By: William Ruben Helms
Arts4All Foundation, a New York-based non-profit that is “committed to educating, advocating and empowering individuals and communities to be artists of change,” hosted a free and open to the public Diwali and Navaratri Festival near Flushing Meadows-Corona Park’s Unisphere on Oct 5. Celebrated by Indians of many different faiths, cultures, ethnicities and social backgrounds across the world, including some seven million folks across the US and nearly 150,000 of our neighbors here in Queens, Diwali and Navaratri are two holidays that are deeply connected with one another. Both holidays celebrate the light of knowledge removing ignorance and despair and righteousness triumphing over injustice. They’re also anchored in the oncepts of upholding and preserving inalienable, universal human rights, and protecting the planet and the universe. Depending on the lunar calendar, both holidays take place during October and November – with Navaratri kicking off the holiday season and Diwali closing it out.
Festival attendees enjoyed a variety of musical and dance performances highlighting South Asian culture, high-quality, vegetarian meals and snacks, educational and cultural games and toys for kids, a henna station, yoga, books and other arts and crafts because “all people deserve access to high-quality food, entertainment, the arts and education,” Arts4All Foundation’s founder Dr. Sumita SenGupta says. According to SenGupta, the festival’s specific focus was to showcase, “the rich artistic techniques of Indian music and dance, and the diversity of Indian art forms.” Of course, as expected, a gorgeous array of brightly colored traditional celebratory clothing. And when the sun went down, there was a parade and Diya lighting ceremony at the Unisphere, for the first time ever.
The location near the Unisphere was symbolic. Flushing Meadows-Corona Park was the site of the 1964 World’s Fair. That event, which celebrated innovations in arts, culture and sciences through exhibitions, activities, performances, films, art and food presented by 80 nations, 24 US states and roughly 350 American companies had a central theme – peace through understanding. And the centerpiece of the 1964 World’s Fair was the Unisphere. According to SenGupta, the site was chosen to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the World’s Fair and “to inspire future generations to continue to advance global human rights and world peace.”
