DallasNews: Website of the Week

03:56 PM CDT on Friday, October 15, 2004

www.kamat.com/kalranga/festive/dasara.htm

The Hindu festival of Dasara, on Oct. 22, celebrates the victory over evil. That's a perfect excuse to "visit" the Kamat family, the good folks behind this mom-and-pop Web site. Start with this link to learn about how the holiday is observed in different parts of India, and check out the exquisite paintings depicting the colorful processions.

Then click on "About Us" to meet the Kamats, the four people behind the site. Krishna and Jyotsna Kamat live in Bangalore, India, and prepare material for the site using a 1959 Remington typewriter and a film camera. Photos and copy are mailed to their son, Vikas, and his wife, Hiryoung, who live in Alabama. Vikas scans and loads the material onto the site.

The four Kamats share eight advanced degrees and seven other university degrees among them. In deference to the poor in that part of the world, Krishna and Jyotsna choose not to own a computer, television or refrigerator. Thus the low-tech approach.

Visit this welcoming and lively site, and you'll conclude that, with enough Kamats around, evil doesn't have a chance.

Mary A. Jacobs

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