- By Arathi Cowlagi

The India Society of Worcester(ISW) and the Worcester Art Museum(WAM) celebrated the 11th annual Diwali community day on Sunday, Nov 1st.

The festivities began with a lamp lighting ceremony led by ISW president, Dr Jagan Srinivasan & museum director, Matthias Wascheck symbolizing the spirit of unity and shared community that has defined this event over the years.

The cultural performances were the highlight of the day- vibrant, diverse and of exceptionally high quality. New performances this year included, a performance by music artist Aneesh Kashalikar playing Hindustani classical music on the saxophone and Rajesh Pai ji’s students presenting the different rhythms of India on Tabla. 

Visitors also enjoyed exploring the many activities around the museum like,

- “Learn about India” table setup by Carolyn Passey 

- Always popular Chess games setup by Radhika Chintapalli

- Storytime by ISW volunteer Divya Muthu

- Diwali Art Exhibition created by talented local artists - Susmitha Bando who displayed a beautiful painting of Mother Teresa with a candle, JeenAnn Kidambi - PanchaVarna Art , Meghna Ajmera- Mehendi Art on canvas, Giri Pottepalem- Oil and water colors, Aarav Jain, Sheetaltara- Devanagri Calligraphy and Malini Mohankumar- Pebble Art.

- Talk by artist JeenaAnn on “The Impact of Colonization on Indian folk art”

No celebration would be complete without great food! Visitors enjoyed the flavors of India with delicious dishes catered by Peppers Indian Cuisine of Northborough and artisanal ice cream from Tickett Ice cream.

This well received annual event that welcomed 874 visitors to the museum, was a joyful reflection of ISW and WAM’s shared commitment to celebrating and sharing culture, coming together of community and creativity. It is indeed wonderful to see so many people from such diverse backgrounds come together to celebrate and enjoy the spirit of Diwali.

Link to photos from the event, https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1JqSMzKRRL/

Article featuring the event in The Worcester Guardian, https://theworcesterguardian.org/f/worcester-art-museum-comes-alive-with-diwali-celebration/?utm_source=Subscribers&utm_campaign=e2c27585b8-TWG_DAILY_EMAIL&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_8d2a188f70-e2c27585b8-507216259&fbclid=IwY2xjawVgDwpleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBwZG9mBXNydGMGYXBwX2lkEDIyMjAzOTE3ODgyMDA4OTIAAR83-UQ38w8b30gsjElnHLvIHIdpSdMe2mA1U94edEeNrIoTfR2IxFMNwNdCTQ_aem_O3qlj6Dvxt838RJSlCLEIQ#