Diwali is that time of the year when Indians spend heavily for new purchases and seek discounts, at the same time. They buy new clothes on one hand and reuse old clothes as dusters for pre-Diwali house cleaning on the other hand. Celebrating this facet of Indianness, Indian Eagle – the most trusted travel-booking partner for Indians in America – has brought you the Festival of Flights with a special discount for your upcoming holiday travel to India.

Make your once-a-year trip to home (country) as festive as Diwali with flat $25 discount on cheap USA-India flight tickets available at IndianEagle.com. You can grab the festive offer on booking a one-way or round-trip flight itinerary of Air India, Emirates Airlines, Qatar Airways, Etihad, Turkish Airlines, Kuwait Airways, Lufthansa, British Airways, and other airlines. The #Diwali2024 discount can be availed for your upcoming travel, irrespective of travel class, departure airport, arrival airport, layover, and fare type.

Your homecoming is as special as a festival for your parents, friends, and family at large in India. Therefore, Indian Eagle wishes to extend your Diwali celebration until you travel home this winter holiday season being around the corner. You can also celebrate gift-wali Diwali by sharing Indian Eagle’s flight discount coupon with your neighbors or friends in the USA.

How to grab Indian Eagle’s best flight deals with $25 Off 

It is just a matter of few simple steps! Open IndianEagle.com, search for itineraries based on your route and travel dates, select the fare deal of your choice, fill details of travelers, apply the discount code (DIWALITB25), and make payment. An instant discount of $25 is available on some itineraries, whereas you may get cashback $25 within 48 hours of issuance of your flight tickets in case of some itineraries. The cashback will be given to you through your preferred mode of refund – ACH, Amazon Gift Voucher, or Zelle Pay.

How long the fare discount offer is available

Indian Eagle’s Diwali offer – $25 discount on flight tickets to India – is valid through 28 November 2024. Precisely, you can book flight tickets during the offer validity period for traveling to and from India before or after November 28, 2024.

How many times you can use the discount code

You can get the discount only once on booking of travel for one traveler or more, but not per person/traveler in a reservation. If you are planning a holiday trip to India for two travelers, you can use the same discount code – DIWALITB25 – to get $25 off for both by booking their flight tickets separately and using different email IDs as well as contact numbers.

Who you can grab the Diwali discount offer for 

Indian Eagle’s #Diwalispecial fare discount offer is open to all. You can grab the offer to save $25 on air tickets for your solo trip, family travel, and your parents/in-laws visiting from India.

The post Festival of Flights: Get Discounts for Your US to India Travel on Air India, Emirates, Etihad, Qatar, Turkish Airline, Others appeared first on Travel to India, Cheap Flights to India, Aviation News, India Travel Tips.

With Diwali entering the list of New York City school holidays, the Festival of Lights is now a public school holiday in both New York and New Jersey. Indian families are gearing up to celebrate the festival of lights at a number of Diwali 2024 events in New York and New Jersey, from Times Square to Garden City, from Ganesh Temple to BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir, and from Bhakti Center to Brooklyn Children Museum. Diwali is one of the few Indian festivals, which is celebrated with great pomp and loads of enthusiasm from America to Australia.     

Like previous years, Travel Beats, a leading Indian community portal in the US, has compiled a list of best Diwali 2024 events in New York and New Jersey for you. If you have not planned your travel on last minute flights to India yet, you can celebrate Diwali with fellow Indians at any of the places listed below. Travel Beats is a subsidiary of Indian Eagle, a trusted air-ticketing partner of Indians in America.    

Diwali at BAPS Swaminarayan Temple Long Island

Hindu temples in New York are among the best places for NYC Diwali events 2024. BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir at Melville, Long Island will celebrate Diwali and Chopda Puja on 31 October. Diwali is a most traditional celebration here, while Chopda Puja is an age-old cultural ceremony wherein Gujarati and Marwari business people close their old account books and open new ones in paper or electric form, and seek blessings of Goddess Lakshmi for a new year as per the Hindu Calendar.

NYC’s BAPS Swaminarayan Temple at Long Island does also organize children’s Diwali celebration every year to make kids understand the significance of the festival and walk them through traditional rituals. Children learn the art of making diyas and rangolis. This is scheduled from 11 am to 6 pm on November 10 this year.   

