By Khalida Sarwari
The faces at the Children’s Discovery Museum’s Diwali Festival change year after year, but one is turning into a mainstay: that of 14-year-old Zoraver Dhillon.
He was the one beating a dhol, the Indian double-headed drum, to start the ceremonies last year, and you can bet he’ll be back to do it again this year. It’s a simple act, but for Zoraver, the instrument has come to symbolize the vehicle through which he can share his cultural heritage with others.
“It’s a very vibrant and energetic drum from the Punjab region of India,” explained Zoraver, a San Jose resident and Stanford Online High School freshman. “It’s just a really fun drum to get the crowd motivated and very energetic.”
There will be no shortage of energy at the two-day festival taking place at the museum Oct. 8-9. From craft activities to dance performances, there’s something for everyone. The idea is to come and get to know your neighbors, said Autumn Young, a spokeswoman for the museum. Diwali aside, the museum hosts a variety of cultural celebrations to promote the region’s diversity including the Lantern Festival, Children of the Dragon, Dia de los Tres Reyes Magos, Lunar New Year and Family Lunadas.
“[This is] part of our cultural events series,” said Young. “We have several events throughout the year that are opportunities for cultures throughout our communities to share their traditions.”
Moreover, Diwali is “a unifying opportunity, especially for children who don’t have perceptions of separatism,” she said. “I think [sharing cultural traditions] contributes to more tolerance, more acceptance, so I’m pretty proud of that.”
This year marks the museum’s fifth Diwali celebration. The event is created in partnership with an advisory board comprised of members of the South Asian community. Parveen Dhillon, Zoraver’s mother, is a longtime member of the board.
Diwali “is like a great educational event that, I think, whichever community you come from in India, you feel a lot of pride [in],” she said. “Even for Indian-Americans who are a few generations in America, you get this great sense of pride because it’s a huge party. You won’t get this anywhere else.”
One of India’s major festivals, the Hindu festival signifies the triumph of light over darkness, justice over injustice, good over evil and knowledge over ignorance. Popularly known as the “festival of lights,” Diwali is celebrated by Hindus around the world. The holiday, which officially falls on Oct. 30 this year, is similar to Christmas. The day after Diwali marks the beginning of the new year for the business community in India.
This is what’s in store at the Discovery Museum’s Diwali celebration this year: activities such as a diya lantern-making craft (oil lamps usually made from clay, with a cotton wick dipped in ghee or vegetable oils), rangoli craft (an art form in which patterns are created on the floor using materials such as colored rice, dry flour, colored sand or flower petals), photo opportunities and storytelling. For the first time this year, a group of boys, including Zoraver, will go around tying purple turbans on attendees. “We just think that it’s going to be something cool for everyone to experience,” he said.
There will also be performances galore, from classical and Bollywood dance to fashion shows. And, of course, Zoraver will be there, beating away on his dhol throughout the event. He’s already got a fan in Young, who considers the San Jose boy’s performance one of her favorite moments from the festival.
“When you hear the rhythm you go, ‘Oh I’ve heard that rhythm before,’ ” she said. “It’s a bhangra rhythm. To me, the drum is one of those unifying cultural experiences; it gets shared with everybody; it doesn’t matter where you are in the museum.”
The festival takes place Oct. 8 and 9 from noon to 4 p.m. at the Children’s Discovery Museum of San Jose, 180 Woz Way, San Jose. Admission is $13 general and $12 for seniors. Infants and members are free. Tickets can be purchased online or at the door.
For more information, visit cdm.org/celebrate/community-celebrations/diwali.
