'Diwali Is More Than Just A Holiday': New York Mayor Eric Adams Hosts Diwali Party At NYC Home

According to New York City Mayor Eric Adams, Diwali reminds us to remove darkness and welcome light. He encouraged people to embrace the qualities of Lord Ram, Goddess Sita, and Mahatma Gandhi to become better individuals.?

During the annual Diwali celebration at Gracie Mansion, Mayor Adams emphasized the need to eliminate the darkness enveloping the world, particularly in light of the loss of innocent lives.

“Diwali is more than just a holiday. It is a reminder to all of us that we must push away the darkness wherever we see it and bring light. That is what the Festival of Lights is about,”?Adams said.?

At the annual celebration attended by hundreds of prominent members of the Indian-American and South Asian communities and diaspora from other nationalities and government officials, Adams said Diwali is more than lighting a candle or oil but about “lighting up our lives.”

“There is so much darkness that we are seeing every day. So if we truly believe in the life of Ramayana, if we truly believe in the life of Sita, if we truly believe in the life of Gandhi, then we must continue Gandhi’s steps. We cannot only be worshippers; we must be practitioners,”?he said.?

Adams said that when there is darkness all across the globe, and the world is witnessing the loss of innocent lives, “we cannot continue to watch this engulf our future and humanity.”?

“Let’s be better human beings. Let’s live in the spirit of Diwali. Let’s live in the spirit of Gandhi. Let’s live in the spirit of Sita. Let’s live in the spirit of Ram, and then we will live up to the expectations of what this holiday means,”?he said.

Jenifer Rajkumar, the New York State Assemblywoman who spearheaded the campaign to establish Diwali as a school holiday in New York City, expressed that the Indian-American community has reached unprecedented influence and strength.

“We are unstoppable, and we have arrived at the table of power in this state,”?she said.

?She added that with everything going on in the world, in the Middle East, where there is terrible violence, and amid the hatred and bigotry against different groups,?”we are the ones that can lead the way to peace.?Ours is the culture of Martin Luther King Jr, who was famously inspired by Gandhi,”?Rajkumar said.?

“We feel equally at home in a synagogue, in a mosque, or a church because, as Hindus, we don’t just tolerate people that are different from us; we go one step further and actively love people that are different from us,”?she said.?

“So now it’s time to spread our beautiful Dharmic light across the city, the nation, the Middle East, and the entire world,”?she added.

Dilip Chauhan, Deputy Commissioner at the New York City Mayor's Office for International Affairs, called on everyone to promote love and peace in their local communities and worldwide.?

He stressed that hate should have no presence, not only in New York City but anywhere else as well.

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Chauhan also reflected on the dedication and collaboration of Indian-American community members, along with city and state officials, spanning two decades, to establish Diwali as a public holiday in NYC schools.

He said that as Brooklyn Borough President, Adams had promised that when he became NYC Mayor, he would ensure that the sons and daughters of the Indian-American and Hindu communities do not have to go to school on the festival of Diwali. “He has fulfilled his promise,” Chauhan said.

Rajkumar, too, underscored the support extended by Adams to ensure that Diwali is made a school holiday in the city from this year onwards and said, “He is the Ram of New York City. Like Ram, he leads when others do not, and he leads our city in confronting the evils” of poverty, hatred, antisemitism, Islamaphobia, and indifference.

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“For all that he has done for our community, we all call him the Hindu mayor,” she said.

Adams highlighted Lord Ram as the powerful force against evil, striving to eliminate darkness worldwide.?

He also emphasized the significant role of Goddess Sita in the Ramayana, portraying her as a woman of strength and unwavering integrity.

“So as we move forward in a particularly male-dominated society, let’s not forget that we will never be able to defeat darkness if we do not acknowledge all the Sitas in the universe fighting on behalf of and side by side with us,” he said.

The mayor also recalled his trip to India, his visit to the home of Gandhi, and seeing the Mahatma’s steps permanently etched there.

“It is symbolic that a bullet took his life, but it is up to us to continue the journey,” Adams said.

The mayor also honored prominent members of the Indian-American and diaspora communities for their achievements and exceptional contributions to the community.

The honorees were Grammy-nominated musician and renowned business leader Chandrika Tandon; geriatric psychiatrist and Executive Director of India Home, a center for senior care, Dr Vasundhara Kalasapudi; Indo-American Arts Council (IAAC) Chairman Nirmal Mattoo, Dr. Hari Shukla and musician Ustad Kamal Sabri.

(With inputs from PTI)

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