Stamford, CT: On October 31st, 2024, people of Indian descent worldwide celebrated Diwali, the auspicious festival symbolizing the triumph of good over evil, light over darkness, and wisdom over ignorance. Diwali is becoming a mainstream event all over America and across the world. Diwali was celebrated at the White House, at the Capitol Hill, Governors, Mayors and County officials. Several state governors declared the day as state holiday. New York City observed Diwali as a public-school holiday. Indian Diaspora groups have been celebrating the event from October to November.
GOPIO chapters have been promoting the Diwali celebration at city, county and state levels as well as through public institutions such as public libraries. Extending the festivities to November, the Connecticut Chapter of the Global Organization of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO-CT) and Stamford Mayor’s Multicultural Council celebrated Diwali, the Festival of Lights, on Nov. 17, 2024, at the Stamford’s Ferguson Library.
The program started with a welcome by GOPIO-CT Executive Vice President Mahesh Jhangiani who reiterated GOPIO’s mission of fostering cultural exchange and ideas within the community. This was followed by the Library’s ELL, Citizenship & Cultural Programs Manager Yelena Klompus and Ms. Ana Gallegos, Secretary of Stamford Mayor’s Multicultural Council. This is the fourth year that the Library and GOPIO-CT have partnered to organize Diwali at the library.
The event celebrated the warmth and unity of the community. Attendees gathered to experience lively and colorful performances, from dances to Hinduism myth-busters. It showcased fifteen captivating performances with a wide variety of local dance schools and Hindu organizations. As if it couldn’t get any better, a Mehendi booth was set up, inviting guests to embrace the beauty and artistry of traditional Indian designs.
About 75 children performed Indian classical, folk and Bollywood dances. The event brought a festive atmosphere with a lot of Diwali decorations in the library. Many from the American community participated in the celebration.
The program was coordinated by GOPIO-CT Board Member Sonali Gannu along with Yashaswi Jhangiani and the MC was Mirat Joshi who introduced all the groups and kept the guests engaged with spirits high.
GOPIO Executive VP Mahesh Jhangiani concluded the program thanking everyone and announcing the upcoming programs of the chapter which include a seminar on December 13th – an informational session on tax and financial planning due to government changes and on December 24th - Session for high school students (juniors and seniors) to meet up with young adults who have just graduated from college and young professional to learn how to prepare for their next step(s) ahead.
