Every year around Diwali, a room fills with families who arrive as friends and leave as something closer.
PHOTOthe family, or the whole groupWe call ourselves Sitare, the stars. Not because anyone here performs for a living, but because every one of us takes a turn in the light.
THE FESTIVAL
What is Diwali?
Diwali comes from Deepavali, a row of lamps. It is marked across India and around the world, on the new-moon night of autumn — the darkest night of the month.
That is the whole festival in one picture. On the darkest night, we fill every corner with light.
Dhanteras
Prosperity is welcomed home. Many families bring something new in metal into the house.
Chhoti Diwali
The first lamps are lit. Many remember Krishna's victory over the demon Narakasura.
Diwali · Lakshmi Puja
The main night. Lamps everywhere, and Lakshmi, goddess of prosperity and well-being, is welcomed into every home.
Govardhan Puja
Krishna's sheltering of a whole village is remembered with Annakut, a mountain of food offered in gratitude.
Bhai Dooj
A day for brothers and sisters, and the bond between them.
Customs differ by region and by family. This is one common telling.
THE WAY ARCHANA JI TELLS IT
This season holds the memory of three ages.
Satyug
Lakshmi rises from the churning of the cosmic ocean and is welcomed as abundance itself. It is why we light the way to our doors.
Treta
After fourteen years of exile and the defeat of Ravana, Ram returns to Ayodhya. The people light rows of lamps to guide him home.
Dwapar
Krishna lifts Govardhan hill to shelter the people of Vraj from Indra's storm. Annakut, a mountain of food, is offered in its memory.
AND NOW
Lit far from Ayodhya.
For families living away from where it began, the meaning has grown. It is not only about remembering a homecoming. It is how we make one.
Archana ji adds one more light for our own time: Saraswati, goddess of knowledge, music and the arts, who arrives every year when the stage lights up.
ARCHANA JI
Our children will not learn this from a textbook. They will learn it from a puja they sat through, a bhajan they half-sang, a stage they were gently nudged onto, and a room full of people who were glad they did.
OUR WAY
How Sitare celebrate
The shape is the point. We open in stillness and close in light, and in between, every family takes the stage.
Tap a circle. These are the years behind us.
We open with puja
Before anything else, we gather and pray together. It sets the tone for the whole evening.
Every family takes the stage
Each couple or family brings a signature entry dance. Tell us your song when you RSVP.
Every talent has a place
Bhajans, songs, skits, poems, games. Whatever you bring, there is room for it.
We close with fireworks
The last light of the night belongs to the sky.
For years our people have called this place Sharmaji ka Adda. Devkinandan ji named it Balam Dham, the home of the eternal beloved.
Call it what you will. You do not come here to be an audience. You come to be a Sitara.
THE EVENING
The shape of the night
We begin at 5. There is no set end. Last year the energy carried us to midnight.
5pm
We gather
arrivingCome in, find your people, settle in.
To begin
Puja
the pujaWe start together, in prayer and in light.
Through the evening
The Mehfil
the stageDances, songs, skits, poems and games, and food along the way.
-
Somewhere in the evening
Something new
Something that has never happened at a Sitarey Diwali. This is the one lamp we are keeping dark until the night.
tap to look To close
Fireworks
the skyThe sky joins in.
Exact timings will be shared closer to the day.
THE PRACTICALS
When, where, and what we are still working out
| What | Where it stands |
|---|---|
| Date | Saturday 21 November 2026 |
| Time | From 5pm, no set end |
| Place | 1370 Adams Road, Bensalem PA 19020 |
| Dress | Festive Indian |
| Food | Still coming together |
| Presented by | The Sharma Foundation |
Help carry the light as a co-sponsor
Food, decor, fireworks, something of your own. Nothing is too small.
RSVP
Will you join us?
Tell us you are coming, and if you are ready, what you would like to perform.
Performance picks are a starting point. We shape the final lineup together in the group chat closer to the day.
AFTER YOU REPLY
Thank you. Truly.
We will see you on the 21st. While you wait, here is last year — and on the night, this is where our photographs will live.
COVER
WHERE THIS LEADS
Sitaron Ki Diwali 2025 Last year's album, in full.ON THE NIGHT
This year's album A code appears here closer to the day, to add your photographs as they happen.SITARON KI MEHFIL
May our tribe continue to flourish and grow.
ARCH
SID
Archana & Sidharth
सितारों की महफ़िल
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