Desi Talk

www.desitalk.com – that’s all you need to know NATIONAL AFFAIRS 5 CITY VIEWS October 17, 2025 California Governor Gavin Newsom Makes Diwali A State Holiday In California O n October 6, 2025, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law As- sembly Bill 268, making Diwali a state holiday. AB 268 was authored jointly by Democratic Assembly-members Ash Kalra of San Jose and Dr. Darshana Patel of San Diego California, which according an estimate by non-profit organization Indiaspora, houses one million Indian Americans, becomes the largest state to declare Diwali a state holiday. It is pre- ceded only Pennsylvania a year ago, and by New York City in November 2024, as a public school holiday, and some of the jurisdictions in New York State. Which makes California the first to make it a state-wide law. “Today, with California—the most populous state in the nation—officially recognizing Di- wali, Indian Americans celebrate a major mile- stone in the ongoing journey toward greater cultural inclusion and visibility,” declared Indiaspora in an October 7, press release. “This landmark legislation marks a historic moment for Indian Americans, especially in California, and is a powerful recognition of the commu- nity’s rich cultural heritage and longstanding contributions to the Golden State,” the organi- zation added. By a StaffWriter PHOTO:CourtesySuvidha International Foundation One of several cultural performances at the Nov. 5, 2023 Diwali celebrations in Sacramento, California. Largest Queens Diwali And Navratri Festival And Parade Held At World’s Fair Unisphere O n Sunday, October 5, 2025, from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., the Arts4all Foundation, elected of- ficials, community organizations, and the com- munity joined together for the Annual Diwali and Navaratri Festival and Parade at the historic World’s Fair Unisphere. Thousands of NewYorkers from a variety of races, cultures, ethnicities, religions, and class backgrounds attended the festival and parade, according to organiz- ers who described it as the largest Diwali celebration in Queens, and one which “celebrates NewYork’s diverse arts and culture, as well as supports the advancement of human rights, global peace, and harmony.” Arts4All Foundation hosts a public, free, and inclu- sive Navarati and Diwali Festival and Parade Celebra- tion at the iconic Unisphere annually to highlight the significance of the holidays in bringing people together for community progress, and advancing human rights, justice, peace, cultural exchange, and unity, the organi- zation said in a press release. At the event, the Arts4All Foundation provided over 1,100 pure vegetarian- meals, 1,500 toys, 1,000 balloons, 1,000 gold chocolate coins, face painting, henna and sticker designs, rangoli artwork, yoga, books, and several different family-friendly games, including a fashion show and bubble dance party, a Diya light show aarti, and a Garba dance parade, all for free and for the public to enjoy. Navdeep Singh, the owner of Punjabi Dhaba in Richmond Hill, Queens, provided the meals. Dr. Sumita SenGupta, the founder of the Arts4All Foundation and organizer of the celebration, said, “From the iconic Diya lights, intricate rangoli art decora- tions, soulful bhajan music, decadent food, and vibrant Garba dances to the inspiring stories of light overcom- ing darkness, Diwali and Navaratri are holidays that ignite the spirit of community-connectedness, peace, and solidarity.” SenGupta added, “We are honored to host in Queens, the “World’s Borough,” at the iconic Unisphere a free and inclusive celebration that both showcases the rich artistry of the South Asian and Indo-Caribbean com- munities,” and noted the meals and toys shared with underprivileged NewYorkers. NewYork State Senators Jessica Ramos, and John C. Liu, Assemblyman Edward C. Braunstein, Assembly- woman Catalina Cruz, Assemblyman Steven Raga, and Assemblyman David I. Weprin attended the festival and parade. Representatives from NewYork State Comptrol- ler Thomas P. DiNapoli and Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams’s offices also participated and joined in the celebration. Ramos said, “Dr. Sumita SenGupta shared with us that one of the first community Diwali celebrations in Queens was over 50 years ago, held in the Flushing apartment of the late Honorable Uma SenGupta. What began as a small Diwali gathering of twenty people, Dr. Sumita SenGupta, in cherishing the memory of her late parents, has now expanded the celebration in which thousands of NewYorkers rejoice and come to celebrate Diwali.” Others who similarly praised Dr. SenGupta and the festivals being celebrated and harkened back to Dr. Uma SenGupta’s tradition, included State Senator Liu, as well as Assemblymen Braunstein, Cruz, Raga, andWeprin. The master of ceremonies was Parul Kumar, Mrs. Universe USA Elite 2024. The festival saw performances by well-known singers and dances from different regions in India, Bangladesh, and the Caribbean showcasing artistic techniques and diversity of Vedic music and dance. Saregama Desi Beats, Neela Dance Academy, and talented artists from Queens participated in the festival. The performers were Vidhya Swami, Dipannita Chakrabarty, Ishika Barua, Na- misha Patnaik, Asha Dua, Anil Dua, Yashswini Malhotra, Sia Gupta, Jyoti Gupta, Sana Gupta, Aatmikha Agarwal, Leeora Saamantha Lekhram, Yogini Oza, Rushil Ranjeet Patil, Navya Ranjeet Patil, Anjali Isaacs, Jasvir “Seema” Kaur, Gautam Chopra, Kaira Shah, Upendra Gupta, and Poonam Sachdev. Yomesh Sharma, Poonam Paliwal, and Priyanshi Siindhu. Eesha Mishra, Tarini Pardhan, Pretty Jain, Disha Singh, Priyanshi Sindhu, Naisha Vats, Saavi Singh, Kareena Parikh, Sweta Goswami, Shubra Goswami, Geeta Savla, Dr. Jagmohan Kalra, Dr. Bhavani Srinivasan, Madhu Sharma, Krish Kohli, Smita Patel, Ashwani K. Beri, Neeru Beri, Anil Gupta, Nisha Gupta, Kripa Prasad, and Anne Moffett. The parade began at sunset and included a walk- ing procession with Diya lights lit in people’s hands and rainbow-colored dandiya sticks, and participants dancing Garba around the Unisphere. At the end of the parade, the festival ended with a sunset Diya lights aarti ceremony to pay reverence to statues of Shri Ganesha, Shri Hanuman, Shri Durga, and Shri Radha Krishna at the center of the festival. By a StaffWriter PHOTOS:Arts4All Dandiya Parade at World’s Fair Diwali Navaratri Festival October 5, 2025. Volunteers-Anil Gupta, Dr. Jagmohan Kalra, Yogini Oza, Asha Dua, Dr. Sumita SenGupta, Parul Kumar, Anil Dua, Dr. Bhavani Srinivasan, Jyoti Gupta, Ashwani Beri & Usha Chopra.