Diwali at NY Ganesh Temple, Flushing

Sri Maha Vallabha Ganapati Devasthanam is one of the few best places for traditional Diwali celebrations in New York City. Home to the first temple canteen in America, the Ganapati Devasthanam organizes Maha Lakshmi Puja through the observance of rituals, such as abhishekam, homam, japam, and deepam pooja. To be celebrated on October 31, Diwali will be followed by Govardhan Annakut Festival on November 1 at Flushing Ganesh Temple in New York.

Date: Diwali – October 31 | Govardhan Annakut – November 1 

Flushing Townhall Diwali 2024 in Queens

Of all Diwali 2024 events in New York, Flushing Townhall’s 10^th annual Diwali festival is out and out a cultural celebration. Abha Roy’s dance drama Navadurga is the mainstay of the event this year. Abha Roy, the Director of Srijan Dance Company, is a Kathak exponent.  She, along with her team, will show the aspects of feminine divinity, such as innocence, love, and compassion. You can groove on the dance floor with foot-tapping numbers churned out by DJ Rekha.

Learning the art of Indian cooking, among various joyous activities, from Chef Nupur Arora, the founder of Queens Curry Kitchen, is another attraction of Flushing Townhall Diwali, Queens. Block printing, rangoli making, henna art, and Hindi calligraphy are the other workshops that you can choose to take part in. It is one of the few ticketed Diwali events in the Big Apple; hence, advance booking is recommended.

Date: November 2 | Time: 12 noon – 4 pm

New York Asia Society Diwali 2024

Diwali celebration at Asia Society in New York doubles up as a family day full of fun, joy and entertainment. Asia Society’s auditorium will throb with dance dramas and musical performances. In one of the major programs, kids will present Tathaastu, a musical act inspired by Ramleela. Asia Society is also organizing an interactive introduction to Indian classical music with focus on traditional instruments.

Asia Society’s Diwali event in New York is a great opportunity for Indian children to get introduced to the art of making clay diyas, traditional mithai, and handicrafts. A storytelling session is also among the programs. The eighth floor of the venue will host live bhangra and Bollywood dance. The event is being organized in collaboration with the Culture Tree that promotes South Asian culture in the east coast.

• Date: October 26 | Time: 1 pm – 4 pm
• Venue: 725 Park Avenue, NY 10021

Grand Diwali in Edison, New Jersey 

In New Jersey, Edison Township’s Diwali celebration is getting bigger and better every year. Presented by Indian American Mayor Sam Doshi and the Township Council, the Edison Diwali Festival 2024 will see a spectacular display of more than 100,000 lights at the venue, Papaianni Park. Mayor Sam Joshi, who traces his roots in Gujarat, invites everyone to the celebration scheduled on October 26, from 2 pm to 9 pm. Diwali being a traditional Indian festivity, music and food are the mainstay of the event. Alongside featuring 50 food stalls, the venue will be abuzz with a number of music and cultural performances.

• Date: October 26 | Time: 2 to 9 pm | Contact: 732-248-7283
• Venue:  Papaianni Park, 100 Municipal BLVD, Edison

Siddhachalam Jain Tirth Diwali 2024, New Jersey

If you are looking to celebrate Diwali with oodles of devotion, you can visit Siddhachalam Jain Tirth, a Jain ashram and spiritual retreat sprawling 120 acres of hilly terrain in New Jersey. Founded in 1983, the ashram hosts Diwali mela for Indians, regardless of their religion. Traditional food and devotional music are among the trappings of Diwali Mela at Siddhachalam Jain Tirth in New Jersey. On the day of Diwali festival, they also organize Mahavira Nirvan Ladoo Puja as per the Jain tradition.

• Date: November 1 and 2
• Venue: 111 Hope Road, Blairstown, NJ 07825
• Contact: (908) 362-9793
• RSVP at events@siddhachalam.org

South Street Seaport Museum Diwali

Do celebrate Diwali amidst waters at the South Street Seaport Museum in New York City. Wavertree, a historic wrought iron sailing ship dating back to 18885, is the Diwali event venue at the Seaport Museum. Visitors can make special decorations with diyas and marigold flowers. There is a pool on deck where you can float diyas while making a wish. 11 am – 6 pm is the Diwali schedule on November 1.

A puppet show has been organized to tell the audience about the religious and cultural significance of Diwali. There’s a book reading session for kids among the programs. The even will conclude with live performances and popular Diwali songs that you can groove to. You can be assured of a unique experience of Diwali celebration with a maritime twist.

