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DIWALI: LIGHTS OF INDIA CELEBRATION
Diwali Photo Essay: Work
Mayapur Boussemha, 8, turns on candles near the entrance of the Seattle Center Armory before the Diwali celebration begins on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2017, in Seattle, Washington. Diwali is a festival of lights that occurs yearly in the autumn that celebrates the triumph of goodness, knowledge and virtue. “It brings people together,” said Hari Vilas Das, Mayapur’s grandfather and organizer of the event.
Mayapur Boussemha holds onto Lakshmi, one of his family’s 13 cows, while recounting the story of a new calf being born on his family farm. Lakshmi is named after the Hindu goddess of fortune and is to be put on display to bring luck to festival attendees. Mayapur’s family treats the cows like a member of the family, and they believe that her urine is very valuable. “This cow is very special,” said Hari Vilas Das, Mayapur’s grandfather. “For every liter of her urine, she produces three to ten micrograms of pure gold.”
Hari Vilas Das, left front, lights the “diya,” a lamp that serves as an offering to the gods. Its lighting signifies the beginning of the festival. “Lighting the lamp is a symbol of joy, of happiness,” said Namvrata Mukkamala, a family friend. Das and his family have been organizing the Diwali festival at the Seattle Center Armory for the past five years.
Krishna Boussemha, right, shows a customer how to wrap a “sari,” a traditional wrap that is worn in India. She is Mayapur’s mother and in charge of selling items such as incense, garments and jewelry near the entrance of the center.
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Gayathri Venkatraman, left, applies eyeliner to Hamsa Shankar, 16, before a dance performance onstage celebrating Diwali. “For eyes, we do a thick eyeliner so you can see how we’re emoting onstage,” said Shankar. “Same for lipstick, to see any emotions we show on our face.”
Shankar strikes a pose during a dance sequence with four other girls from the Nrityalaya School of Dance. They are performing a traditional Indian dance form known as “Bharatanatyam” that is used to celebrate various festivals in India.
Das makes “roti,” an Indian flatbread, during a live cooking demo with volunteers to hand out to festival attendees. Also known as “chabati,” these flatbreads are traditionally made from whole wheat flour and are a staple in their diet. “It’s eaten all the time,” said Amina. “Breakfast, lunch, dinner.”
Annie Penta cuts flowers off their stems to make a mandala on the floor. Penta, who is also part of an Indian dance troop, has been making these mandalas for five to ten years now. She made her very first one in her backyard with pinecones and needles. The mandala is a type of “rangoli,” a decoration made on the floor. “It’s a beautiful offering to the deities and gods,” said Amina. “This is what the women do in India to make their home festive.”
Festival attendees gather around the stage to listen to traditional Indian music and watch dance performances at the Seattle Center Armory. The celebration is from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m., and includes other activities such as spice grinding, henna and crafts in addition to the live performances.
Krishna performs a song onstage in celebration of Kartik with Mayapur, left, and her other daughter, Yamuna Boussemha, second from the right. The song, called “Damodarastakam,” celebrates and glorifies the story of the Hindu god Krishna when he was a child. Kartik is a special month that usually falls between October and November in which followers of the god Krishna worship him in his form as a young boy.
Shankar and other members of the Nrityalaya School of Dance stand in silence seconds before going onstage. The dances and other activities at the festival are a celebration and promotion of the goodness in humans. “This is a demonstration of what happens when you want to share the love of god,” said Das. “Everybody are my people. We’re all brothers and sisters.”
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