A popular annual event, Diwali-Eid Dinner was organized by the South Asia Center of Cambridge, on Saturday, Oct 19, 2019 at the Saint Peter's Episcopal Church, Cambridge, MA. This is a completely volunteer-run event being organized for over 25 years at the same venue. A Hall full of people gathered to enjoy the fun, the taste of food and the flavor of cultural programs.

Rajesh Kasturirangan welcomed all the participants, special guests and the dignitaries to the event and he talked about the motivation behind the celebration of this community event every year and how it is gaining popularity and support. He also spoke about the importance of Diwali and said, Diwali coincides with the Hindu New Year, celebrates new beginnings and the triumph of good over evil and light over darkness. Kashif ul-Huda spoke about the importance of Eid and how people come together to share and enjoy the festive occasion.   

The program started with a meet and greet hour with a variety of delicious appetizers. This was followed by the cultural program, wherein Jayashree presented her childhood story in Mumbai city. Geetha Patil sang a melodic patriotic song. Singer Sarbpreet Singh presented a Kafi which refers to the genre of Punjabi and Sindhi classical music which utilizes the verses of kafi poets such as Bulleh Shah and Shah Hussain. He is the founder and current director of the Gurmat Sangeet Project, a non-profit dedicated to the preservation and propagation of the Sikh Musical Tradition. He has written plays, poems and short stories, inspired by the struggles of the Sikh Panth in both ancient and contemporary times.  Aditya Nochur, a composer, writer and poet who runs SubDrift, presented a tuneful Guitar piece to the audiences. He is also responsible for Solaradicals that combines Desi and American sounds, cultures, and personal and political narratives in ultimate hopes of global transcendence. Another well-known classical singer, Aditya Shah - a vocalist from the Mewati gharana who trained in North Indian Classical music under the guidance and blessings of Pandit Rattan Mohan Sharma and Pandit Radharman Kirtane who are the senior disciples of  Sangeet Martand Padmavibhushan Pandit Jasraj. Ms. Swati Sharma sang a beautiful Gazal and entertained the audiences. 

Levi Ali - a multi-talented performer in the musical arts. Over the years, he has developed a repertoire of percussion instruments, and is a proficient player of the doumbek, tabla, daff, kanjira, tassa, chimta, dhol, davul and guitar. He plays locally in the Boston area with different musical group such as The Shadow Notes, Satellite Sound, Club Mediterranean, Ensemble Davuli and Al-Sultan Zaffa Troupe.  Ishwin Dembla - an accomplished tabla player in the greater Boston area, who was trained under Ustad Zakir Hussain and Ustad Shabir Nisar Khan. He has accompanied multiple accomplished musicians and has collaborated with Allison Dennis on their CD "Bhajaa Maa". He was also a visiting guest lecturer on Tabla at the University of North Carolina. 

Ms. Sumbul Siddiqui, a long time Cambridge resident and Cambridge City Councilor addressed the audiences and wished everyone a happy Diwali and Eid. Rev. Dr. Derrick Muwina, the new rector of the church was present at the event with his family and greeted everyone very warmly and expressed his best wishes on the occasion. He actively participates in many community programs and well-known for his services. Ms. Sneha Jha moderated the whole event.  Mr. Jaspal Singh thanked all the audiences, artists, for their active participation, volunteers for their time and services, and the church for providing their beautiful venue for the event. 

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