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Over 9,000 gather for Diwali-Dussehra celebration at Constellation Field

The Oct.4 event marked one of the largest Diwali-Dussehra gatherings in the country.

Elected officials graced the event. / Bijay Dixit

The Shri Sita Ram Foundation hosted its 14th International Diwali-Dussehra Festival at Constellation Field in Sugar Land.

On Oct.4, more than 9,000 people came to the ballpark, making this one of the largest Diwali-Dussehra gatherings in the country.

“I am humbled that we were able to spread the message of our ancient and proud civilization not only to the Indian diaspora but also to all other communities in the Great Houston area, showcase our proud culture, our brotherhood and moral values,” said Arun Verma, founder of the Shri Sita Ram Foundation.

Families strolled along the wide concourse, exploring more than 50 vendor booths, cultural exhibits, and activity zones. The open layout offered clear views of the field, allowing visitors to enjoy the stage performances as they wandered.

“My favorite part was seeing the satisfaction, smiles on the faces of the people who attended the event and were overheard saying that this type of event makes them feel proud to be an Indian, a Hindu,” Arun ji said.

“There were months of meticulous planning and organizing involved,” said Gopal Aggarwal. “There were kids in the audience who got excited seeing kids riding on the parade floats, and they told me that they too would like to join in next year—it is heartening to see this level of interest from the younger generation.”

For many Houstonians, especially non-Indians, the festival is an opportunity to learn about Hindu traditions, Arun ji said. Several non-Indian families join in every year, enjoying the cultural traditions in an accessible and welcoming way.

“There are hundreds of volunteers, it takes months to put everything together,” said volunteer and Sugar Land resident Ashish Sharma. “I was here early in the morning, because we were decorating our floats. We are representing Vedic education, so we will have the vedas on the float—the Arya Samaj float.”

“A truly grand parade”

A major highlight every year is the grand parade around the ballpark.

“We took Ram and Sita in a pickup truck around the stadium the first time in 2012, and people stood up to clap,” said Arun ji. “That started the idea of getting other organizations to join and create floats to start a parade.”

This year’s parade featured 37 floats, music, and dance performances by local cultural organizations.

Given Indians’ passion for cricket, the organizers decided to celebrate both the national team and the country’s general cricket craze.

There were two parade marshals this year—Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham and Consul General of India in Houston, DC Manjunath.

“Diwali is a celebration of light over darkness, and enlightenment over ignorance,” Buckingham said. “Thank you for bringing this to our community.”

DC Manjunath drew a striking parallel with Operation Sindoor during his speech, suggesting that just as good triumphs over evil in the festival, terrorists must be confronted and defeated.

Arun Verma and Baba Satyanarayan Maurya opened the 14th International Diwali-Dussehra Festival. / Photos by Bijay Dixit, Nik Nikam and Juhi Varma

About Shri Sita Ram Foundation

Founded by Arun and Vinni Verma in 2012, the Shri Sita Ram Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to advancing the cultural and social aspects of the Indian community in the United States.  

The foundation has been organizing the International Diwali-Dussehra Festivals for 14 years, and this event has become one of the most popular Diwali celebrations in the United States.

“The foundation started Ram Leela in 2008 in theaters to educate the Indian diaspora,” said Arun ji. “It graduated to holding the Diwali Dusshera festival on large scale to influence more people and Americans to project soft power of our culture to popularize Diwali in Houston and in Texas. Diwali was introduced to the Governor's mansion in 2015, and we started inviting foreign consulates to the event in 2019.”

Many elected officials and dignitaries attended the event, while others who were unable to attend sent representatives. The evening also included a recorded message from Governor Greg Abbot, who said: “Thank you to the Shri Sita Ram Foundation for promoting positive values such as faith and family and helping out in the community. Diwali is the celebration of the triumph of good over evil, light over darkness. We lit a Diwali lamp in the Governor’s mansion.”

A special guest this year was Baba Satyanarayan Maurya, a spiritual leader, artist, and orator. Baba Maurya wowed the crowd by painting an image of Bajrangbali Hanuman on stage within minutes, then delivered a powerful speech reminding the audience that just as Lord Ram defeated Ravan, we too must confront and overcome the Ravans of our time — such as pollution and terrorism.

At this year’s event, the Ram Leela play—a dramatic retelling of the story of Diwali—was performed in English.

This year’s theme was the Maha Kumbh, celebrated earlier this year.

“This year, our organization, Ashirwad – A Blessing, presented a theatrical performance highlighting the spiritual significance of Maha Khumbh,” said Geetha Ravula, who also served as an emcee. “Witnessing the dedication of over 1,000 volunteers and participants come to life on stage and parade was truly inspiring. What makes this celebration so special is the unity of diverse organizations and their members, all coming together to honor the triumph of good over evil. Diwali is not merely a festive occasion—it is a profound cultural tradition rooted in the divine lineage of Gods and Goddesses, meant to be remembered, revered, and followed.”

Ravula has also been a representative of Hindus of Greater Houston for many years.

The evening ended with a dazzling fireworks show and the traditional burning of Ravan’s effigy—there were cheers when his head dramatically fell off.

At this year’s event, the Ram Leela play—a dramatic retelling of the story of Diwali—was performed in English. / Bijay Dixit
Various traditional dance troupes performed at the event. / Bijay Dixit

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