More than 250 invited guests, community leaders, corporate leaders and local political leaders were part of New York Governor Kathy Hochul’s Diwali celebration hosted by Flushing Swaminarayan Mandir last week.
PHOTO: Courtesy Vipul Patel
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Coordinated by Hochul’s office and BAPS Outreach and External Affairs Administrator Dr. Vipul Patel, the event included, besides Gov. Kathy Hochul, special guests Senator John Liu, Assembly member Jenifer Rajkumar, Assembly member Edward Braunstein, Deputy Consul General Vishal Harsh, BAPS NA CEO Kanu Patel and more.
The evening’s celebration began with an opening prayer by the Director of Religious Affairs of Ganesh Temple M.R. Ravi Vaidynaat Sivachariar, who also explained the meaning of the term Diwali. BAPS priest Harikrishna Joshi recited a prayer and Guru Dilip from U.N.Yoga Center blew a conch shell. This was followed by a lamp lighting by Hochul and her officials and Kanu Patel of BAPS. The temple was decorated in lights and a rangoli at the entrance.
A memento of the Robbinsville Akshardham was then presented to Hochul by Kanu Patel. Hochul presented a citation to him and BAPS executive team.
Cultural performances for the evening included kirtan by BAPS team and Bharatnatyam by Aanvi Patel and Ruchi Patel of BAPS Kishori Mandal.
Addressing the invited guests, Hochul said the celebration of Diwali was apt for the current times when the country is divided. Diwali symbolizes shining of light through darkness, and if we live by that principle, our nation would be a far better place, she said.
Appreciating the contribution of South Asian community to the vitality of New York, Hochul acknowledged the power of faith and the need to come together and help each other.
“The shining of the lamp should empower us to feel confident, and the resiliency to go through tough times. Goodness will prevail over ignorance as we hold on to our values,” Hochul said.
PHOTO: Courtesy Vipul Patel
A special feature of the Diwali celebration was an Annakut containing 60 dishes organized specially for the evening’s celebration. The BAPS Flushing Swaminarayan Mandir is famous for years for the Annakut it organizes on the Gujarati New Year day which falls on the day after Diwali, and is especially known for its arrangement of more than 1,000 dishes every year.
Both the organizers, Hochul’s office and Dr. Patel, had prepared a delicious menu of vegetarian Indian specialties to treat the guests which included khasta kachori, samosa, kathi roll bites, sandwich bites, spring rolls, salads, and angoori rabdi and jalebi as sweets. The food was prepared by the kitchen volunteers in the temple kitchen.
Hochul made it a point to meet with the women volunteers of the temple including Pragna Patel from the women’s community outreach committee. Hochul also posed for photos with the women.
The evening ended with guests enjoying the delicious snacks.
