Happy Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights! Growing up in Los Angeles, my family and I didn’t really celebrate Diwali much. Oddly enough, it wasn’t until I moved halfway across the world that I began celebrating.
From left to right: Naomi gazing at a fruit stand, the Dakshineswar Kali Temple দক্ষিণেশ্বর কালী মন্দির in Kolkata, and a framed photo of ganpati (ganesha) at Naomi’s family home in Bombay, India.
My name is Naomi (Now-me) Shefali Joshi, and I’m AAPI Equity Alliance’s Communications Coordinator. I moved to Amsterdam right out of high school to complete my studies and, although it was exciting for 17-year-old Naomi, I yearned to feel at home in an entirely different place.
Luckily, I found a small South Asian community, some of whom were Hindu, and they would invite me to their Diwali festivities. Although Diwali was new to me, many things were familiar – the act of gathering around family, the smell of the sweets on the table, incense burning in the background, and pujas happening throughout the night. I began to feel at home.
Eventually, in my five years abroad, I found my own way of celebrating. I shopped at local Indian grocery stores to prepare my favorite meals and bought diyas, small oil lamps lit during Diwali, to light outside my home. And every year, hundreds of WhatsApp messages from family members came flooding in.
From left to right: Naomi and her dad, Naomi and her great grandma, and Naomi as a child.
But by familiarizing myself with Diwali and its history, I learned a lot that many might not know. As a festival that symbolizes the triumph of light over darkness and good over evil, it is important to recognize that Diwali has origins in and is unfortunately and sometimes weaponized to push forward a very harmful narrative. Associating lightness with good, and darkness with evil, is a dangerous frame that has the ability to uphold violent systems – such as casteism, colorism, and Hindu supremacy – within the South Asian community.
In line with the joy I now feel when Diwali arrives on my calendar, these sentiments are something I choose to sit with every year. Except this year feels more important than ever. As I light my diyas, and as I cast my vote this election season, I am reminded of these nuances.
With Election Day (Nov 5) rapidly approaching in just four days, there’s a chance to speak up against systems of hate and injustice and vote for policies that unite and protect our communities.
Have you voted yet? Confused about what exactly is on your ballot? Take the AAPI Equity Alliance 2024 Voter Guide, available in English and 14 Asian American and Pacific Islander languages, with you to any vote center in Los Angeles!
I join millions across the world in celebrating Diwali and hold a moment for manifestation, for rest, for hope for a better tomorrow. Have a safe and joyous Diwali, friends!
