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October 28, 2004

“Festival of Lights” Exhibit Features Indian Music, Visual Arts, Food

The Barron Arts Center will present a gala five-day celebration of Diwali , the ancient Hindu Festival of Lights and New Year, in a special exhibit from Nov. 3-7.

The exhibit features a panorama of Indian music, visual arts and cuisine and is sponsored by Mayor Frank G. Pelzman and the Woodbridge Township Cultural Arts Commission chaired by Dr. Dolores Capraro Gioffre.

The festivities commence with a free Opening Night Party on Nov. 3 from 7:30-9:30 p.m. at the Barron Arts Center, 582 Rahway Avenue. Gallery hours after the opening are Thursday-Friday from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. and Saturday-Sunday from 2-4 pm.

“Diwali is a symbolic representation of the hope and renewal everyone feels at the start of a new year,” says Mayor Pelzman. “As it occurs at the close of our calendar year, it is an excellent way to put the last few months in perspective as we prepare for the road ahead.”

The exhibit’s collection of cultural artifacts has been created by husband-wife team Nikhil and Dipti Bhalja, proprietors of Abhishek Decorators of Iselin . In India, Diwali is a family-centered festival: homes are decorated, gifts are exchanged, sweets are distributed and thousands of lamps are lit to banish Evil and welcome Good into the world.

The Opening Night Party features a lavish outlay of ethnic cuisine from Royal Albert’s Palace. “It will be like walking into a traditional Diwali feast in India,” says Cynthia Knight, Director of the Barron Arts Center. “All the color, the mythology, the food and music will transform the gallery into a world of joy and fantasy.”

For further information call the Barron Arts Center at 732-634-0413.