New Delhi: Hindus are urging all Texas cities to celebrate the most popular Hindu festival Diwali like the City of San Antonio, which is producing Diwali event on November four, claimed to be the “largest City-sanctioned Diwali in the nation”.This free six-hour long event in downtown San Antonio will reportedly include releasing 2,000 floating lamps, parade, dance show, henna/mehendi body designs, cuisine of India, Bhangra, Indian bazaar showcasing handmade crafts, fireworks display, etc. Organizers are expecting over 15,000 participants from all over Texas.
Distinguished Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada today, said that in view of fast changing demographics and continuing growth of Hindu populations, Texas city/town governments should help organize Diwali festivals and put on light displays in major boulevards/plazas, so that Hindu communities did not feel left out.
Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, urged Texas Governor Greg Abbott to persuade respective cities/towns to put on light displays to mark Diwali in collaboration with local Hindu groups.
According to Rajan Zed; Diwali, the festival of lights, aims at dispelling the darkness and lighting up the lives and symbolizes the victory of good over evil. Hinduism is oldest and third largest religion of the world with about 1.1 billion adherents. There are about three million Hindus in USA.Ron Nirenberg and Sheryl Sculley are Mayor and City Manager respectively, of San Antonio, which the Lonely Planet describes as the “history of Texas independence”.