Children Discovery Museum Presents its Annual Family-Friendly Diwali Celebrations

In this brief yet illuminating Interview, Jéssica Torres, Director of Education & Programs Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose, details what to expect on this special day!

“We're also very thankful to you, India Parent Magazine, for all the support that you give us and also to the City of San Jose and Office of Cultural Affairs for all their support in our arts programming.”
- Jessica Torres
Director of Education & Programs
Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose

"Diwali at Children's Discovery Museum is a fantastic opportunity to learn more about Diwali, It’s not about going there and dancing, buying some jewelry and clothes and coming back. CDM has so much to offer. To know about Diwali and make kids aware of the culture in a fun way. And I think all parents with their kids can both enjoy and learn a lot more,” Premlatha, young parent.

India Parent Magazine (IPM): Hello Jessica, good morning and welcome to India Parent Magazine. I'm so honored to have you on board. I'm very excited about the Diwali celebrations at CDM, please tell us a little bit about what's going on and what's so special this year?
Jéssica Torres: Yes, good morning and thank you for having us again at the Children's Discovery Museum to talk a little bit about our Diwali, Festival of Lights celebration that will be held on Saturday, October 11, at the Children's Discovery Museum in downtown San Jose. I'm the Director of Education and work with the staff that is bringing together a really lovely celebration. Diwali Festival of Lights is one of nine of our cultural celebrations at Children's Discovery Museum in where we showcase some of the cultural diversity of our region.

We also think it's a wonderful opportunity for families to come and enjoy the different activities that we have . For some it may be an occasion to enjoy their own traditions and for others its an opportunity to learn about the traditions of their neighbors. So we think it’s a great time for families to come out. We're also very thankful to you, India Parent, for all the support that you give us and also to the City of San Jose and Office of Cultural Affairs for all their support in our arts programming.

Another really special part of this celebration is that we have a wonderful group of cultural advisors that we work with. You are one of our wonderful cultural advisors who help give us advice and feedback throughout the years. That's really awesome.

India Parent Magazine (IPM): Anything special about this year, Jessica? I heard that there is a whole day event this year without any breaks. Can you tell us a little bit about that?
Jéssica Torres: Sure, we have several activities that we know people will enjoy upon entering the museum. They'll see a beautiful Rangoli display, designed by and created by Purvi and her daughter, Tanisha, who have been working with us for many years.

That's a wonderful way to welcome people into the celebration. We'll have arts activities on the first and the second floors and then we'll have performances in our amphitheater which will include Sindhu Ravuri who will do a wonderful solo dance and instruction for our visitors. And then a dance performance by Kathak Kala Vihar, who will do some beautiful dances for us as well.

And of course we are excited to bring back our wonderful emcees Kavita and Kishan Sridhar of Radio DeHotties. They are just a really wonderful addition to the performances out there as well. And of course families can also enjoy the rest of our exhibits throughout the museum including our current traveling exhibit which is about Curious George.

India Parent Magazine (IPM): That’s fantastic. And what exactly, I can parents and kids expect? Can you give us a couple of events that they can look forward to this Diwali?
Jéssica Torres: Sure, one of the hands-on activities on the first floor is to make a Diya lamp where the visitors will be able to create their own interpretation of the beautiful Diya lights that are used for Diwali celebrations - bringing light.

And on the second floor we have a wonderful visiting artist named Sujata Tibrala. She will be leading visitors in creating individual symbols that help express abundance and happiness and belonging and then incorporate them into their own personalized mandalas. They'll be using traditional Indian art styles. That's a new addition to have a visual artist up on the floor.

And then of course the performances outside, families will be able to stand up and dance along and enjoy the performances there. And then there'll also be a wonderful information table by India Parent out with all the activities as well.

India Parent Magazine(IPM): Thank you. And also Jessica, for those who will be coming for the first time, can you tell us a little bit about the timings and the parking information?
Jéssica Torres: Sure, the museum will be open from 9 30 a.m to 4 30 p.m, but our special programming for Diwali is from 11 a.m to 3 p.m. So that's when the activities are going on. There's more information about the Diwali celebration and also directions and parking can be found at www.cdm.org.

India Parent Magazine(IPM): Great. And finally, any advice to all those people who might want to come there? Any special message from you? Jéssica Torres: Just come and be ready to have a good time and to enjoy all of the activities.

We'll have some beautiful other decorations up. We'll have a wonderful photo opportunity as well. So come dressed to have a good time.