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NORTH AMERICAN Newsline OCTOBER 21, 2022 | The Indian Eye 20

FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS 2022

Diwali will be a public-school

holiday in New York City starting in

2023: Mayor Adams

OUR BUREAU versary Day, traditionally celebrat- and antiquated day,” as compared diet and meditation practice.
ed on the first Thursday in June, for to Diwali, which is celebrated by a During the conference, Adams
New York, NY
Diwali in the public-school calendar. “growing number of New Yorkers.” called the decision a “long overdue”
iwali, the Hindu celebra- Diwali is a major Hindu festival but “People have said that there’s acknowledgment of Hindu, Sikh,
tion known as the “Festival is also celebrated by some Buddhists, simply not enough room in the New Jain and Buddhist communities.
Dof Lights,” will be a pub- Sikhs and Jains. The date of Diwa- York City school calendar to have a “We are going to encourage children
lic-school holiday in New York City li fluctuates. This year, the five-day Diwali school holiday,” the assem- to learn about what is Diwali,” he
starting next year. Mayor Eric Ad- holiday will start on October 24, said blywoman said in the CNN report. said. “We’re going to have them start
ams announced plans to include the the CNN report. “Well, my legislation makes the talking about what it is to celebrate
holiday in the public-school schedule “The time has come to recog- room.” the Festival of Lights, and how do
at a press conference on Thursday nize over 200,000 New Yorkers of The new school schedule will you turn a light on within yourself.”
morning, alongside state assembly- the Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh and Jain still have 180 school days, as is re- “When we take this period to
woman Jenifer Rajkumar and De- faiths who celebrate Diwali, the Fes- quired by the state’s education laws, acknowledge Diwali, we’re acknowl-
partment of Education chancellor tival of Lights,” Rajkumar, who in- Rajkumar added. The assembly- edging the light that is within us, the
David Banks, according to a CNN troduced legislation to recognize Di- woman also referenced lighthearted light that clearly can push away dark-
report. wali, said in the press conference. She descriptions of Adams as “the Hindu ness,” the mayor said, as quoted in
Legislators swapped out Anni- called Anniversary Day “an obscure mayor” because of his plant-based the CNN report.

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