On the occasion of Diwali, one of the most popular festival in India celebrated by Hindus, Jains, Sikhs, and Buddhists, Talking Faith interviewed Anju Bhargava, senior vice president at Bank of America. She is currently a member on President Obama’s Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships and is a convener of Hindu American Seva Charities. Bhargava is a graduate of Stella Maris College, the University of Madras in India and holds a master’s degree in business administration from Rutgers University, with training at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, American University, the Kellogg Graduate School of Management and Dale Carnegie Institute. Read more on her Web site.

Question: How do you celebrate Diwali?

Bhargava: Diwali or Deepavali means spending time with family and friends, praying for prosperity for all, sharing mithais (sweets), lighting the house with diyas/deepams candles and lights. It is bringing light into our lives symbolizing victory of good over evil. Diwali celebrations in the U.S. start five days earlier. This year, I started our observations at the White House. We had a council meeting and then I met the president and attended the Diwali celebration at the White House. It was an exhilarating event where I felt totally accepted in my country, America.

Diwali is celebrated by all of Dharmic traditions (Hindus, Jains, Sikhs, Buddhists) and is the most popular festival of the people of and in India. Homes are decorated with diyas and lights. A variety of food is cooked. Prayers are offered. For businesses and many communities it is marked as a New Year on the Hindu calendars. The spiritual significance is that outwardly the light symbolizes the search for knowledge and goodness while the inner Divine removes the darkness of ignorance and erroneous values. And the president aptly said in his address, one should not forget the joyous Diwali celebrations — the fireworks lighting up the dark skies of a new moon night, the exchange of gifts and the savored sweets.

For me, the next few days will be spent preparing (cooking, cleaning) for the Diwali and then celebrating with friends and family. We will put lights around the house to observe the victory of good over evil; symbolically it is also the illumination within that removes darkness of ignorance. On Friday evening, I will celebrate with the children who attend Livingston’s Indian School to learn language and culture. The children will share their learning of Diwali and we will distribute ladoos (sweets) to them. On Saturday morning, my daughter and I will cook the traditional sweets and we will visit our friends to share the mithais. In the evening, we will light lamps around the house, do our puja invoking prosperity for all, and have dinner with our friends. A time for prayers and a time for merriment!

Read the entire interview here.