Diwali at Arya Samaj
HOUSTON: Arya Samaj Houston celebrated Diwali on Saturday, November 5 evening in a grand manner as a fitting tribute to its founder Maharshi Dayanand Sarasvati who breathed his last on the Diwali evening of 1883 – one light vanished to ignite millions of lights. The evening began with a Havan followed by a brief message from Acharya Surya Nanda. He reminded the audience to bring light in the homes of underprivileged and that sense of nobility is possible if we dispel inner darkness by the light of wisdom – Tamaso Ma JyotirGamaya. Appropriately, Arya Samaj began its Food Bank collection drive that evening – a noble project for the local community undertaken by the Arya Samaj for several years.
The 2-hour cultural evening followed with the Indian Consul General Dr. Anupam Ray as the chief guest. The children of their DAV Montessori School and the Sunday School (DAV Sanskriti School) presented an array of songs and dance to highlight the festive occasion. Dr. Ray spoke about the contributions of Maharshi Dayanand and Arya Samaj in India and abroad. He congratulated the team of Arya Samaj Houston to be bold enough to serve the community with the only Indian elementary school. He instilled a sense of legitimate pride in all of us by reeling out data to prove that India is a rising global power. His inspiring words ended with the universal prayer of Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinah – may the entire humanity be happy! The grand finale of the cultural event was the orchestra played by a team of 11 teenagers playing different instruments in perfect harmony, both Indian and western, in tribute to Maharshi – Suraj ban jisne door kiya papon ka ghor andhera. Vah dev guru hai mera, Vah dev Dayanand mera!
All in the audience, particularly the children rushed outside of the main hall for another couple of hours of fun-filled Diwali Mela in open air with food stalls, play area, raffle, face painting and fireworks. All activities and food were prepared by the volunteers of Arya Samaj and its schools. The overall decoration was eye catching.