Cowboys Stadium to host Indian festival, 100,000 guests expected

Written by Shambhu Sharan, The Shorthorn staff   

Thursday, 01 October 2009 09:32 PM

Diwali Mela Schedule of Events

When: Sunday
Cost: $8 online and $10 at the gate, free for children under 10,
Parking: free
Tickets online:
meraTicket.com, DFWDiwaliMela.com

Event Schedule

Kids Corner, petting zoo, rides-slides, elephant and camel rides
When: 4 p.m.-midnight
Where: Outside Cowboys Stadium

Magic Show
When: 6-9 p.m.
Where: Parking Lot 10

Indian regional folk dances
When: 6-9 p.m.
Who: 40 local organizations
Where: Community Stage, Parking Lot 10

Ramleela, a drama, based on the Hindu epic Ramayana
Who: Metroplex artists
When: 7:30 p.m.-8 p.m.
Where: West Plaza

Music concert
Who: Kailash Kher, a renowned Bollywood singer and his team
When: 8:30 p.m.-midnight
Where: West Plaza

Ras-Garba
Who: Brij Joshi and his party
When: 8 p.m.-11 p.m.
Where: East Plaza

Ravan Dahan
When: 11:30 p.m.-midnight
Where: Outside Cowboys Stadium

End of the festival with fireworks and fire crackers
When: Midnight
Where: Outside Cowboys Stadium

To volunteer with the Hindu Students Council,

e-mail hindustudentcouncil@yahoo.com or call Prasad Joglekar 817-272-1866

Source: Volunteer coordinator Rajan Aggarwal

The new Cowboys Stadium will house the expected 100,000 attendees for Diwali Mela, an Indian lights festival, for the first time from 4 p.m. to midnight on Sunday.

Events include elephant and camel rides, petting zoo, an Indian dance-music concert and light and firework displays. Indian food and culture information will be available. Non-Indian attendees are welcome.

“The purpose is to promote and educate Hindu culture to the Metroplex residents and Hindus born and brought up here,” said Ramesh Gupta, DFW Indian Cultural Society media relations officer. “The festival is a way to unite all the Indians in one platform.”

Because UTA’s Hindu Students Council is going to have its own booth at the Diwali Mela, many people, especially those who are coming to participate from remote places will get to know about the university, said physics lecturer Nila Veerabathina. UTA’s Fine Arts Society of India is also volunteering for the event.

“Like Christmas, Diwali has religious, cultural, social and historical roots,” Veerabathina said. “It is an excellent way for UT-Arlington students to get connected with the DFW Indian and International community and vice versa.”

Almost 140 students have registered to volunteer at the event, said council President Prasad Joglekar. The group is accepting more volunteers, who will receive a free ticket, T-shirts, certificates and food. The council will raise money to give scholarships to international students, he said.

Finance major Chetan Kanadia said the event will give the council a platform to showcase the Indian culture and social activities at UTA, and a chance to meet local Asian-Indian population.

Electrical engineering graduate Swanand Phadke said he sees this festival as a special occasion to get connected with India and Indian families and friends.

Marketing graduate Darshan Shah said people clean and decorate their home with lights in India during Diwali.

According to Ramayana, a Hindu epic, the festival symbolizes Shri Rama’s return to Ayodhya, one of the seven sacred cities of the Hindus, after 14 years in exile and victory over Ravana symbolizing victory of good over evil. People welcomed Rama by organizing the light festival.

The epic describes Diwali’s inner-meaning as the attempt to shed light on ignorance through knowledge.

Diwali is also known as the Festival of Lights, celebrated all over the world by Hindus. People celebrate the festival on the new moon day, which this year will fall on Oct. 17. The society decided to celebrate earlier due to space availability reasons.