Rejoice, NYC! Now Diwali is a school holiday!

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Long before Diwali was a declared school holiday in NYC, the work of the mothers had begun. It involved many miles of leg work.

Indian American parents, especially mothers, have taken immense care to see that their young children’s cultural heritage is accepted at schools. This perseverance of the mothers who made significant gestures, has brought awareness about Diwali.

These mothers themselves are balancing their successful professional careers and raising their children right. Their conscientious efforts in the interest of a future inclusive, tolerant and diverse society seem to have been successful.

That and the focused efforts of many parents at school PTAs and support from city officials have finally brought about the Diwali public school holiday.

Balancing her career with raising her children, Dr. Vrutti Dave-Shukla’s efforts at imparting culture awareness do not stop at just celebrating Diwali at home. She told News India Times she also makes it a priority to visit their school and read stories to the class, do crafts, share bindis and bangles, apply henna tattoos, and offer traditional sweets.

“Teaching them about different cultures early on is important for fostering acceptance and appreciation of diversity,” said Dave-Shukla. “I want my girls to see their roots represented and feel proud of them.”

Her efforts are rooted in her own wish for more representation in a non-diverse neighborhood.

Besides celebrating Diwali at home, Kalpita Parikh told News India Times, she has been sending Diwali gift baskets to neighborhood kids and friends and hosting Diwali lunches for them.

Her  Diwali gift baskets are filled with Diwali wall and floor stickers, Lakshmi and Ganesh stickers, Torans, small Rangoli color kit, traditional Diwali dried snacks, Indian candies, Indian sweets and wall hangings.

Parikh has been sharing with her daughter’s teachers and classmate Diwali nuts gift boxes, sweets and decorated candles with her daughter’s teachers and classmates.

Requesting Diwali to be a school holiday was a natural culmination for all these mothers who also actively pursued it, getting signatures, attending brainstorming and strategy planning meetings, and taking it all to the administration representatives.

Shreya Mehta is thrilled to hear Diwali becoming a school holiday. Now the Indian kids will have their own holiday like other kids, she told News India Times.

“The kids are excited and are looking forward to it,” Mehta said.

Mehta’s large Indian American neighborhood organizes many Diwali events and parties which now the children will be able to be part, Mehta said.

She said she was also happy to see Diwali décor at Home Goods store, Diwali cards and ornaments at Target. “It normalizes the whole concept now, compared to when I was kid where I had  trouble explaining to my friends what Diwali was,” Mehta said.

Kalpita Parikh remembers how her daughter had a hard time at school being bullied by her classmates about her religion with so many gods and strange customs. Parikh spent many patient hours to educate her five-year old about the customs and the culture. But now her daughter admires here culture, Parikh said.

Parikh said, after that, she has served as a parent volunteer for 5 years at her daughter’s school and was also part of the PTA subcommittee which organized Diwali night.

Parikh was also an active petitioner and/supporter of requests for Diwali holiday in NYC Department of Education and in NYS school calendars.

She said she is very happy to see Diwali as a school holiday, and  said she appreciated many city officials for their guidance.

Ruta Dave, with her 20 years in NY school systems, said she expects the Diwali holiday in public school to have a positive impact. She spoke of her and other parents’ hard work to push for the holiday for years, tirelessly meeting administration officials, compiling signature campaigns and more, she remembered.

Dave said she appreciated a gesture by the Principal of her Syosset school who regularly announced the future Diwali holiday, arousing the children’s curiosity to know more about it. Having Diwali school holiday is a great thing, Dave said.

Poonam Shah told News India Times she is very happy that her  daughter who will not miss a school day on Diwali anymore. She said her daughter’s classmates appreciated the gulab jamun she brings them. Her daughter volunteers with a cancer awareness organization. While Shah herself volunteers at her daughter’s school.