By Pia Ghosh

Thick smells of sandalwood incense waft in the air. Durga-puja, worship, and Diwali, a festival of lights, two major Indian festivals are celebrated this time of year. They affirm life as well as Indian culture, popular Indian customs and ancient traditions.

Durga-puja, celebrated at Gunn High School Oct. 27 and 28 (courtesy of www.sanskriti.org), was a particularly poignant gathering of almost 1,000 Indians in the aftermath of Sept. 11, when hundreds of Indians perished in the World Trade Center.

Durga-puja is based on the myth of the Goddess Durga. Brutal demonic forces had been oppressing the world. Powerful gods were helpless and they sent forth their energies as streams of fire and from these energies emerged Durga, (Beyond Reach). The gods could not change the situation themselves and had to create a warrior goddess, not another god, to do it for them.

Durga has a softer feminine side. She visits her father once a year with her children, Lakshmi (wealth), Saraswati (learning), Kartik (industry) and Ganesh (the Silicon Valley God). For those four days, the time of Durga puja, there is mirth and merriment. People abandon their quotidian lives and enter what Colin Wilson calls “holiday consciousness.”

Children of Indian descent, who attend schools in Los Altos and Palo Alto, shed their jeans for the weekend and got into Indian garb. They embraced their Indian heritage as an added dimension to their being. A local Indian gentleman officiated as the priest and performed rituals before the altar of the goddess. Families and friends with busy schedules met and spent happy times together. Indian musicians came from as far as India to entertain. Local Indian restaurants served sumptuous snacks. The spacious grounds of Gunn High School were a rampage of color and mirth.

Thousands of people throughout the Bay Area, not just Indians, will participate in the Diwali celebrations this month. Diwali is based on the myth of the Goddess Kali, who sprang forth from the brow of Durga to join in the fierce fighting. Diwali is also based on the myths of the Ramayana, an epic text of the Hindus. Evil is fought and the victory of good is celebrated with fireworks, 4th of July style. Merrymakers revel in colorful clothes, enjoy hypnotic music and devour delicacies.

The domain of bits, bytes and other intellectual pursuits is transcended. Most Indians in the Bay Area mobilize to foster these positive community-building experiences.

Bullis-Purissima School in Los Altos Hills held a Diwali celebration, Nov. 9, in their library.