On Sunday 4th October, 2009 the VHP of America held their annual Diwali Celebration at the Centennial Olympic Park in downtown Atlanta. A group of approximately 1500 people gathered starting at 11 am under a clear blue sky for a perfect day of fun, food and entertainment. The program started auspiciously with a prayer by the students of Bal Vihar followed by an inspiring Bhajan. What followed was an extravaganza of color, music and dance that represented not only various parts of India but also Nepal and Bhutan. All the performance was enhanced by the excellent sound system provided by DJ Bally entertainment.
There were songs in Telugu, and Hindi sung beautifully by various adults. Children performed dances that were traditional like the Bharat Natyam, Kathak and a Kohli dance from Maharashtra as well as contemporary dances set to music from Rajasthan, Punjab, Gujarat and Bengal. The performers’ age ranged from 4 year old to young adults. There was also a group of ladies who performed a Tamil folk dance and another group who performed a Gujarati Garba.

In addition to the entertainment, booths were set up for Face painting and Mehendi. The booths were run by volunteers who stayed busy throughout the day. The sight of children running around with beautiful pictures and designs on their hands and face was truly refreshing.
The raffle tickets were snapped up by attendees hoping to win the grand prize, a gold pendant donated by Malani Jewelers of Atlanta. There were many other prizes like
Complementary dinner vouchers to legal services with dollar amounts ranging from $25 to $400 all donated by generous supporters.
A free Grand Lunch buffet was served to all. The lunch was sponsored by the VHP of America with donations from other organizations like the Shakti Mandir of Atlanta. The program was very ably run by the EMCEE Ms. Rachana Gupta.
The celebration truly evoked memories of Diwali in India and brought those who attended the feeling of sharing a happy occasion with friends and families.