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Seniors celebrate Diwali
Last year, LA Councilmember Nithya Raman invited us, the Valley Indian Seniors Association (VISA), (a non-profit organization that serves to empower, educate, and entertain Indian seniors in the San Fernando Valley) to Los Angeles City Hall to commemorate Diwali, the Festival of Lights. We celebrate many festivals with our senior citizens, and Diwali is one of the highlights in the year – all our seniors look forward to attending our party. We were honored and proud to receive a city plaque to commemorate this important event.
This year, we wanted to go a step further.
Together with USIndianSeniors.com, we wanted to go from a city-centric to a state-level focus. We discovered and were thrilled to hear about a bill authored by Assemblymember Ash Kalra (D–San Jose) that seeks to make Diwali an official state holiday in California. This bill closely aligns with one of our (Valley Indian Seniors Association and USIndianSeniors.com) mission statements: to promote our culture and heritage for future generations.
A cultural holiday for many
Think about it! California is home to over 1.2 million people who celebrate Diwali or an analogous festival during the same period: 1 million Indian Americans, 200,000 Nepali Americans (Tihar), Jain (Dipalika), Sikh (Bandi Chhor Divas), and Buddhist (commemoration of the day when Emperor Ashoka converted to Buddhism). All these communities have enriched the state’s technology, healthcare, entrepreneurship, and arts sector — yet our biggest cultural holiday, Diwali, remains unrecognized.
Diwali is more than symbolism—it’s a sacred expression of cultural identity, family tradition, and spiritual renewal. For our youth, it combats invisibility, counters bullying, and sends a message that our stories and traditions belong in the mainstream.
This isn’t just about a day off—it’s about cultural recognition, interfaith inclusion, and generational pride.
For Indian, Jain, Sikh, and Nepali American families, Diwali is more than a celebration—it’s a declaration of identity, faith, and hope. With our involvement, our future generations see their culture reflected in school, in libraries, in the community, and they gain visibility.
California lags behind other states
Even though California is considered a trailblazer, they are behind in the Diwali movement:
- New York City added Diwali to its school calendar in 2023
- Pennsylvania became the first state to recognize Diwali as a public holiday in 2024
- New Jersey, Illinois, and Florida are moving in the same direction
AB 268 is California’s opportunity to create history on the West Coast. In a nutshell, AB 268 would:
- Add Diwali to California’s list of state holidays
- Allow public schools and community colleges to close for the day
- Enable state employees to take paid leave to celebrate
Diwali initiatives
We created a public awareness website that guides individuals on how to advocate for Diwali recognition at a local level, https://goldenstatediwali.com. It’s a central hub for resources, action steps, and local advocacy efforts in schools, museums, libraries, and other community centers.
We have rallied many community organizations within California to join our mission and get this bill passed. We have asked them to support AB 268 and get their volunteers to actively reach out to local libraries and schools and begin to spread awareness about Diwali through cultural programs, storytelling, and community events. These are some of our growing list of partner organizations:
- Americans4Hindus
- Caring Hand for Children
- CoHNA (Coalition of Hindus of North America)
- Gujarati Association of SFV
- Hindu American Foundation (HAF)
- India Friends Association (IFA)
- Nepali Association of Northern California (NANC)
- Saahas for Cause
Our team has reached out to various government civic leaders across the state, many have already indicated their support for this initiative. The following diverse group of legislators needs to be recognized for their support of AB 268:
- Senator Aisha Wahab (D–Fremont) – First Muslim woman in the CA Senate
- Assemblymember Jasmeet Bains (D–Bakersfield) – First Sikh woman in the Legislature
- Senator Caroline Menjivar (D–San Fernando Valley) – LGBTQ+ advocate for equity
- Reps. Ami Bera and Ro Khanna – Influential Indian American voices in Congress
- Rep. Brad Sherman (D–Sherman Oaks) – Longtime ally of the Indian diaspora
- Councilmember Nithya Raman – Champion of community and culture in Los Angeles and the one who invited us to raise a voice in Los Angeles City Hall.
This is a pivotal moment, and it’s time to step up and make a difference. Let’s all be able to say that we did our part and were involved in the passage of this Diwali bill. Make your voice heard, identify your state legislator, and urge them to support AB 268. Go to your local library and school and volunteer to help them create a program or event around Diwali.
California has always been a trailblazer. With our collective vote and actions (getting involved and reaching out), let’s turn this Diwali movement into a milestone.
Let’s Make History, CA!
