AIA Diwali Dhamaka draws a huge crowd

SAN JOSE, CA – A huge crowd, mostly Indian Americans, thoroughly enjoyed the Dussehra and Diwali Dhamaka event held at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds here on October 7.

Presented by Association of Indo Americans (AIA) and Bolly 92.3, the annual outdoor event was supported by over 30 Indian organizations based in the San Francisco Bay Area.

The day-long event featured multiple activities like diya making, rangoli, flash mobs, musical and dance performances, Ravan Dahan, and fireworks.

While the Bollywood dances and classical dance performances entertained the audiences on the main stage, a separate staging area on the opposite end of the expo hall featured a couple of live bands.

The dignitaries present included Deputy Consul General Rohit Rathish; the Andhra Pradesh government’s special representative for North America, Jayaram Komati; Indian Supreme Court Judge Jasti Chalameswar; California state Assemblymen Kansen Chu and Ash Kalra; County Supervisor Dave Cortese; San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo; Cupertino Mayor Savita Vaidhyanathan; South San Francisco Mayor Pradeep Gupta; Lily Mei, mayor of Fremont; Raj Salwan, Fremont city councilmember.

Also present were representatives from the offices of Congressman Ro Khanna; Fiona Ma, member of the Board of Equalization; and state Assemblyman Evan Low.

The dignitaries presented a certificate of recognition to the AIA.

Over 60 vendors displayed their booths featuring clothing, jewelry, mehndi, real estate, after schools, IT training, and health services.

The ‘Desi Food Festival’ presented various delicacies from Swagat Indian Cuisine, Shalimar Restaurant, Chaat Bhavan, Nawabi Hyderabad House, Peacock Indian Cuisine-Dublin, Kosta-South Indian Food Corner, and Eat Up, while Akshaya Indian Cuisine catered food for the event.

The patrons were thrilled by the expo center, fashion shows, high-energy Bollywood dances by NKD Arts, melodious songs presented by the singers from AIA/BATA karaoke group, the spiritual Maha Mangal Aarti, vendor booths, rides and other forms of outdoor entertainment.

The grand sponsor for the event was Dr. Prakash Advani of Family Dentistry, while the platinum sponsors included InsuKare.com Insurance and Neeraaji from Sampurna Vastu.

Other sponsors included &TV, Farmers Insurance, Mantri Developers, Fly Air Travels and Swadesh India Bazaar.