Stuyvesant Celebrates Diwali

Stuyvesant High School came together to celebrate Diwali on Friday, October 17. The event was jointly hosted by the Indian Culture Club (ICC), Hindu Student Council (HSC), and South Asian Youth Association (SAYA). The evening featured cultural performances, an open dance floor with Bollywood music, and cultural activities, such as henna and diya decoration. Faculty members, parents, and students from all grades attended the celebration, enjoying South Asian food and a cafeteria decorated with traditional Diwali lights and ornaments. 

Preparations for the event began as early as mid-September, as leaders from the three cultural clubs met frequently—sometimes over group calls—to plan food, performances, and logistics. “Along with other leaders of cultural clubs, like Indian Culture Club, South Asian Youth Association, and Hindu Student Council, I was involved in preparations very early in the school year, roughly mid-September,” senior and ICC president Trisha Kumar said. “These three clubs had collaborated last spring [for the] Holi celebration, so we were very familiar with the general process of setting up the event. We shared our visions for the celebration with [guidance counselor Angel] Colon, who was instrumental in helping us with the logistics of celebration.”

Organizers also addressed the issues that prevented a Diwali celebration last year. “Last year, we had a hard time setting up a date to use the cafeteria, which is why we didn’t have a Diwali event last year. This was due to a lack of communication with faculty and a lack of planning ahead. This year, we made sure to plan out a date months in advance,” senior and co-president of SAYA, Stuy HSC, and Stuy Bolly Sneha Puspa said. 

Junior and StuyBolly director Pranav Purohit also played a key role offstage, managing logistical details. “I helped organize the Bolly performance at the Diwali event. Beyond that, I also volunteered to help run the administrative/logistical end of the event, including setting up mic stands, making announcements as the event progressed, and ensuring everything ran smoothly,” he said. 

The event featured a variety of cultural events that highlighted both traditional and modern South Asian art forms. “Usually, we just dance, but we were able to include a singer and sitar player [this year]. I definitely want to keep the activities that we had—henna, diya painting, and dancing—which gave people something to do other than just eating,” Puspa said. 

One featured performance was the school’s South Asian dance club, StuyBolly, which performed six routines at the event. The choreography was reused from last year, so the dancers were already familiar with the routines, though the team still had after-school rehearsals to keep the performance polished.  However, due to PSAT scheduling conflicts, the team was not able to practice in the days immediately before the event, so the directors organized review sessions during lunch and free periods. “That definitely helped the Bolly members a lot,” Purohit said.

Another highlight of the event was the mosh pit, an open stage where attendees could freely dance. “The mosh pit was really fun because you could play any song. If you want to dance [to a] song, a party song or something, you can just tell the person who’s choosing or changing songs,” sophomore Sandipta Barai said.

Beyond the festivities, attendees also enjoyed the wide variety of food available to them. “There were two different types of curry. [There were also] samosas, rice, roti, and dipping sauces like tamarind sauce and mint sauce. They brought desserts too. They tasted really good, and I loved trying a little bit of everything,” sophomore Lexina Chaurasiya said.

While the Diwali event was enjoyable, Purohit noted that the energy felt lower than in previous years. “Though the Diwali celebration was a blast and lots of fun this year, the enthusiasm didn't quite match that of prior Diwali celebrations. There was certainly some confusion due to a variety of administrative issues, and I think the turnout was lower than normal,” he said. 

Kumar added that, despite the lower turnout due to the PSAT day, the audience was engaged and interested in learning about the holiday. “In retrospect, it was a very successful event,” she said.

Despite a few challenges, Purohit emphasized the positive takeaway from the event. “Spending time with other South Asians, whether during cleanup, [while] handling administrative issues, or something else, I always managed to hold multiple nice conversations in which I familiarized myself with new people,” he said. 

Kumar also shared her positive experiences: “I was able to spend some quality time with friends that I have known since freshman year while also seeing new faces and connecting with new people,” she said.

Beyond the social aspect, the event was also a fun learning experience for attendees, providing students with a deeper understanding of the holiday’s cultural and religious significance. “It was like describing or introducing audiences to Diwali. What is Diwali? Why do we celebrate it?” Barai said. 

Chaurasiya echoed a similar perspective. “I learned so much about the purpose of Diwali and the significance and the different things people do to celebrate it. Many people from different countries with different traditions celebrate it slightly differently, and I found that really interesting,” she said.

Overall, the Diwali celebration provided an educational and entertaining evening for the school community. Through music, dance, food, and cultural activities, students were able to experience the traditions of Diwali while connecting with their peers and South Asian heritage. “The most rewarding part was definitely being able to share my culture with other people and getting to hear how good of a time they had afterwards,” Puspa said.