Ziya Myneni

Aanya Myneni, a contestant for the rangoli contest, works on adding the circles of sand to her teams piece. Among other events at the Peninsula Gujarati Association’s annual Diwali celebration, the contest offered an exciting environment for creative expression with traditional art forms.

The Peninsula Gujarati Association (PGA) honors Diwali with an event-filled celebration to promote community and inclusivity.

Diwali is the festival of lights that celebrates the death of the Narakasura, a demon, by Lord Krishna, a Hindu deity. PGA celebrates Diwali annually, sometime between October and November, with contests, arts and crafts, food, sparklers, karaoke, and, for the first time this year, a mehndi station, which is a dye commonly used on skin in the form of designs.

“I like the mehndi this time. They didn’t have that last time, and I thought it was a really nice touch. I also like the food,” said Siana Shah, a member of PGA.

PGA is a nonprofit organization aimed to create a community for Gujaratis in the Bay Area. What started as parents wanting to spread Gujarati culture turned into a community amassing 160 families. Through their membership option, friends and families can come together and connect with each other through a variety of events. Nevertheless, membership isn’t always necessary to have to connect with the community. According to the official PGA website, non-membership families can enjoy events such as Navratri and the Culture Show. Diwali is one of the events offered to membership families.

“It’s the families and the communities that have been in here from the Peninsula and the Bay Area for the past 30 years,” said Nimesh Patel, a 31-years-and-counting PGA board member.

As part of the celebration, PGA hosted their rangoli contest, a form of art that involves using colors to make patterns, in which people rush to make the best art piece. Since it was a contest, a lot of pressure was put on some contestants to win.

“It kind of got messed up a little because our rangoli got bumped. So near the end, we kind of made a bunch of human bodyguards,” said Sahana Patel, a member of PGA and the winner of the 2024 rangoli contest for teenagers. who participated in the contest. “We were trying pretty hard to make it look perfect so we could get that win.”

Along with the rangoli contest, other traditional art forms, like diya painting, were options as well.

“I like the way the activities try and make everybody feel included. There are painting diyas where a lot of seniors can make their own thing, and that’s their way of being social,” Sahana Patel said.

Despite events providing opportunities to socialize and experiment creatively, many attendees simply go for the experience of interacting with a localized Gujarati community.

“I was born in India, and I came when I was 10, so I got to experience how things are back in India, and of course, they’re at a different level than here,” Neha Patel said. “I think it’s very important that PGA does this to help keep our culture alive.”