Discover the N.J. neighborhood that shines like no other for Diwali. | Calavia-Robertson

The colorful, brightly-lit streets in Jersey City’s “India Square” neighborhood are always bustling.

I know because as a proud local, I’ve visited many, many times. But I’ve been told by one too many of my Gujarati neighbors that they’re never as vibrant and as palpably alive as they are days ahead of a big celebration. And as far as Hindu celebrations go, Diwali — a five-day holiday that started Sunday and is known as “the festival of lights” — is undeniably larger than life.

Diwali, Hindus from northern India will tell you, is a time to celebrate the glorious return of Prince Rama of Ayodhya, his wife Sita, and brother Lakshman after 14 years in exile. The holiday, Hindus from southern India will tell you, celebrates the blessed day Lord Krishna defeated the evil demon Narakasura. The origin story of Diwali, which is also observed by Sikhs, Jains and Buddhists, according to the Hindu American Foundation, varies by region. The common thread?: The victory of good over evil.

Now, that’s something to celebrate! To experience all the excitement felt by my Hindu friends, I took heed of their words — “you just need to visit India Square during Diwali!” — and made my way to Newark Avenue, between Tonnelle Avenue and JFK Boulevard. There, I met up with Tejal Parekh.

She’s a longtime friend, and Journal Square local, who grew up in the area known as “India Square” or “Little India” frequenting the dozens of shops, markets, restaurants and temples with her Gujarati father.

Gujaratis are natives of India’s western state of Gujarat. And many of the business owners in “India Square” as well as the customers who shop there hail from this part of India. In Jersey City, a city of about 283,000 residents, there are nearly 36,000 Indians — one of the largest concentrations of Indians in the state.

It’s no surprise there’s no shortage of Indian restaurants to pick from here — some are casual, offering dosas and other quick bites, and others with sit-down menus, including traditional dishes like Chicken Biryani and Chicken Tikka Masala, are much fancier. We settle on Rasoi (the word for kitchen in Hindi), a fine dining restaurant that’s been open since 1995.

Tejal tells me it’s what her father, who died years ago, would’ve picked. She says the restaurant and the street it’s on are both keepers of “too many” of her most treasured childhood memories. “Any special occasion, a birthday, or like now, for Diwali, my Paapa would bring me here,” Tejal, 32, tells me. “After he passed, it was so hard to come here that I stopped coming for a long time but now, I come here just to feel closer to him.”

Tejal, who’s multiracial, can’t help but get emotional as she tells me that “walking up and down the block, shopping at all the little stores and Indian markets, and practicing my Hindi” also helps her feel closer to her Indian identity and heritage. “It’s not always the case for me as a person who’s mixed but this is a place where I always feel loved and accepted,” she says.

For Tejal Parekh, 32, “India Square” in Jersey City is more than “a street with businesses.” The area where she grew up and spent so much time with her Indian father, who died years ago, is “a place where I always feel loved and accepted.” And where, she says, she can “feel closer to my Indian identity and heritage.”Julian Leshay | For NJ Advance Media

We walk into Rasoi, its windows and walls decorated with the beautiful orange and yellow marigold garlands that are popular during Diwali, and are greeted by lead waiter Agnelo Fernandes. He’s worked at the restaurant for over 20 years and instantly recognizes Tejal. “Uncle!” she screams excitedly. And they hug deeply. “I knew her Paapa,” he says. “A good, good man.”

We share a “not too spicy, please” bowl of Chicken Tikka, munch on garlic naan as big as our heads, and like the roomful of families around us, clink our Mango Lassis as we cheer to a “Happy Diwali.”

Then we say our goodbyes to Agnelo and make our way to our next spot: Rajbhog Café. The walk is short. It’s just next door. “But the stop is important. Here’s where we get all the special Diwali sweet treats,” Tejal says and her eyes shine brighter than the recently installed “India Square” signs that light up the two ends of the street here. The illuminated signs were part of a $400,000 improvement and expansion project driven by Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop. Concluded just months ago, the project added parking spaces, curb extensions for pedestrian safety, murals and traditional rangoli artwork.

Inside Rajbhog, owner Arvind Patel welcomes us warmly. “This is the best time of year,” he says smiling big. “Business is good. Everyone’s happy. It’s Diwali … and we have this!” He hands us a small white tray with a yellow baked good in the shape of a rectangle that’s called a milk cake. “What’s this?” I ask. “Just try,” he says. I do. And I swoon! “How do you say delicious in Hindi,” I ask with my mouth still half full.

This milk cake, an Indian dessert that’s traditionally enjoyed during Diwali, was delicious. Arvind Patel, owner of Rajbhog Café in Jersey City’s “India Square,” says it’s a best-seller during the holiday.Julian Leshay | For NJ Advance Media

Arvind shows us the extensive variety of traditional Indian sweets his clients clamor for during these festive days. Some are shaped and colored like strawberries or apples and others are fashioned like a roll. People buy boxes of them to gift to friends and relatives who invite them over for Diwali gatherings and parties. “My employees make all kinds of fresh sweets here every day,” he says proudly.

We visit a couple of shops and stop in at Dharamvir Jewellers, where spouses and jewelers Renu and Sachin Dhunna, are dressed to the nines in their traditional Diwali outfits — hers a vivid fuchsia and his a sparkly forest green. Buying gold and silver during Diwali, Renu tells me, is a way to honor Hindu Goddess Lakshmi that symbolizes health and wealth. “They buy it for themselves or as gifts,” she says.

Others like Shehnaaz Jagasia, founder of Shehnaaz Dance Academy, a dance school with several Jersey City locations — all near “India Square” — celebrate the holiday through dance. At a week-long camp at her academy, she teaches young kids traditional dances, talks to them about the meaning of Diwali, and helps them paint pictures of diyas, small, clay oil lamps lit during the festivities.

In the streets of “India Square,” the energy is overwhelmingly joyous. Children sample small fireworks from a street vendor and beg their parents in English and in Hindi to “please, please buy this.” Desi hip-hop and Indian rap music blasts from a large speaker near a small storefront, where crowds of people peruse colorful candles and flower garlands to decorate their homes. Strangers walk by each other smiling and without hesitating wish each other a “Happy Diwali!” It’s truly all I was told it would be.

I turn to Tejal and tell her how wowed I am at how incredibly kind-hearted and friendly everyone is here. “Is that a Diwali thing, too?” I ask. “Oh, no,” she says matter-of-factly. “That’s just an Indian thing.”

‘India Square’ comes alive days ahead of Diwali

Daysi Calavia-Robertson may be reached at dcalavia-robertson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Instagram at @presspassdaysi or Twitter @presspassdaysi. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Here’s how to submit an op-ed or Letter to the Editor. Bookmark NJ.com/Opinion. Follow us on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and on Facebook at NJ.com Opinion. Get the latest news updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.com’s newsletters.