The Diwali Maha celebration organized by the Austin Tamil Society was held in Austin, the capital city of Texas, for two days in the first week of November.
It was celebrated very well with an audience of about 900 people in the huge performing arts hall located on the campus of Liberty Hill High School.
The function started on the first day at 6.30 pm with a Tamil Thai greeting. The reception was followed by a full-length comedy play written and directed by Krishna and performed by him and his Kalalaya team, called ‘Patti Yai Party’. About 700 people turned up despite the heavy rain that came with the storm. 10 kinds of delicious vegetarian food were arranged in cans, bagged and given to all the visitors who came to the festival.
The second day of the ceremony started with a Tamil Thai greeting. All the art performances that started after the reception were amazing. Traditional dances such as Bharatanatyam, Wailatam and modern dances, song concert and instrumental concert were held. Boys also participated with adults in three programs and proved to adults that we are not lazy.
Elementary, middle and high school students volunteer to learn music after Tamil school classes on weekends and have now formed a music group. The group of 25 boys and teenagers drenched the entire audience in the arena with their musical instruments and their powerful voices.
All the women and men who danced after completing their office work and taking care of the children had trained very hard for many days and danced brilliantly. The singers also enthralled the audience with their immense talent. Super Singer Winner Krishnamurthy Forgetting Group’s 1.30 hour music concert was mesmerized by the crowd.
Prof. Dr. Sathasivan, Dr. Vidyashankar, Basheer, who started the association in 1992, Sathish Thirumalai, a dentist and Patron of Austin Tamil Society, were invited as special guests and honored on the stage. There are two Tamil schools operating in Austin and nearby towns. The current executive committee members of the school were honored to appreciate and encourage these schools for providing excellent service at very, very low fees with the service objective of teaching our Tamil language to the next generation.
The current executive committee of the Austin Tamil Society also spoke about the work they have done in the last 8 months since they assumed responsibility. After the thanksgiving, all the attendees were served a complete vegetarian feast with the Tamil tradition of Vadai Payasam.
From checking e-tickets and admitting the visitors to filling boxes and bagging food purchased at the restaurant to serving it to the visitors, the volunteers happily made it their house party on both days.
Austin Tamil Association Executive Committee members Sanjay, Mahaletsumi, Sakthivel, Mahadevan, Janani, Mukesh, Rajasekhar all coordinated the function.
The function ended on a grand note at 8.30 pm with a sumptuous dinner. Advertisers and small companies set up temporary stalls in the complex, which was decorated from the gate to the entire arena, making the complex more lively and bustling. It is noteworthy that about 900 visitors came to the ceremony held on the second day.