Diwali:
Their Stories
Begin
Nisha Patel
Photo by Clayton High School Administration
"Diwali was always meaningful to me growing up. We would gather with family and friends, light diyas, share sweets and good food and of course do some fireworks. Over the years, this has changed to make it more symbolic by making time to connect with each other and appreciate what we have." "Clayton's strengths lies in it's relationships. Our schools are small enough to know families and each other well personally, yet we are diverse enough to bring many perspectives togther. This allows it to have authentic connections that are personal and purposeful." "I would say the biggest change [on how the school district celebrates multicultural holidays] is that we are moving from simple recognition to meaninful incusion. Before where we may have celebrated this through holidays, annoucements or classroom activities, we now are more intention. It could be through curriculum work, or calendar planning and community events."
Go to: Start
Go to: Start
Sritha Rathikindi
Photo by Debra Klevens
"[On connectivity with other Indians] And they [other Indians] were like, "That's really sad." They immerse themselves in the culture. So I guess there really is a sense of disconnect, almost for me, and I think I'm realizing it as I get older. But there's nothing I can do about it because I'm so busy and all that. It's not like I have time to actively seek out that sort of thing" "I think it's [the South Asian Orgnaization] especially good for my mom. A lot of her friends are not Indian, except a couple, it creates a sense of community for her which is really great. And I think it brings to light a lot of people [that] I didn't really know were there before. I think it's a great organization."
Go to: Students
Go to: Start
Photo by Sia Girivaru
Manu McDowell
"I feel pretty connected, but I feel like there's always room for more. Because I feel like there aren't really opportunities at the school for Indians and South Asians to come together as a community." "I am Christian, so I believe in the Holy Trinity (the Son, the Father, and the Holy Spirit) rather than multiple Gods/God in 33 forms. During the prayers [for Diwali], I don't know what my family is saying, so I don't necessarily have an opinion on it. As for the purpose of the holiday, I understand that it is to celebrate Rama's return, which I don't believe in. However, I can acknowledge the message of good triumphing over evil, which I approve of. Aside from that, my religious beliefs don't affect my views/opinions of Diwali celebrations."
Go to: Students
Go to: Start
Varun Singh
Photo by Jaya Chaudhari
"I know this probably isn't the case for everyone, but for me, I don't feel like [celebrating Diwali when it's not mainstream has] affected [me], just because we have, our celebration within our family. It's not usually going to some kind of public event. Our neighbors are not Indian, [but] they are interested in what the value is, and they also gave us some small gifts too, which was kind of nice."
Go to: Students
Go to: Start
Arianna Sambandam
Photo by Meraj Sirrajudin
"At school there's people who are my age [who are] also Indian, South Asian, and we play along with each other. There's this one like meme it comes from a song intro. There's also the accent. It's not even that bad, though, because I know that other, South Asian my age don't get affected at all. We don't really care." "I like myself, I like who I am, and I like my culture, and I know there are, quite a few stereotypes, and sometimes at school, the stereotypes get implemented, but mostly I just go along with it, because there's no harm in like, going along with it. Especially because I understand who I really am."
Go to: Students
Go to: Start
Go to: Start
Shwetha Amberker
Photo by Shwetha Amberker
"We have to take a special permission [to set off fireworks] if you live in city of Clayton. [...] I wish that [permision] happens, especially with the Fourth of July, having so much [freedom]. Absolutely, I wish that happens." "You can say that like number of Indians are getting the count of Indians are getting more in Clayton. So I don't feel like I have ever been left out or I don't feel anything like that."
Go to: Organizers
Go to: Start
Divya Palamand
Photo by Divya Palamand
"When I was in India, it was a lot of colors. I used to celebrate with we used to have fire crackers all over and we used to go to each other's friends house. [We] used to have sweets in each other [people's] house and have a lot of parties. It's much less here, because there are very there are fewer Indians here. But where I used to live, we had a community of Indians, which made it much more easier. "We all want to be part of the American, part of America. We want to simulate this culture, but we also want to keep our traditions alive, and that is important to us. But we, don't we see ourselves as a melting pot, but more of a mosaic. Be together. Be one culturally, with them. Be one with America. Be an American, yet have your own individuality."
Go to: Organizers
Go to: Start
Alpana Mani
Photo by Alpana Mani
"The intent [of creating this organization] has just been to create a sense of community and to foster that sense of being a part of something bigger than just a celebration in your own home, and give it that sense of 1.4 billion people, or a large majority of those people, celebrate this [holiday]. It's a huge deal, and we just don't get that. So for now, it was just to give our community that sense of being a part of something big. Hopefully in the future, venue permitting and with increased visibility and ability to afford it, we would love to make this more of a general gathering where everybody [can celebrate with eachother]. I think that's the beauty of the United States, right?" "Anything that you need to do for Diwali here, you have to do it yourself. In India, the infrastructure is so available. It is easy to shop for Diwali, easy to decorate for Diwali. It is easier to cook for Diwali because of all the help. So I would say it's a little bit more deliberate, so you kind of plan every action, and it takes a lot more work."
