Mini-India: Maharashtra's Arya Vaishya Samaj tries festivals, gourmet to win hearts in Hyderabad

Hyderabad: Hyderabad is home to people from different states including Gujarat, West Bengal, Karnataka, Odisha, Bihar, etc. There is a sizable population of Maharashtrians also living in the city. Like every other community, they also have their own festivities and celebrations.

More than 5000 people belonging to the Arya Vaishya Samaj (also called Komati) community of Maharashtra live in the city. They work as software engineers, research analysts, scientists, professionals at pharma companies, etc in the city.

The people belonging to this community get together once in a while to meet each other. Recently, on the occasion of Diwali, the community gathered at HMT Swarnapuri Community Hall, Miyapur. The event was called Diwali Milan. 75+ families including kids and senior citizens joined the event from Hyderabad. Some of them even joined adjoining districts of Hyderabad.

The members of the community who participated in the latest Diwali get-together say that such events are refreshments for all the people who are staying away from their hometown. They emphasize that social interaction was very less during Covid times and that they saw this as a golden opportunity to socialize. It is important to note that the group met previously in 2018 and is meeting after three years due to the pandemic.

The Diwali event was inaugurated with the lighting of lamps and pooja of Vasavi Kanyaka Mata's (a Hindu goddess of the Komati community) portrait. This was followed by cultural programs for the kids and fun games for kids and the elderly. After the event, the community members decided to meet periodically, help each other in difficult times, and also to take up various activities for the betterment of society.

"Great evening with all Maharashtra people settled in Telangana from Arya Vaishya Samaj. This is a refreshment for all who are staying away from their hometown. Our community has helped a lot of needy people during Covid-19 in Telangana and in the future also, we are going to help similarly in any circumstances," said one of the community members.