Source: San Jose Mercury News
FREMONT, CALIFORNIA, USA, July 22, 2001: Thousands of San Francisco Bay Area residents of Hindu background celebrated their cultural heritage in Milpitas in a first-of-its-kind gathering that brought together dozens of Indo-American groups that rarely associate. “You don’t realize how many of us are here until we come together in one place,” said Raj Patel of Milpitas, who attended the Hindu Sangam with his family. Event organizers estimate 10,000 people attended the celebration. That makes it one of the largest Hindu cultural gatherings ever on the West Coast. About 66,000 people of Indian ancestry live in Santa Clara County alone. More than 300 children presented a play of the Hindu story Ramayana. And a free buffet of traditional Indian food was provided.