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EDISON, NEW JERSEY, October 8, 2004: A Hindu festival that has drawn tens of thousands of Indian-Americans to Edison annually for the last 15 years has been canceled by its organizers who said yesterday they don’t have enough money to cover the cost. Held in a massive tent in a parking lot at Raritan Center, the nine-night event had become the country’s largest Navratri festival. The festival’s organizers, International Events, said they informed Raritan Center management on Wednesday to cancel the event, which will force revelers to seek out smaller ones elsewhere in the State. Kirat Patel, head of International Events, said his group did not budget for the unanticipated doubling of the cost to rent a 60,000-square-foot tent that traditionally accommodates the participants. The company that always provided the event with its white canvas tent did not have any in stock, Patel said, because they were shipped to Florida, to provide shelter to hurricane victims. The group found another company to put up the tent, but work stopped when Patel’s organization could not come through with a payment.



Edison Councilman Parag Patel said the township is willing to do what it can to see that the event takes place, including streamlining the permit process. The councilman worried that the festival’s cancellation could permanently drive it out of Edison. Prominent Indian-American community members who make their home in the area said they were outraged that the celebration has been canceled because of a lack of money. “We are the richest per-capita community, and they are calling it off because of money?” asked Sylvester Fernandez, an Indian-American engineer from Edison and Republican candidate for Congress. Assemblyman Updendra Chivukula (D-Middlesex and Somerset) said the event has become difficult to manage as it has grown over the years, and has been a source of debate in the community. Chivukula suggested that Indian-Americans in New Jersey pool funds to create a permanent place to hold the celebration. That way, he aid, the burden of having to finance a tent every year could be avoided.

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