Pelham Art Center Diwali, NYC 

Among the places for Diwali 2024 events in New York, Pelham Art Center celebrates Diwali through Indian folk art festivities including classical music and dance. Kathak and Bharat Natyam are not-to-be-missed performances which Indians of any age groups can take part in. The event schedule includes a hands-on traditional art workshop where you can paint your own diyas. Funded by New York State Council on the Arts, Pelham Art Center provides a multicultural community setting to help New Yorkers experience cultural diversity through participation in different forms of art. The Diwalis-special folk art event is free for all.

• Date: November 10 | Time: 1-3 pm
• Venue: Pelham Art Center, 155 Fifth Avenue, NY 10803

Saraswati Cultural Association NJ Diwali 2023

Diwali celebration by Saraswati Cultural Association of New Jersey is one of the free outdoor events for Indians in October. Founded in the late 1980s as a community-driven non-profit organization, Saraswati Cultural Association hosts Diwali and other festivals to promote Indian culture and heritage, other than raising funds for charities. You can make the most of this event by grooving to live music, enjoying Dandiya and Bhangra performances, taking part in cultural programs, relishing Indian food, and shopping for Indian items. Ram Leela enactment will be one of the highlights of the events, which also hosts special children activities. Interestingly, entry to the event venue is free for all.

• Date: October 28
• Time: 1PM – 7PM
• Venue: East Brunswick Cultural Arts Center, East Brunswick, New Jersey
• Contact: 5519001541

Sanskriti of New Jersey Diwali 2024

Sanskriti of New Jersey, a non-profit organization established in 2008, brings together the vast Indian community in Livingston and neighboring towns (Maplewood, Cedar Grove, Madison & others) for a memorable celebration of important Indian events and festivals, from Holi to Diwali. In New Jersey, Sanskriti Diwali 2024 is back with dazzling fireworks on November 2. The firework display is simply unmissable!

On October 30, Sanskriti of New Jersey is hosting an annual Diwali Meet with Sambandh, a vibrant community for adults above 55 years of age. Registration is mandatory for $15 per person. Neha Dave and Chirag Trivedi, who are popular for their Bollywood hits, will add a zing to the Diwali Meet with their special performances.

• Date: November 2 (fireworks)
• Time: Yet to be announced 
• Venue: Livingston OVAL 
• Contact: info@sanskritiofnj.org

Diwali by Brahma Kumaris in New York

The Brahma Kumaris, a global spiritual organization headquartered in Rajasthan, is inviting New Yorkers to their Diwali event on November 2, 2024 at their Manhattan Meditation Center. One of the free Diwali events in New York City, the celebration is that of the human soul’s journey from darkness to light. It is showcased through an art exhibition, live storytelling, live music, and guided meditation that intensifies one’s longing for spiritual awakening in the solitude of heavenly peace and divine bliss.

• Date: November 2 | Time: 1 – 2pm EDT
• Venue: 306, 5^th Avenue, NY 10001

Brooklyn Children’s Museum Diwali 2024

On Diwali, Brooklyn Children’s Museum organizes a puppet show by The Culture Tree for families and kids, irrespective of their community and nationality. The socio-cultural and spiritual significance of lighting lamps on Diwali is conveyed to kids through a puppet show. It teaches the US-born children of Indian descent the meaning of devotion, compassion, love, and giving back that the Diwali celebration stands for. Diwali at BCM has more festival-themed fun-filled activities for kids, such as mithai-making and lantern-making workshop.

• Date: October 26 and November 7 | Time: 4 pm – 8 pm
• Venue: 145 Brooklyn Avenue, NY 11213

The post Diwali Events in East Coast USA: Know Where to Celebrate Ghar Wali Diwali in New York and New Jersey appeared first on Travel to India, Cheap Flights to India, Aviation News, India Travel Tips.

Diwali, a most auspicious festival for Hindus, Jains, Sikhs and Buddhists the world over, is gradually being recognized across the northeast USA. The years of tireless efforts that Indian Diaspora continues to make to get an official holiday on Diwali in America is bearing fruit in some parts of the northeast coast. In 2022, the Mayor of New York City gave the best Diwali gift to Indian New Yorkers by declaring the Festival of Lights as a public school holiday, which will be effective from Diwali 2023.

Pennsylvania took a step ahead of New York and New Jersey by recognizing Diwali not just as a public school holiday but as a state holiday. Yesterday, the Pennsylvania State Senate passed a bill with an official stamp to this recognition, which was long due. The bill was brought to the state Senate in February this year. Nikil Saval, an Indian American writer, activist, politician, and a Senator from Philadelphia, broke the news through a tweet.

