Indian diaspora celebrate Diwali in US

October 20 : With Diwali around the corner, the Indian diaspora is gearing up for celebrations and at New York’s Time Square the Indian American community gathered in large numbers for festivities.

In a post on the social media platform X, the Consulate General of India in New York shared, “Consul General joined friends from Indian-American Community & American friends to celebrate Diwali.”

New York’s Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, New York City mayor Eric Adams and Indian-American assemblywoman Jennifer Rajkumar joined in the festivities. The event was organized by leading Indian-American community leader, Neeta Bhasin.

Similarly, another event was organised by the Indian Consulate in Pennsylvania.
Deputy Consul General Varun Jeph joined the Diwali celebrations by Khalsa Asian American Association along with members of the Indian diaspora and Asian American community.

The celebrations were attended by Mayor Edward Brown and Pennsylvania State Senator Tim Kearny. The Indian Consulate thanked the American leaders for their continued support to the Indian American community & fostering India-America ties.

About 4.4 million Indian origin people reside in the US. Persons of Indian origin constitute the third largest Asian ethnic group in the US.

Indian Americans are one of the most successful communities and excel in diverse fields, including politics. The Indian diaspora has been a catalyst in cementing closer ties between India and the U.S.

New York, San Francisco and Chicago metropolitan areas are places in the USA which have the highest population of the Indian community in the country.

India has continued to maintain and grow relations with the Indian community through various endeavors such as the Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas. PM Modi in his speech has time and again highlighted their importance and called them ‘living bridge’ connecting the two places.

In 2023, to honor the community’s rich cultural traditions, New York became the first place to declare a holiday in all public schools of New York City, in accordance with the Hindu calendar, for the celebration of Diwali which holds great importance for people practicing Hinduism.