Diwali in Colombia

"Diwali" is the Hindu "Festival of Lights" and marks the victory of good over the evil. Fireworks are associated with the festival in many regions of India. Honestly, I never thought I would celebrate Diwali in Colombia. It all happened when few Indians out here met each other at an Indian Restaurant on Diwali. To my surprise, I saw like 30 Indians on that day and some of them with their respective family and kids. I was so happy to meet them all. After getting to know each other, we all decided to start an Indian Community in Colombia and meet more often.

After few days, MEGA INDIAN FOOD FESTIVAL was planned for 1st November 2006.It was a night filled with exotic food, dances, legends and culture in honour of Diwali. Around 95 people had come with all the excitement, eagerness to know about India and its diverse culture.

We(Left to Right: Jasmine,Me,Mauricio,Andrea,Dhanur,Ashish,Gopi,Ana) started off with Ramayan (in Spanglish), a Hindu holy epic that depicts the history, life of Lord Rama, whose wife Sita is abducted by the rakshasa, or demon, Ravana and Lord Ram achieving victory beating Ravana (Demon).We then danced our way to glory with some salsa to begin with...bollywood style and some typical Indian moves. Later, we had a small quiz on India and with some prizes as well. It was all happening there!

Personally, this day will be very memorable. I was more than happy to share the evening with all my friends like Ivancho, Juanca, Jenn, Lala, Serge, Bee, Ligia, Dhanur, Mauricio, Andrea, Kariena and also my colleagues from Aviatur. Muchas Gracias Todos!