PC: Wikipedia (left), Indian Eagle (right)

The ethnically diverse fabric of Pennsylvania includes over 600,000 Asian Americans, a majority of whom are of Indian descent. The state is home to many Indian temples; the most prominent ones being BAPS Swaminarayan Temple, Sri Venkateshwara Temple, and Sri Shirdi Sai Baba Temple. Diwali being now an official holiday in Pennsylvania is a great move to celebrate ethnic diversity and promote cultural inclusivity in the state.

Born to an immigrant couple from Bengaluru, Nikil is the first Indian-origin Senator in the Pennsylvania General Assembly. Arvind Venkat, who was born in Madurai and brought up in Detroit, is another Democrat in the Pennsylvania General Assembly. Nikil Saval officially stated, “Our Commonwealth’s official recognition of Diwali sends a clear message of inclusion to thousands of Pennsylvanians who celebrate this festival of light and connection each year. You are seen, you are welcome, you matter.”

“Officially, Pennsylvania is the first US state to have declared Diwali a public holiday. The rest of North America is yet to reward the efforts by Indians to get the festival of lights recognized as an official holiday. Surprisingly, Pennsylvania outshone other US states, such as California, Texas, Illinois, New York and New Jersey, with the largest numbers of Indian-origin people. However, it seems that the day is not far when the Deepavali Day Act, which was introduced on the Capitol in 2021 and supported by leading Indian Americans, will make Diwali a federal holiday in the US,” said Sourav Agarwal, the Editor of Travel Beats.

The post Declaring Diwali Official Holiday, Pennsylvania Goes Ahead of Other US States with High Indian-origin Population appeared first on Travel to India, Cheap Flights to India, Aviation News, India Travel Tips.

India is on a record-breaking spree. With the Kumbh Mela 2019 having set up three new Guinness World Records, India has gone extra mile to create history in the celebration of Diwali this month. A new feather in the cap of India is the latest Guinness World Record – the largest display of earthen lamps in the temple town of Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh.

With the sparkling illumination of over six lakh earthen lamps or diyas penetrating the darkness of the new moon day over the banks of Saryu River, Ayodhya’s deepotsav sent a message of India’s unbridled enthusiasm and festive exuberance across the world this October 26. The Deepotsav 2019 broke the previous record of lighting 3 lakh 1 thousand clay lamps in 2018, for over Rs 130 crore allocated by the government of Uttar Pradesh.

Elaborate preparations have been made for the five days of Ayodhya’s deepotsav to celebrate the return of Lord Ram from the exile. People from different walks of life enthusiastically participated in the record-breaking event on the first day of the celebration. Bigger and grander than 2018, the Deepotsav 2019 has uplifted the religious-politically mired image of the place where Lord Ram is believed to be born.

The Deepotsav 2019, which the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh declared as a state event earlier, was followed by a symbolical rajya abhishek (coronation) of Lord Ram, a spectacular aarti, a flamboyant procession and the traditional Ramlila performance. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath himself supervised the procession from the beginning till the very end. A massive stage for the coronation and Ramlila was set up at the amphitheater-like Ram Katha Park where artists from several countries gathered there for the celebration.

All of the diyas continued to be lit for a minimum duration of 45 minutes making Ayodhya’s Diwali 2019 celebration enter the Guinness Book of World Records. A magnificent model of Ram Darbar (Court of Lord Ram) was created at the Ram Ki Paidi ghat which was illumined inch by inch with the glittering four lakh and ten thousand diyas.  The Ram Ki Paidi ghat was transformed into a never-never land where all that glitters is gold.

On the occasion of Ayodhya’s Deepotsav 2019, Yogi Adityanath introduced various schemes worth Rs 226 crore and laid the foundation of some of them. The Deputy Speaker of Fiji’s Parliament was invited to preside over the celebration as a chief guest this year. In 2018, South Korea’s First Lady was the chief guest to the deepotsav of Ayodhya.

This story is brought to you as part of the initiative, “Explore India with Indian Eagle”, aiming to promote what is good and inspiring about India through our overseas Indian community portal, Travel Beats. Travel Beats is a subsidiary of Indian Eagle Travel, a most sought after travel booking organization for cheap airline tickets to India.

