[flute music]
- [Narrator] Thousands of Indian Americans
now live throughout North Carolina,
and our large cities have embraced
Indian cultural organizations, restaurants,
super markets, shops, and cultural schools and activities
like this Diwali festival that are free family events
and welcome everyone.
- There are over 450,000 Indian Americans
that live in North Carolina,
and this area here in Cary and Morrisville
is a big draw particularly
because of the three research universities
as well as the high tech industry.
- [Narrator] Like all festivals,
food is very popular with numerous meats,
vegetarian, and gluten free options.
And of course, tea and coffee.
There are over 25 Indian supermarkets in North Carolina,
which provide specialty vegetables,
spices in bulk packaging,
food items familiar to the Indian palate,
and it's all so fresh because of quick turnover.
And I found many items less expensive.
There is also specialty sweets and confectioner shops,
and restaurants catering traditionally
Indian prepared foods.
- Sweets, as I always say, open conversations
and doors and hearts and everything
and it's a very integral part of the Indian culture.
Every celebration ends in sweets.
Every party ends with desserts.
It's like taking a box of chocolates and wine
to someone's house.
- This festival brings people together
to enjoy food and dance, do some shopping,
and just be together with family and friends.
It's a lot of fun to walk around this bazaar
and look at all of these beautiful fashions,
the gorgeous jewelry and enjoy shopping
and purchase things that were made directly in India.
It's a really exciting time to be Indian American
in this area because there is so much to do.
You can enjoy barbecue as well as biriyani.
You can go to a Bruce Springsteen concert
as well as a Bollywood concert.
You can go to a baseball game as well as a cricket game.
You can enroll your kids in cotillion classes
as well as classical Indian dance.
So much to do.
One of the favorite spots for young girls to go to
is a henna painting stand,
where you can get your hands painted
with beautiful henna designs.
Hum Sub, the organizers, have put together
a beautiful cultural tent,
which is always packed full of people.
- [Narrator] From the popular Bollywood style festival event
we visit a Raga Revival,
which is a triangle monthly evening
of classical traditional Indian music, [foreign word],
and dance.
- The dance form that I have studied and that I teach
over here is one of the oldest classical dance forms
known as [foreign word].
And this dance form was developed and nurtured
in the temples of South India
as part of daily temple worship.
So in this excerpt you have Rata waiting
eagerly for Krishna to arrive.
And she's sure that he will come.
And she starts enjoying the beauty of the garden,
the beautiful flowers with bumble bee flitting around them.
She plucks one of those sweet smelling flowers
and puts it on her hair waiting for Krishna.
But then, he doesn't come.
- [Narrator] For many families,
the highlight of the evening
is dancing in the [foreign word].
- [Sejal] This is a really exciting time
to be Indian American in North Carolina.
- Family free Indian American festivals
and events are held all over the state,
especially around holidays like Diwali and Hola.
One resource is the Hum Sub Cary page on Facebook.
Leelah School of Dance has three studios.
Check out their website at leelahschoolofdance.com
for details.
East Chatham Street in Cary host many shops and restaurants
such as the Mithai Indian Cafe
and Patel Brothers Supermarket.
The Raga Revival is held monthly,
either in Raleigh or Carrboro.
For more information go to ncragarevival.com.