BOSTON—As United India Association of New England (UIANE) and Indian American community got ready to celebrate Diwali, Boston City Hall drenched itself in India’s tri-color to mark the occasion.
Boston Mayor Martin Walsh’s office collaborated with UIANE to recognize this traditional Indian festival. Saffron and green lights illuminated on Boston City Hall on Nov. 13th and will continue on Nov. 14th to celebrate the victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance.
“Diwali has been one of our major events for the year and we are glad that we could plan to continue the tradition thinking of new ways. We wanted to showcase and celebrate the New England artist and talent. In addition to this, we are very fortunate to work with Boston Mayor’s office,” UIANE President Aditi Soni.
Diwali – the festival of lights – is celebrated by millions across the world. This year, however, the festivity has been disrupted by COVID-19 pandemic, which has affected almost 100 million people across the world so far. The United States has reported the highest number of cases – over 10 million in the country have contracted the virus.
While Diwali celebrations will not be same this year, UIANE team decided to bring cheer to New England community while staying safe during the pandemic.
The celebrations kicked off earlier this week. Rangoli contest and Family pictures contest was launched on social media to share the happiness and cheers. Entries for these contests can be submitted by Nov. 18th. More details can be found on UIANE website.
Finale program is scheduled via Zoom and Facebook Live on November 21st from 6:30PM.
Ms. Soni said it will be a great program filled with Indian music, dance, drama, fashion and culture from local New England artists of all ages. The Boston Mayor Walsh and the Consulate General of India Randhir Jaiswal will be special guests for the evening.
‘I would like to wish Boston community a very Happy and prosperous Diwali. Since the second surge of COVID is on its way in Massachusetts, we should continue to take the measures to stay safe and enjoy this great festival with our loved ones,” said Ms. Soni. “Let us pray and hope that this long period of COVID darkness ends soon and there is a solution to conquer this demon. Hopefully, we will be able to get together and celebrate these festivals in good old ways.”