The post India Enters Guinness Book of World Records for Largest Display of Oil Lamps in Ayodhya This Diwali appeared first on Travel to India, Cheap Flights to India, Aviation News, India Travel Tips.

The celebration of Diwali in the United States is grander this year than the previous years. Starting from the White House and Swaminarayan temples, the festival of lights traveled to Washington Dulles International Airport, the national capital region’s gateway to the world, in a historic first this year. President Trump’s lighting of the ceremonial lamp in the White House and his message about the administration’s commitment to protect religious liberty in the US was followed by a Diwali-special cultural extravaganza at Washington Dulles Airport (IAD).

While the Times Square Diwali in New York is the most spectacular one and the White House Diwali is the most talked about one, the Washington Dulles Airport Diwali has scripted a new history by being the first of its kind at a leading US airport. The credit goes to Akanksha Sharma, marketing associate for Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, for the initiative.

Located in Fairfax and Loudoun counties of Virginia, Dulles Airport (IAD) caters to thousands of Indians from the Washington DC Metropolitan Area and does have good air connectivity with New Delhi. Besides, it is one of the sources of nonstop Air India flights to India. Evidently, Washington Dulles Airport was the first choice for Diwali celebration at a major US airport.

Washington Dulles Airport’s Diwali 2019 celebration was at its cultural best. With traditional dance performances and henna art demonstration, the celebration was as diverse as the rich Indian culture. Everyone present at the airport that moment was greeted ‘Happy Diwali’ and given a packet of cookies. Freebie international chargers were also distributed.

The students of Nrityaki Dance Academy, Virginia enthralled the onlookers, travelers, airport personnel and Air India passengers with their dance performances making the celebration a riveting glimpse of what Indian culture is meant. The performances – classical and Bollywood – were choreographed by Kathak exponent Shweta Mishra, the founder of Nrityaki Dance Academy. She described the celebration as a matter of great pride and making a part of history.

Sneha Mishra, the winner of the 2019 Miss India DC pageant, happened to be present at the airport during the celebration. Pleased to see the Nrityaki students performing Kathak and Bollywood dance with equal élan, she said, “Diwali celebration is a fantastic initiative promoting our culture in the DMV (DC, Maryland, Virginia) area. Air India flight crew were among the attendees.

We are celebrating #Diwali this morning in the Main Terminal! pic.twitter.com/DuaN0e4uA6

— Dulles Airport (IAD) (@Dulles_Airport) October 25, 2019

Happy with the way the programs were organized, Akanksha Sharma is hopeful about Diwali becoming an annual event at Washington Dulles International Airport. If things fall in place as expected, it will be organized on a large scale next year.

The post In a Historic First, Diwali is Celebrated Exhibiting Diverse Indian Culture at Washington Dulles Airport appeared first on Travel to India, Cheap Flights to India, Aviation News, India Travel Tips.

Gleaming diyas, glittering lamps, colorful rangoli, succulent sweets, firecrackers and likes – these all make a composite picture of extravagant Diwali celebration in urban India. But, you will find absolutely different pictures of the festival in the rural backwaters of the country where tribal communities live. Indian Eagle explores the rural interiors of India to collect the striking glimpses of Diwali celebration by the tribal people whose multi-ethnic identity and culture are distinctly defined in contrast to the harmony of various cultures in a cosmopolitan society. Lets see how tribal India celebrates the Festival of Lights…

Diwali celebration is synonymous with simplicity for the tribal communities of Jharkhand. They celebrate the festival of lights, known as “Sohrai”, in a more realistic way associated with the means of sustenance in daily life. This festive occasion marks the harvest of rice, and the worship of cattle is part of the celebration in the tribal villages of the state. Harvest and cattle are the main sources of livelihood for them. The women in countryside decorate the mud walls of their houses (mainly huts) with art murals, which is unique to their culture. Also, domestic animals are adorned for the celebration.

The way of Diwali celebration in the state of Odisha is different from the ways the other states of India celebrate the festival in. The tribal folks of Odisha, on the occasion of Diwali, seek the blessings of their ancestors who are believed to be living somewhere in the heaven after the demise of their mortal bodies on earth. The ritualistic manner of worshiping ancestors is unique to their cultural heritage. “Kaunria Kathi” is one of the rituals that they perform during the festivity. As per the ritual, they burn jute stems to create fire as a signal to summon the ancestors and request for their blessings.

