Diwali offers lessons in cultural awareness to Long Island students
In his early teenage years, Pariket Raval wondered why he celebrated Diwali, the Hindu holiday that his family marked with festivities.
“I questioned why I was doing what I did,” recalled Raval, 17, a senior at Hicksville High School.
Then, over the years, he read into the folklore that helped him understand holiday rituals like lighting diyas, or lamps. That celebrates the story of Lord Rama’s return to his homeland after 14 years of exile: People in his kingdom lit rows of glowing oil lamps to guide him on a dark night after he defeated King Ravana, who had kidnapped Rama's wife.
Raval better understood why Diwali is known as the "Festival of Lights," which celebrates the victory of good over evil, and light over darkness. And one year, around Diwali, Raval spoke by phone with his grandfather, who lived in India. The elderly cautioned Raval — who said he used to compare himself with other kids — to only compare himself with the person he was weeks or months earlier.
WHAT TO KNOW
- Diwali, which falls on Sunday this year, is celebrated over five days and across faiths in India and the diaspora, and according to some Long Islanders who observe, it has grown in popularity here and in local schools.
- Diwali is known as the “Festival of Lights," and some school districts have declared it a school holiday. Many have incorporated it in lessons and class activities.
- One teacher in Deer Park said she wanted every child to feel represented in her classroom, and incorporating Diwali activities is part of that.
“I feel like it’s something that’s shaped my identity," Raval said of his late grandfather's advice. "Diwali told me that: Be who you want to be, follow what you want to follow, celebrate what you want to celebrate, but do it in a way that makes you happy.”
Diwali, which falls on Sunday this year, is celebrated over five days and across faiths in India and the diaspora, and according to some Long Islanders who observe, it has grown in popularity here and in local schools. In the coming days, several events are planned across the Island.
Raval, who grew up in Hicksville — dubbed Long Island’s “Little India” — said he has seen holiday activities increase in school and in the community at large.
Some school districts have declared Diwali a school holiday. Many have incorporated it in lessons and class activities. In the Valley Stream 24 district, older students on Monday will share presentations on Diwali with younger students. The students also will make sweets and paper lanterns.
Freeport schools Superintendent Kishore Kuncham, believed to be the first superintendent of Indian descent on Long Island when he assumed the role in 2009, said he has seen greater awareness of Diwali.
“It's wonderful exposure for students to have this cultural awareness,” he said. “The world is diverse. And that's the beauty of life and the world where all of that is for celebration. Just imagine if everything was the same; everything would have been boring.”
Second-grader Sarah Charles, 7, during a Diwali celebration at John Quincy Adams Elementary School in Deer Park. Credit: James Carbone
In Deer Park, second graders at John Quincy Adams Elementary School on Wednesday made paper lamps. Students drew with brightly colored markers in a class led by art teacher Samantha Racano. Others learned to sing a song in Hindi and danced in pairs with colorful sticks after music teacher Diana Cotrone read to the class a short children’s book on Diwali.
Feeling connected, welcomed
Racano said when she first introduced Diwali activities to her classroom last year, she saw a lot of her students’ faces light up. Some shared with their classmates how they celebrated and what the holiday meant.
"And just sharing that in general was an awesome way to connect with so many more other students," Racano said.
Cotrone said she wanted every child to feel represented in her classroom, and incorporating Diwali activities is part of that.
“I want every child that comes into my classroom to feel welcomed, to feel loved, and to make sure that they feel important,” she said.
Ankita Arora, a mother of two who immigrated to the United States from India with her family when she was 12, said parents like her appreciate the activities inside and outside schools across the Island.
“Part of my teenage years and even in my early 20s, I felt like Diwali was more for us, which you celebrated in your home with your friends and family,” said Arora, of Hicksville. “Now it's definitely being celebrated on a bigger scale in this country, and it's really nice to see.”
Dandan Zou covers education for Newsday. Previously, she worked for a community newspaper in Maryland and a personal finance magazine in Washington, D.C.
