This article originally appeared in Vol.1 of Cambrian Khabar that was distributed during our 2014 Diwali event. You can get your copy of Cambrian Khabar Vol.1 here. It is being reproduced here for the benefit of those who did not get a chance to see Cambrian Khabar and also to give some perspective from the Organizer's standpoint. Keep in mind, this was written before the event.

Diwali 2014 Organizer - Rukmini Vemulakonda

Diwali is a one of the Indian festivals celebrated by Cambrian Indian Community (CIC). It is our largest event of the year and is celebrated the Indian way - with lots of friends and family, music and food.

The 2013 Diwali celebration was a tremendous success with over 180 members participating for the event. There was lots of entertainment, fun and food including a promise to increase the count to support the growing Cambrian Indian community. Our CIC members Latha Santhosh, Sonal Sabu, Anjana Ganjigunte and Krithika Santhanam took on the task to search for an appropriate venue for 2014 Diwali from mid-January. The team checked out multiple venues before finalizing the 2014 Diwali venue as the Church of Chimes on February 10, 2014.

The next task was to seek out and request for the Diwali core team members to make the event run smoothly for our expected count of nearly 400 people. The Diwali core team has over 40 CIC members (adults and kids) who have worked tirelessly for the past few months to ensure that our event is covered in all areas - sponsorship, parking, entertainment for kids and adults, welcoming our new community members, providing childcare and organizing dinner.

Our next major accomplishment after the venue and core team selection was to secure a group of wonderful and energetic group of choreographers, teachers and directors for our performance. We had our talented members who came forward to teach/direct performances for kids and adults. Today’s Diwali event has 54 kids and 21 adults participating in various programs who will be showcasing their talent in the performances. The sheer effort of these participants speaks to the nature of our community and how it can and has come together to put up a show of this magnitude.

On behalf of the organizing committee, we sincerely hope all of you enjoy the event. We request all attendees to please provide your feedback as part of the survey that will be sent via email(same email address as the event invoice) tonight. This will help the Diwali team improve not just future Diwali events but all the programs that the CIC puts together throughout the year.

Thanks for being a part of the CIC Diwali 2014. It has been a pleasure making this event happen with a fantastic team of community members and sponsors who opened their wallets generously to support our activities.

- Rukmini Vemulakonda, Event Organizer, CIC Diwali 2014. Proud resident of Cambrian since 2012

The Road to Diwali 2014