Also Check: India Owes Its Safety to These Military Villages

The people of the Sindhi community in the states of India have developed their own way of Diwali celebration, which is unique to their cultural identity in the social fabric of the country. This regional community of India refers to the celebration of Diwali as “Diyari”. Like most of the other communities, they worship Goddess Lakshmi. They clean silver and gold coins using raw milk during the worship. Once the puja is over, they take gold or silver coins and tap the coins lightly against their teeth while chanting “Lakshmi aayi, danat vaai” (When Lakshmi arrives, poverty departs).

The way the tribal communities in Narmada and Baruch districts of Gujarat celebrate defines their traditions in contrast to the common socio-cultural milieu of the country. The tribal people of these two provinces in Gujarat celebrate the festival of lights as a harbinger of good health. It is a 15-day long festivity for them. Unlike firing of crackers in cities and towns, the burning of herbal wood of different types accompanies the celebration for the tribal folks. The smoke from the burning of herbal wood is believed to keep them healthy. This traditional custom also stands for the philosophy, that is, “hard work brings wealth, and good health is required for hard work.” They light a holy fire and march a procession to take the fire across the villages in a bid to prevent evils from intruding their habitats. They enjoy themselves over various folk dance forms on each of the 15 days of the celebration.

Also Check: Inspiring Stories of Toilet in Rural India

The tribal habitants in Bastar district of Chhattisgarh are distinctly identified for their different way of Diwali celebration, known as Diyari. The festivity begins ceremoniously with the marriage of crop in fields with an idol of Lord Narayana. It is followed by the ritual of filling households with food grain. The cattle owners in the tribal community of Bastar are honored with liquor on the first day of the celebration. They offer garlands, paddy and khichdi, a kind of porridge with local flavor, to the shepherds. They perform Gotton puja, another integral part of the festivity, to seek divine blessings for the good health and protection of their cattle. The cattle are adorned with garlands, the drums are beaten, and the crop is worshiped as image of Goddess Lakshmi during the 3-day long Diwali celebration.

Thakar is one of the scheduled tribes inhabiting the forest areas of Maharashtra. Their cultural heritage includes various folk dance forms and songs. The way they celebrate Diwali festival stands for their identity in distinction from that of the other tribes in India. They make lamps from the dried parts of a fruit called chibra, and use the stands made from cow-dung to place lamps on. They worship the grain, stored in a cane basket, as the image of Goddess Lakshmi, on the festive day. On this occasion, they perform a folk dance in rhythm with the beats of dhols.

About Travel Beats

This story is brought to you as part of the initiative, “Explore India with Indian Eagle”, aiming to promote what is good and lesser known about India through our overseas Indian community portal, Travel Beats. Travel Beats is a subsidiary of Indian Eagle Travel, a leading air ticketing partner of Indians abroad.

The post Different Ways of Diwali Celebration in Rural India Define Simplicity of Tribal Life & Culture appeared first on Travel to India, Cheap Flights to India, Aviation News, India Travel Tips.

New York State’s first and only Indian American Senator Kevin Thomas has introduced a bill seeking to add certain Indian cultural/religious holidays to the New York School Calendar 2019-2020. Senator Kevin Thomas’ bill ‘S4038’ identifies Diwali, Onam and Vaisakhi, among the most popular Indian festivals, as NY school holidays for the people of Hindu and Sikh faiths.

While introducing the bill S4038 in the Albany Senate Chamber, he argued that the New York school holiday calendar should be as diverse as the populace of the state. Inarguably, New York is known for its cultural and religious diversity in all spheres of life, except the state government holiday list. So diverse is the social fabric of the Empire State is that over 185 languages are spoken there, and over 42% of the students come from ethnic households where English is not the first language.

New York is home to 313,620 Asian Indians as per the 2020 Census, which has increased manifold by now. The removal of the quota on Indian Immigration to the US in the 1960s resulted in a phenomenal growth of the Indian populace of New York, California and other states. However, not a single Indian festival – Diwali, Holi, Ugadi, Vaisakhi or Onam – has yet been recognized on the list of New York State holidays.

Justifiably, NY Senator Kevin Thomas’ bill S4038 seeks an amendment to the existing list of New York school holidays for the entire state, rather than the seven school districts which granted Diwali holiday to their Hindu students in 2018. He urged the New York State Capitol to recognize, at least, Diwali, Onam, Vaisakhi, Eid al Fitr, Eid al-Adha, and Good Friday for the statewide diverse population.

The booming Indian population of New York is the very reason for major airlines including Air India to have been operating direct flights to India from New York and Newark.