Go to: Organizers
Go to: Start
Diwali:
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Transcript
Diwali:
Their Stories
Begin
Nisha Patel
Photo by Clayton High School Administration
"Diwali was always meaningful to me growing up. We would gather with family and friends, light diyas, share sweets and good food and of course do some fireworks. Over the years, this has changed to make it more symbolic by making time to connect with each other and appreciate what we have." "Clayton's strengths lies in it's relationships. Our schools are small enough to know families and each other well personally, yet we are diverse enough to bring many perspectives togther. This allows it to have authentic connections that are personal and purposeful." "I would say the biggest change [on how the school district celebrates multicultural holidays] is that we are moving from simple recognition to meaninful incusion. Before where we may have celebrated this through holidays, annoucements or classroom activities, we now are more intention. It could be through curriculum work, or calendar planning and community events."
Go to: Start
Go to: Start
Sritha Rathikindi
Photo by Debra Klevens
"[On connectivity with other Indians] And they [other Indians] were like, "That's really sad." They immerse themselves in the culture. So I guess there really is a sense of disconnect, almost for me, and I think I'm realizing it as I get older. But there's nothing I can do about it because I'm so busy and all that. It's not like I have time to actively seek out that sort of thing" "I think it's [the South Asian Orgnaization] especially good for my mom. A lot of her friends are not Indian, except a couple, it creates a sense of community for her which is really great. And I think it brings to light a lot of people [that] I didn't really know were there before. I think it's a great organization."
Go to: Students
Go to: Start
Photo by Sia Girivaru
Manu McDowell
"I feel pretty connected, but I feel like there's always room for more. Because I feel like there aren't really opportunities at the school for Indians and South Asians to come together as a community." "I am Christian, so I believe in the Holy Trinity (the Son, the Father, and the Holy Spirit) rather than multiple Gods/God in 33 forms. During the prayers [for Diwali], I don't know what my family is saying, so I don't necessarily have an opinion on it. As for the purpose of the holiday, I understand that it is to celebrate Rama's return, which I don't believe in. However, I can acknowledge the message of good triumphing over evil, which I approve of. Aside from that, my religious beliefs don't affect my views/opinions of Diwali celebrations."
Go to: Students
Go to: Start
Varun Singh
Photo by Jaya Chaudhari
"I know this probably isn't the case for everyone, but for me, I don't feel like [celebrating Diwali when it's not mainstream has] affected [me], just because we have, our celebration within our family. It's not usually going to some kind of public event. Our neighbors are not Indian, [but] they are interested in what the value is, and they also gave us some small gifts too, which was kind of nice."
Go to: Students
Go to: Start
Arianna Sambandam
Photo by Meraj Sirrajudin
"At school there's people who are my age [who are] also Indian, South Asian, and we play along with each other. There's this one like meme it comes from a song intro. There's also the accent. It's not even that bad, though, because I know that other, South Asian my age don't get affected at all. We don't really care." "I like myself, I like who I am, and I like my culture, and I know there are, quite a few stereotypes, and sometimes at school, the stereotypes get implemented, but mostly I just go along with it, because there's no harm in like, going along with it. Especially because I understand who I really am."
Go to: Students
Go to: Start
Go to: Start
Shwetha Amberker
Photo by Shwetha Amberker
"We have to take a special permission [to set off fireworks] if you live in city of Clayton. [...] I wish that [permision] happens, especially with the Fourth of July, having so much [freedom]. Absolutely, I wish that happens." "You can say that like number of Indians are getting the count of Indians are getting more in Clayton. So I don't feel like I have ever been left out or I don't feel anything like that."
Go to: Organizers
Go to: Start
Divya Palamand
Photo by Divya Palamand
"When I was in India, it was a lot of colors. I used to celebrate with we used to have fire crackers all over and we used to go to each other's friends house. [We] used to have sweets in each other [people's] house and have a lot of parties. It's much less here, because there are very there are fewer Indians here. But where I used to live, we had a community of Indians, which made it much more easier. "We all want to be part of the American, part of America. We want to simulate this culture, but we also want to keep our traditions alive, and that is important to us. But we, don't we see ourselves as a melting pot, but more of a mosaic. Be together. Be one culturally, with them. Be one with America. Be an American, yet have your own individuality."
Go to: Organizers
Go to: Start
Alpana Mani
Photo by Alpana Mani
"The intent [of creating this organization] has just been to create a sense of community and to foster that sense of being a part of something bigger than just a celebration in your own home, and give it that sense of 1.4 billion people, or a large majority of those people, celebrate this [holiday]. It's a huge deal, and we just don't get that. So for now, it was just to give our community that sense of being a part of something big. Hopefully in the future, venue permitting and with increased visibility and ability to afford it, we would love to make this more of a general gathering where everybody [can celebrate with eachother]. I think that's the beauty of the United States, right?" "Anything that you need to do for Diwali here, you have to do it yourself. In India, the infrastructure is so available. It is easy to shop for Diwali, easy to decorate for Diwali. It is easier to cook for Diwali because of all the help. So I would say it's a little bit more deliberate, so you kind of plan every action, and it takes a lot more work."
Go to: Organizers
Go to: Start