Happy Deepavali

The ancient and most popular Indian festival of Deepavali got a fillip in the U.S. in 2009, when it was first celebrated in the White House, by one of its most gracious hosts, President Barack Obama. When my wife requested me to prepare a short presentation on Deepavali for a celebration at her work place, I decided to create a short (less than 5 minutes) video in addition to the PowerPoint presentation. That is the genesis of this amateurish video, where I have stitched together short bits from 3 longer videos in the public domain (my sincere thanks to the original video producers), to highlight the following 3 aspects of this festival:
- Educational aspect: What it means to most people around the world, especially those of Indian origin.
- Entertainment aspect: Deepavali, with resplendent clothes and fireworks, in Bollywood.
- Popularity aspect: The festival's rise in stature, with Obama celebrating it in 2009 inside the White House!

Though the video quality may not be optimal, I hope you will still appreciate it in the above context.

Happy Deepavali.

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• Deepavali
• Diwali
• 2009
• President Barack Obama
• Waheeda Rehman
• Hindu
• India
• White House