The bill S4038 seeking to make the New York School Calendar 2019-2020 incorporate certain Indian cultural and religious festivities as holidays is part of the promises Indian American Kevin Thomas made while campaigning for a seat in the Albany Senate Chamber. Leading New Yorkers of Indian origin have approached him with a plea to have Diwali, Onam and Vaisakhi recognized so that they can have a family celebration on those festive occasions.

Also Check: Queens’ Ganesh Temple Canteen for Pure Indian Food

Senator Kevin Thomas’ bill S4038 has been read twice. Currently with the Committee on Education, it has five more stages to go through. With the constant support of Senators, including John Liu and Leroy Comrie from the borough of Queens having a significant concentration of South Asians, the bill has fair chances to make New York School holidays 2020 as diverse as possible across the state. Both Lie and Comrie have advocated inclusion of Diwali to the list of New York State holidays for schools.

If the bill S4038 is passed, Indian Hindus in the boroughs of Queens, Brooklyn, Manhattan and The Bronx will get a mandatory school holiday on Diwali for their children, and Sikhs in the borough of Richmond Hill will celebrate Vaisakhi with their little ones.

To conclude, Senator Kevin Thomas is looking to make Diwali, Onam, Vaisakhi, Good Friday, Eid al Fitr and Eid al-Adha, which are now additional / optional holidays on some of New York school calendars, compulsory day-offs for ethnic students in the state.

This news story is brought to you by Indian Eagle Travel, a leading air ticketing partner of Indians in US cities including New York and New Jersey. Indian Eagle is a trusted provider of cheap flight tickets to India. Travel Beats, a subsidiary of Indian Eagle, is a thriving Indian American community portal for community news and stories.

The post Senator Kevin Thomas’ Bill S4038 to Make Diwali, Onam, Vaisakhi Compulsory New York School Holidays appeared first on Travel to India, Cheap Flights to India, Aviation News, India Travel Tips.

We are glad to announce the winners of Travel Beats Diwali Photo Contest 2017 at Indian Eagle, a leading air travel booking partner of Indians in America. The lucky winners are Kiran Patil Kulkarni from Georgia, Shikha Chaudhary from California, and Paresh Bahadur Kumar from Florida. Each of them has won Indian Eagle’s exclusive $150 discount on travel to India from the US. Congratulations!

Paresh, Florida (left); Kiran, Georgia (middle); Shikha, California (right)

We at Indian Eagle had invited Indians in the US to share their moments of Diwali celebration in order to participate in the Diwali Photo Contest 2017. After all, candid pictures of Diwali celebration tell a lot about us, express our happiness and capture our emotions, no matter where we are. An overwhelming response to the contest from the Indian community in America made it a success. All thanks to the participants!

With much discretion, we selected three photos of Diwali celebration out of the entries and chose to share them with the readers of Travel Beats, our exclusive Indian American community portal.

Florida-based Paresh Kumar Bahadur shared a quintessential picture of Diwali celebration in Tampa which he calls home thousands of miles away from India. Diwali can be celebrated without crackers and sweets, but this festivity is simply unimaginable without clay diyas which symbolize bliss, knowledge and prosperity. This picture has won Paresh an exclusive “Indian Eagle discount” $150 on air travel to India from USA.

This photo of Diwali celebration in Marietta, Georgia is Indian American Kiran Patil Kulkarni’s winning entry in the Diwali Photo Contest 2017 at Indian Eagle. It bears testimony to the fact that Indians hold on to their culture irrespective of which part of the world they are settled in. Draped in a traditional saree, Kiran Patil Kulkarni proves that Indian women look their best in traditional outfits on desi occasions. The exclusive Indian Eagle discount $150 on US to India air travel will be awarded to her.

San Jose-based Shikha Chaudhary became one of the three winners of the exclusive “Indian Eagle Discount $150” for her photo of festive decoration with colorful clay diyas on the occasion of Diwali in California. This sort of floor or home decoration is unique to the way Indians celebrate the festival of lights. They make sure that each and every corner of their homes looks and feels festival on Diwali.

Indian Eagle Travel congratulates the winners. Do subscribe to our free newsletter for the upcoming contests, the lowest airfare alerts, the best flight deals, the latest air travel updates, visa and immigration news, and interesting stories of Indians in the US.

