I/S Principal Engineer Nagesh Nimmala explains the meaning of Diwali in the Indian community.

Nagesh has been in the U.S. for 20 years and with Publix for 14 years. He lives in Valrico, Florida.

“I work with the security threat remediation team,” said Nagesh. “We test new security updates to help prevent our computer systems from being breached.”

While online security concerns are always top of mind, in October Nagesh turns his attention to an important day in his culture.

Nagesh, who is proud of his Indian heritage, is preparing to celebrate Diwali with his family on Oct. 24. The word Diwali originates from the Sanskrit word Deepavali, meaning “row of lights.”

“It is a religious and cultural holiday, celebrated by both the devout and secular,” he said.
During Diwali celebrations in his childhood, Nagesh’s family performed ritual prayers; decorated the house with lights; and drew rangolis, a traditional art form using colored sand or powder.

Nagesh uses Diwali as an opportunity to share cultural delights with his family like:

• Indian cakes, such as gulab jamun, milk-based sweets soaked in rose-scented sugar syrup
• jalebi, spiral-shaped deep-fried batter dipped in syrup
• laddu, a mixture of flour, sugar and shortening shaped into balls and
• roti, a round flatbread, and palak paneer, a curried dish made with fresh spinach, onions, spices, paneer and herbs, one of his favorite meals.

“Although I am Hindu, I wasn’t particularly observant of Diwali as an adult, and I didn’t necessarily do anything special at home,” he said. “But now, with my children, I want them to feel connected to their Indian heritage, so I make an effort each year to make Diwali feel special for them.”

Publix is a family — a big, 230,000-person one — with backgrounds from across the country and around the world. This article is part of a series featuring associates from a variety of backgrounds, age groups and cultures, and we love sharing their successes. We hope our articles help you learn a little more about your fellow associates who make up our Publix family.