PORTLAND, OREGON, USA, November 16, 2001: Many members of Oregon’s Indian community of doctors, business owners, high-tech employees and blue collar workers come together this week to mark Divali, the Festival of Lights celebrated by Hindus. As Indians gather in lantern-decorated temples and homes all over Oregon to pray, share meals and enjoy fireworks, the increasing number of celebrations reflects the community’s growth. Indians are by far the fastest-growing Asian-American subgroup in Oregon. Census data show the population mushrooming about fivefold in the past 20 years, from 1,900 in 1980 to 3,500 in 1990, to nearly 10,000 in 2000. In pulling those worlds together for the first American-born generation, occasions such as Divali are particularly important, community members say. When you first arrive in America, it’s easy to forget your roots, said Sivagami Vanka of Beaverton, a nutritionist and Indian dance teacher who immigrated from Chennai 20 years ago. “Now, we are able to pull the best of both worlds.”
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