Disclaimer: IndianEagle LLC neither retains nor claims intellectual rights to the three photos published in this post. Indian Eagle is not liable if either of these photos happens to do copyright infringement by resembling or being similar to any third party’s photographs. The respective owners of the winning photos shall be responsible for copyright infringement if there is any.

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Nothing can dampen our will for survival, our enthusiasm for celebration, and our spirit for progress. Not even Hurricane Harvey. That’s what Texas Governor Greg Abbott proved by celebrating Diwali, the festival of lights, to eclipse the lingering shadow of the devastating Harvey with the divine light. Held at his mansion in Austin, the Diwali party followed President Trump’s celebration of Diwali 2017 in the White House on October 17.

The Diwali celebration at Greg Abbott’s mansion in Austin was a luminous occasion for Texas Indians. Above 30 members of the Texas Indian American community joined him during the ceremony of igniting Diwali lamps. Anupam Ray, the Consul General of India in Houston and a few eminent Indian Americans from Austin were in attendance, too.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott, along with First Lady Cecilia Abbott, exchanged Diwali greetings with the invitees and addressed the gathering of Indian Americans after lighting the ceremonial lamp. He announced his plan to travel to India and strengthen Texas’ relationship with India. He said uninhibitedly that he was eagerly looking to cement the connection between Texas and India on a strong base.

Greg Abbott made the most of Diwali 2017 in Austin as an opportunity to praise Indian Americans’ contributions towards the progress of Texas and thank them for their tireless voluntarism in the face of hard times like Hurricane Harvey. Notably, Houston-based Indian American entrepreneur Amit Bhandari donated $25,000 to the Hurricane Harvey relief fund.

He couldn’t help showering kudos on the Indian American organizations which plunged into a battle against the odds of Harvey and catered to the needs of the Harvey victims.

Undeniably, Texas has been in good relationship with India. Bearing a testimony to the fact is eminent Indian actor Anupam Kher’s honorary citizenship of Texas. Austin-based Devika Kumar’s achievement as one of the National Young Women of Distinction 2017 for educating poor women and girls on menstrual hygiene in rural India is a must mention in this this context.

Greg Abbott concluded his speech for the Indian American community on the occasion of Diwali celebration in Austin by expressing his pride of being the first Texas governor to celebrate the Indian festival of lights.

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The US President Donald Trump celebrated Diwali 2017 at the White House yesterday (October 17), in continuation of the tradition that Barack Obama officially initiated in 2016. He ignited a diya (earthen lamp) to mark the celebration of Diwali 2017 at the White House. He was joined by his daughter Ivanka Trump and the Indian American members of his administration on this momentous occasion. Some other eminent leaders from the Indian American community were also in attendance.

Celebrating Diwali 2017 at the White House with Donald Trump were Nikki Haley, the US Ambassador to the United Nations; Seema Verma, Head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS); Vanila Singh, chief medical officer at the Department of Health and Human Services; Ajit Pai, Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission. Shalabh ‘Shalli’ Kumar, a renowned Indian American businessman and the Republican Hindu Coalition founder, also attended Trump’s celebration of Diwali at the White House.

A brief speech in recognition of Indian Americans’ contributions to the socio-economic progress of the USA was the highlight of Donald Trump’s first Diwali celebration at the White House. The President’s speech preceded the diya lighting ceremony. Trump began his speech saying that he was genuinely honored to be joined by so many Indian American leaders and the state administration officials of Indian origin. He added:

“You have made extraordinary contributions to art, science, medicine, business and education. America is especially thankful for its many Indian-American citizens who serve bravely in our armed forces and as first responders in communities throughout our great land.”

Having remarked, “We especially remember the people of India, the home of the Hindu faith, who have built the world’s largest democracy,” President Trump made Diwali 2017 at the White House a memorable event for Indians in America. At the same time, he acknowledged the value of his strong relationship with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Trump concluded the speech saying, “Diwali is one of the most important celebrations in the Hindu religion.”

Donald Trump’s Principle Deputy Press Secretary Raj Shah also attended the celebration of Diwali 2017 at the White House yesterday. Naperville-based Krishna Bansal, President (Midwest Region) of the US Pan-Asian American Chamber of Commerce, graced Trump’s Diwali celebration with her presence at the White House.

Though the White House celebrated Diwali in the India Treaty Room during former President George Bush’s administration in 2003, Diwali was recognized with the US Postal Service Department’s release of a Diwali stamp in 2016. Notably, Barack Obama was the first US President to light a traditional lamp in the White House’s East Room in 2009.

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