World News | Diwali-Dusshera Event Mesmerises over 12,000 Guests in Houston

Houston, Nov 6 (PTI) A spectacular Diwali-Dussehra annual celebration event showcasing the best of Indian culture, heritage, and values in an unparalleled manner, attracted over 12,000 people from all walks of life and ethnicities in the city of Houston.

A regular feature here for the last 12 years, the event on Saturday began with fireworks, Ram Leela, and Garba around the fountain that changed light colours.

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Dussehra Parade, Diwali Bazar, Kids Broadway show, Ravan Dahan and Maha Aarti were other features of the event organised by the Shri Sita Ram Foundation (SSRF), a non-profit organisation.

The epic celebration from 2012 onwards has grown tremendously over the years and continues to attract more attendees across Texas and other US states every year. The massive event site, Fortbend Epicentre, with a capacity of 14,000 audiences, was brilliantly transformed and decorated with millions of dazzling multi-coloured lights, lit-up main entrance gates, and colourful silk-draped vendor booths.

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The event united the audience from various regions, communities, and religious beliefs, including the Christian and Ismaili communities, and the display of flags representing 200 nations underscored the commitment to global unity.

Dr Arun Verma, the founder of the Shri Sita Ram Foundation, shared his profound message of unity and humanity with an emphasis on the “Vasudeva Kutumbakam" -- the world is one family.

“The entire Houston Consular Corp. joined the celebrations in the true spirit of this concept, thus treating the entire world as a big family. This was depicted in the parade by 100 volunteers carrying 100 national flags of the entire Houston Consular Corp," Verma said of the event that transported the massive audience to their childhood in India.

“We switched to the new location, for the event due to the record crowd last year, where many had to return due to limited seating," he told PTI.

Garba around the colour-changing fountain was introduced for the first time and was well received.

The ceilings and the walls were decorated with traditional banners, flags, hangings, and pictures of several deities.

The celebrations kicked off with a grand parade featuring over 60 floats representing various cultural and social organisations with dance and music. A standout in this procession was a remarkable replica model of the new Shri Ram Temple in Ayodhya, which is opening in January 2024 .

Showcasing the strength, size and unity of the Indian-American community, the event attracted the participation of the representatives of various consulates, including the Consulate of India, highlighting diverse cultural heritage and celebrating international diversity. The audience witnessed captivating international performances including the Vietnamese Lion dance, Thai dance and the mesmerising Egyptian dance.

A competitive Kids' Broadway show, showcasing the talents of youth, including singing, dancing, musical performances, and skits, engaged the audience.

As the evening approached, the event site came alive with a beautiful laser show, setting the stage for the symbolic Ravan effigy burning - symbolising the victory of Lord Rama over the demon king Ravan - and the breathtaking fireworks display.

Consul General of India, D. C. Manjunath, was the grand marshal of the parade.

Two religious dignitaries flew in for the event, Padma Bhushan H. H. Chinna Jeeyar Swami and Baba Swaminarayan Maurya.

Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher and several other official dignitaries also attended the event.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)