa International, San Diego Indian American Society and House of India.
Later in the evening, California Assemblymember Ash Kalra (D-San José) and Assemblymember Darshana Patel (D-San Diego) gifted the leadership council a copy of a proclamation designating Diwali as a state holiday. The bill — introduced by Patel and Kalra, which was signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom earlier this month — will go into effect next year.
Dancers perform Bharatanatyam, a classical Indian dance form. This performance, called Ranjani Mala, depicts the qualities and attributes of the divine mother, known as Devi in Hindu culture. Brittany Cruz-Fejeran/Daylight San Diego
Top left and right: Dancers Shweta Shetty and Manali Holankar perform DeviStuti: Dhyaye Suvarna. The dances describe O Maa (Mother Goddess) as a demon killer as well as the personification of nature, motherhood and peace. Bottom left and right: Dancers perform a Panchanadai Thirukkural, which depicts life’s ethics and moralities. Brittany Cruz-Fejeran/Daylight San Diego
Festival attendees shop for clothes with local vendors. Brittany Cruz-Fejeran/Daylight San Diego
