Diwali and Navratri parade held on 60th anniversary of World’s Fair

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On Saturday, October 5, 2024, the Arts4all Foundation, along with elected officials, community organizations, and members jointly held the first-ever Diwali and Navaratri Festival and Parade, commemorating the 60th anniversary of the historic World’s Fair. More than a thousand people from a variety of races, cultures, ethnicities, and religions attended the festival.

The event also celebrated New York’s rich diversity and culture, with the aim of supporting efforts at achieving global peace, a press release from organizers said.

The parade began at sunset and included a walking procession with diya lights lit in people’s hands and elaborately decorated deities, including Shri Ganesha, Shri Hanuman, Shri Durga, and Shri Radha Krishna, being carried around by the participants, and a Shri Jagannath Yatra going around the Unisphere area. At the end of the parade, the festival ended with Diya an aarti ceremony in which the entire Unisphere area was illuminated with the lights.

Dr. Sumita SenGupta, the founder of Arts4All Foundation said the aim was to revive the World Fair’s celebration of innovation in arts, culture and sciences, and global solidarity. “Now, for the first time in history, 60 years later, we are proud to host a Navaratri and Diwali Festival and Parade to inspire future generations to continue to advance global unity, human rights, and world peace.”

The Arts4All Foundation provided over 1,000 vegetarian meals, 1,000 toys, 1,000 balloons, 1,000 gold chocolate coins, rangoli artwork, yoga, books, several different family-friendly games, and henna, all for free and for the public to enjoy.

Representatives from numerous organizations addressed the gathering, among them New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli, Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams, Assemblyman Edward C. Braunstein, Assemblywoman Catalina Cruz, Assemblyman Steven Raga, and Assemblywoman-elect Larinda Hooks attended the festival and parade. Sakhi For South Asian Survivors, Sri Sri Krishna Balarama Mandir, Mangal Bhavan Temple, Brahma Kumaris, Ananda Marga, New York Police Department Desi Society, and Hindutva Soul of Bharat Inc.

They were honored at the event.

The food was donated by Sri Sri Krishna Balarama Mandir and two honorees of the visionary leadership award, Pankaj Bhatara, owner of World’s Fair Marina Banquet Hall and Sachin Mody, the owner of Rajbhog Foods.

The master of ceremonies was Parul Kumar, Mrs. Universe USA Elite 2024.

Shruti Pandey, Consul at the Consulate of India, New York, who supervises over political and cultural affairs said, “We are proud to see India, the world’s largest democracy united with the United States, the world’s oldest democracy. For the first time ever Diwali and Navratri is represented at the historic World’s Fair. This festival and parade highlight the unique, historic and rich culture and traditions of India.”

The Assistant Vice President of the Bank of India, Balveer Singh Rathore was on stage with Chief Executive Officer of the Bank of India in the United States Krishna Deo Sharma, said they were delighted to support such an event.

Well-known singers performed at the festival including Santanu Bhowmick, alented musicians played Indian instruments, and dancers performed traditional dances from the different regions in India.

There were also performances from Jyoti Gupta, Bhawna Sudhir, Vibha Mane, Rupa Gadkar, Yomesh Sharma, Gaurav Paliwal, Poonam Paliwal, Shriya Dastidar, Khasbu Alam Gautam Chopra, Seema Kaur, Subhra Goswami, Sweta Goswami, Dr. Bhawani Srinivasan, Pretty Jain, Anika Bhatia, Aradhya Sethia, Esha Misra, Dr. Jagmohan Kalra, Asha Dua, Upendra Gupta, and Atul Parikh.