Diwali celebration on Long Island brings Indian communities, traditions together

Indian folk music blared through an Overlook Beach parking lot as people danced from a floral archway to the main stage early Saturday afternoon, kicking off the Association of Indians in America-New York Chapter’s 39th annual Deepavali festival.

During the yatra, or procession, AIA-NY members held sacred statues called idols and offered cashews to Lord Ganesh, who is known as the remover of obstacles, seeking blessings for the day ahead. The cashews were then shared with attendees.

AIA-NY Vice President Gunjan Rastogi followed with the opening dance welcoming Lord Rama, who was exiled from Ayodhya for 14 years.

"That’s also my hometown. So it brings back beautiful memories. It’s very close to my heart," Rastogi said.

The five-day festival of Deepavali, widely known as Diwali, runs from Nov. 6-10 this year, but AIA-NY celebrates in October to take advantage of better weather.

Last year, AIA-NY brought its Deepavali celebration to the Town of Babylon's Overlook Beach for the first time after 37 years at Manhattan’s South Street Seaport. On Saturday, the festival returned to Long Island.

While Hindus, Sikhs, Jains and Buddhists celebrate with differing traditions and meanings across South Asia and beyond, the triumph of light over darkness and good over evil is a consistent theme.

Rastogi has been attending AIA-NY’s annual Diwali festival since 1989. Decades ago, she saw the festival as a way to bring the tristate area’s new Indian immigrants together and to share their culture. Though this remains a priority, the focus has shifted.

"Now everybody knows about Indian food, Indian clothing. It’s no longer the same need. But we are still sharing our traditions because now the second generation — our kids and their kids — need to know," Rastogi said.

Children were on and off the stage throughout the afternoon, performing traditional songs and dances, walking in the inaugural career fashion show and acting out the Ramayana, a Sanskrit epic poem.

For 22-year-old Nimrat Natt, watching the children perform reminded her of childhood Diwalis in Punjab where she used to perform the same traditional dance at school.

Natt, an international student at SUNY Old Westbury, said celebrating Diwali without her parents has been difficult despite having relatives on Long Island.

"It’s a blast in India when it’s Diwali time. But seeing something similar here, it reminds me of home. It makes me feel so happy," she said.

Natt brought her candle business Mood & Brew to the festival, hoping to bring more exposure to her enterprise. While she typically sells three signature candles, she created a few Indian-inspired scents to sell at the festival.

A few booths over, Isha Chand, 49, of West Hempstead, and her sister Nisha stood surrounded by colorful Indian and Pakistani clothing. The pair brought their e-commerce fashion business Marwadi Tofa to the festival hoping to connect with the community and gain exposure.

For Chand, desi fashion transcends regional politics and exudes cultural pride. The festival felt similar to her in that way.

"Even if we’re all separated back home, in this country, events like this bring us together," she said, adding she learned about regions she’s never visited or known anyone from at the festival.

Chand, Natt and Rastogi each pointed out a different type of food, dance or song representing India’s 28 unique states.

"Everyone is doing the same things in their own way. It feels good to see everyone together," said Natt.