October 24, 2023 — Delegates who attended the PEF Indo-American Committee event at Convention came away with a little more knowledge about India’s celebrations, both cultural and societal, and a better understanding of their fellow members.
“Diwali is a festival of lights celebrated on a moonless night, when it is dark all around,” said Radhakrishna Mohan, chair of the committee and PEF Region 10 coordinator.
Mohan shared a National Geographic video with attendees, which brought to life Diwali in India. “Diwali is to many Indians what Christmas is to Christians,” the narrator said. “In essence, it celebrates the victory of the forces of light over the forces of darkness.”
Special guests
The committee welcomed Hindu Priest Sanjay Mathur from the Rochester Hindu Temple, who recited a Diwali prayer; Tai Shaw, superintendent of the Asian Village during the New York State Fair; and Sibu Nair, the deputy director for Asian affairs from the Governor’s Office.
Nair, who assumed his deputy director role in 2021, said he is meeting with people across the state and fighting against Asian hate, promoting access to language, and shining a light on the importance of cultural heritage. He also said there were plans in the works for schools to recognize Diwali as a holiday.
Cultural highlights
The committee also highlighted India’s impact on the world stage – from Lunar Mission Chandrayan-3, when India became the fourth country in the world to soft land a spacecraft on the moon and the first to soft land on the south pole, to the G20 Summit in India, which set a record in September by holding more than 200 meetings in 60 cities, featuring heads of governments from 18 countries.
India also made history this year by winning two Oscars for the first time – one for Best Documentary Film for “The Elephant Whisperers” and the second for Best Original Song for “Natu Natu” (meaning Let’s Dance, Let’s Dance) from the film “RRR.” The country made significant achievements in international sports, as well, winning the Asia Cup Championship in cricket and improving its medal tally from 70 last year to 107 this year at the Asian Games.