Diwali becomes an official California state holiday

S1: Welcome in San Diego. It's Jade Hindman on today's show. Diwali is now a state holiday. We'll talk about its cultural significance. This is KPBS Midday Edition. Connecting our communities through conversation. Today , more than 1 billion people across India and around the world celebrate Diwali. That's according to survey data from Pew Research. The five day festival symbolizes victory of light over darkness , and California Governor Gavin Newsom recently signed a bill recognizing Diwali as an official state holiday. Joining me is one of the bill's authors , state assembly member Darshana Patel. She represents the 76th district in northern San Diego County. Assemblywoman. Welcome.

S2: Thank you. Jade , it's a pleasure to be here and frankly , an honor. I've been a big fan of yours for many years.

S1: Oh , thank you so much , and I'm so happy to have you here in studio with me.

S2: It acknowledges and recognizes historic moments in Indian culture and religion where these things happen , where demons were defeated and people came. Kings , leaders , gods came home back to their homeland to reunite with their people that they served. Wow.

S1: Wow.

S2: What that means is this is my first year in office. And prior to that , I served eight years as a school board trustee in the Poway Unified School District. And one of the inspiring reasons that I ran for office in the first place was a young man approached me and explained that the counselors in the school district didn't understand different holidays , and didn't understand that many cultures and traditions follow a lunar calendar instead of a solar calendar for their holidays. And I realized that there are millions of children in California that celebrate holidays that aren't well recognized , and to help bring belonging and inclusion and understanding to our classrooms , we needed to start recognizing the holidays that our children celebrate. Hmm.

S1: Hmm.

S2: So it helps break down barriers of misunderstanding stigma around celebrating holidays. It helps children feel included and welcomed in the spaces where they are , but also workers. Our state workers will also be able to enjoy the holiday off.

S1: You mentioned traditions.

S2: We would also get new clothing or new books , new writing materials or journals to start the new year with lots of cooking. If anyone knows the Indian culture or any diverse cultures , frankly , holidays come with lots of food , sweets and savory snacks that we prepare.

S1: All right. And you know , at a hearing in May , you were actually joined by.

S3: San Jose resident Raj Patel.

S1: To speak in support of the bill. And here's some of what he had to say.

S4: Together , we embrace the essence of Diwali , which is light over darkness , hope over despair. And in times like these , when so many immigrant communities feel unseen and afraid , that message has never mattered more. So by recognizing Diwali , you're not only honoring the holiday itself , but you're honoring the hundreds and thousands of Hindu Americans that call California home.

S3: And that's what she had to say.

S1:

S2: Diwali is not just it's not only a religious holiday , it's a it's a cultural tradition. It's a homeland tradition. And when we fight for holidays like this , recognizing , recognizing holidays like this , we feel like we belong in the communities here in America and in California.

S1:

S2: There are universal principles in Diwali , the universal principles of of knowledge over ignorance is one that's particularly poignant in our times today as we look at policies that we're drafting. Are we ? Are we allowing our policies to be informed by data ? In fact , in science , that's where knowledge comes in. Knowledge over ignorance and light over darkness gives people hope in challenging times and Diwali , the festival season is celebrated by more than just Hindus. It includes Sikh community , Jain community who celebrate their own traditions at this time of Diwali as well.

S1: And California has the largest Indian-American population in the United States. About 20% of the U.S. Indian population live here.

S2: So that's what we're seeing now. When we have representation , We get this growth and inclusion. We saw it with Juneteenth , with Cesar Chavez Day , with Lunar New Year. Native American recognition day , we see it with all kinds of other Genocide Remembrance Day , right ? When we have more inclusion of diverse voices , we see more inclusive policies. Yeah.

S1: Yeah. Well , you recently had a Diwali celebration at the state capitol.

S2: I worked with Assembly member Ash Kalra on on that event , and it's an event that he has been putting on since he became an Assembly member several years ago as the first South Asian Indian-American Hindu American to serve in that role. And it's wonderful to see a gathering of that kind in the halls of of legislation. Yeah.

S1: Yeah.

S2: Across the board , I've been receiving lots of positive feedback , and not only for the constituents , but that I serve here in the district , but in the region of San Diego as a whole. You know , when you come from a minority group , you don't just represent your constituents at that point. You are a voice for all of them throughout California , and it's quite an honor to serve in this way , the very proud of the work that we were able to do in a collaborative way. We received no , no , no votes on the bill throughout the whole process. So I think my colleagues as well were showing that this is important to their constituents across California.

S1:

S2: And there frankly , there weren't that many Indian Americans here in the US at the time. There were some in farming communities that had come here a generation before , but we celebrated Diwali very privately in our homes. In fact , for some of our holidays , like Navratri , which is a holiday season that just wrapped up , we Um , had to rent a church hall in order to celebrate the holiday. Very different times. We decorated our doorstep , we cleaned our homes , we did the things in our homes , but we had no real way of celebrating publicly. And now , as I'm raising three children here in San Diego , we're seeing larger gatherings happening , spaces where they can meet people from across the region , but that celebrate in the same way we do. And it strengthens community. But it also shows and shares common purpose shows and shares common strength that we have together , things that we can all rally behind , like the victory of good over evil in light over darkness and knowledge over ignorance. Wow.

S1: Wow. Well , you know , sometimes , um , it seems federal or state recognition of a holiday can feel like more of a performative action sometimes than a meaningful one.

S2: I as a scientist , I really believe in being an effective policymaker. And I think what this holiday does is it acknowledges something that's so deeply meaningful for the South Asian community , but also does it in a way that includes everybody across California. Yeah.

S1: Yeah.

S2: They're feeling that lightness coming into their lives in these very trying times for folks. We're seeing health care cut. We're seeing access to food assistance cut. We're seeing cuts to research funding and cuts to public education. And so there's a lot of fear and anxiety across the communities. And what having this holiday shows is that it's still good that we can do , and we can shed a lot of light on these things , gather people together for common purpose. And and I think having it coincide with the No Kings march is quite fascinating too.

S1: There we go. I was going to say no. Look no further than the the march in the protests from this past weekend where so much of what you say was expressed. And your message of hope , though is , is something that we hope a lot of people are embracing right now. I have been speaking with Assembly member Darshana Patel. She represents the 76th district in northern San Diego County. Assembly member , thank you so much for joining me.

S2: It was a pleasure. Jade. Thank you.

S1: That's our show for today. I'm your host , Jade Hindman. Thanks for tuning.

S5: In to Midday Edition. Be sure to have a great day on purpose , everyone.