On Broadway Avenue from 47th to 48th street, a crowd of Indian diaspora filled Times Square, enjoying Bollywood music and Garba dancers on Oct. 18-19. The Diwali Bazaar is a decade-long tradition that celebrates the Hindu festival of lights at the heart of New York City.
Small white tents lined the side of Diwali Bazaar, promoting various local Indian enterprises and cultures; the Isha pavilion, Pan Parag stall, one-minute saree drape stall and a kids zone. The kids zone had rangoli drawing, diya painting and other activities organized by the Studio Art department of Manhattanville University. A VIP seating area with chairs and barricades surrounded the zone, and crowds gathered to watch the stage programs.
As the leaves turn tawny and begin to fall, the season of festivals is right around the corner. This year, both Halloween and Diwali are happening on the same day—leaving the Indian diaspora with a dilemma. With only two weeks until the lighting of the clay lamps, celebrations have already begun in New York. Neeta Bhasin is the pioneer behind the concept of Diwali at Times Square. She had gone live on Instagram ahead of the event, to showcase the progress from behind the scenes of stage production.
Shefalika Gandhi, a Counselor at the Counseling and Wellness Center of MMC who is of Indian descent shared her Diwali plans.
“To me, Diwali is about light, color and sweets, during which I will be decorating the house with diyas, chanting some Vedic mantras, and dressing up in ethnic outfits. I might wear a sari or a salwar kameez and then we will enjoy the Diwali feast. I am planning to cook up a storm,” said Gandhi.
“Given everything that is going on around the world… I think it’s really helpful for me, along with my family and friends, to turn our attention to this sense of promise about goodness,” Gandhi said. “There is this famous saying that just crossed my mind, it is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness, so for me, this festival of lights perfectly captures that essence.”
After Pennsylvania, New York is the only other state in the US to have declared Diwali as a public holiday, making it a special custom for New Yorkers of Indian descent.
