Hema Kundargi shares about why celebrating Diwali is important to her.
As Indians around the world gather to celebrate Diwali, the festival of lights, my mind wanders across the ocean, right back to my childhood home. During this time of year, our house completely transformed.
In the heart of the home, the kitchen was a constant hub of motion, bustling with delicacies while a steady stream of family and friends dropped by. It was a pure community. Forty years ago, when I immigrated to America, I missed that enveloping warmth deeply.
While we tried our best to celebrate with Indian friends over weekends, it never quite captured that immersive environment of an entire neighborhood celebrating together. The weekends felt isolated, and I longed for that genuine spark of daily, shared human connection. That is when I made a conscious choice to create my own version of Diwali right here.
I opened my doors and invited my non-Indian neighbors, alongside elderly grandparents visiting from India, into my living room. Together, over hot cups of traditional chai and homemade treats, we built a brand-new circle of joy, warmth and cross-cultural togetherness.
I discovered over the years that every culture inherently carries its own sacred festival of light — whether it is Diwali, Hanukkah, Christmas or Kwanzaa. The rituals are different, and the stories vary, yet the underlying message remains entirely unchanged. Whichever light you celebrate this season, may we each light a small, internal lamp of knowledge to collectively dispel the cold darkness of ignorance and division. With a Perspective, I’m Hema Kundargi.
Hema Kundargi lives in Cupertino, where she loves celebrating festivals with family, friends and neighbors, cherishing the memories created.