Golden Gate Library's celebration will feature the internationally renowned Kathak dancer Purnima Jha and some of her students. Kathak is one of the major dance forms of Northern India. Originally performed in Hindu temples as a religious rite, it evolved into a court dance featuring elaborate costumes under the Mughals patronage. Her father, the legendary Natraj Shanker Dev Jha, one of the great Kathak artists of the 20th century, trained Ms Purnima Jha from an early age in Kathak dance.

A reviewer has noted, "Ms. Jha's control of movements… are exquisite… she can cause a single bell to sound without disturbing the others." Her critically acclaimed performances have received the Isadora Duncan Dance Awards and she is the recipient of India's "Great Daughter of the Soil" award in the arts.

The five-day festival of Diwali, which falls each year in October or November, honors the renewal of life, the triumph of light over darkness and goodness overcoming evil. As with other Indian festivals, Diwali is celebrated differently by region. In northern India, celebrants honor the divine couple, Rama and Sita. In Bengal, Diwali is associated with the goddess Kali. In Gujarat, the festival pays tribute to Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth. Houses are whitewashed and thresholds are decorated with elaborate designs of colored powder. Exchange of sweets and the explosion of fireworks accompany the celebration. Diwali is one Indian festival that is also frequently celebrated in the West.

For more information about this free family program call the Golden Gate Library at (510) 597-5023 or visit the Library's Web site at www.oaklandlibrary.org. Please refrain from wearing scented products to library events. To request sign interpretation or other accommodations, call the number above or (510) 834-7446 (TTY) at least five working days prior to the event. The Oakland Public Library is a department of the City of Oakland.

Media Contact:
Kathleen Hirooka, Community Relations Coordinator
(510) 238-6713, khirooka@oaklandlibrary.org