Knight of Lights, the school’s annual Diwali celebration, hosted by the South Asian Parent Association (SAPA), garnered record- high attendance this year. On Friday, Oct. 25, over 180 members of the school’s community gathered at the Upper School (US) for traditional food and student performances of kathak, a style of Indian classical dance, and tabla, a type of percussion using hand drums.
SAPA co-chairs Pratima Patil P ’29 ’34, Gargi Chakrabarty P ’29, Shipra Chadda P ’26 ’31, and Sonia Gowda P ’35 began planning the event in early June. With help from the Facilities team, the Co-Chairs spent Friday afternoon transforming the Community Room with flowers, diyas (traditional lights), a photo backdrop, and themed activities, including arts and crafts and henna.
In recent years, the school, in coordination with the Parent’s Association (PA), has made effortstoexpandaffinityspacesandeventsto families of all backgrounds. Head of School Jennifer Price, one of many non-South Asian attendees, gave a welcome speech that noted the importance of similar events, which help increase diversity, equity, and inclusion at the school. The diversity at Knight of Lights was welcome, Ms. Chakrabarty said.
“The unprecedented turnout, 180-plus attendees, including people from SAPA and other BB&N communities, created a warm, multicultural environment that, to me, was the highlight,” she said. “We received so many texts over the weekend, especially from new families who felt welcome and appreciative of SAPA and the school’s approach toward celebrating this festival.”
Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, is a meaningful day for Ms. Chakrabarty and her family.
“It’s a day to wear new clothes, exchange gifts with friends and family, indulge in traditional food, and decorate the house with lights and flowers. Early in the morning, we organize a puja for Goddess Lakshmi where we seek blessings from her for health and prosperity. In the evening, we usually invite friends and family over for a dinner gathering where we exchange boxes of sweets and savories, play card games and karaoke, and light sparklers in the backyard.”
Ms. Chakrabarty and the rest of the co-chairs were “truly appreciative of the engagement and support,” she said.
This year, Diwali began on the evening of Oct. 31. In 2023, for the first time, the holiday was designated as a night where tests, papers, and quizzes could not be assigned for the following day. This year, however, it was classified as a no Homework, Test, Paper, or Quiz (HTPQ) night, as it overlapped with Halloween, which has historically been a Head’s Homework Holiday. Moving forward, it will remain a no HTPQ night, according to US Director Jessica Keimowitz. Many who celebrate Diwali also feel that it should be a night off from assignments every year.
“Diwali is a whole-day celebration with friends and family,” Ms. Chakrabarty said. “Since it occurs on the darkest night in the Hindu lunar month of Kartik, it could fall on a weekday. Having work due the next day could not only potentially tamp down the celebrations but also impact a student’s performance on a test the next day.”
Ruhan Karthik ’25, the South Asian Student Association’s (SASA) Cultural Community Chair, agreed.
“Considering that a bunch of kids in the school are spending a large portion of their weekend celebrating Diwali, I think it makes sense for it to be a no HTPQ weekend.”
For Ruhan, celebrating Diwali is a way to connect to his identity, he said.
“Diwali means laughing, dancing, and eating good Indian food. Though the celebration lasts for at most a couple of days, I feel that it is a time of year when I feel truly connected with my Indian culture. Growing up, I always had my close circle of Indian friends I can talk to, and I think Diwali is a time where I can connect with people who have had similar childhood experiences.”
Ms. Patil said the SAPA event was particularly special because people of all ages, including the senior leadership of SASA, gathered together.
“We had students attend from all three campuses, along with multigenerational representation in our audience, everyone from babies to grandparents. It was an event that truly centered family and community, which is what the Festival of Lights is about, celebrating the wealth of family and community.”
Shay Patel ’26 said spaces like SASA are valuable because they help US students find belonging based on their respective identities.
“You get to connect with people who have the same culture as you in school. As BB&N is quite diverse, it is nice to have a connection with people at school and be able to celebrate the important holiday together.”
Diwali is about emphasizing good over evil, Shay said.
“Diwali is the festival of lights, and we embrace the past and all the good things that have happened.”
Manan Eckton ’25 and his family make an effort to include those who don’t typically celebrate the holiday in their annual festivities, he said.
“I grew up celebrating Diwali. My family has a Diwali party every year, where we invite lots of people from different cultures to share our Indian culture.”
Although Diwali is now a no HTPQ night, Manan expressed frustration at the school’s prior lack of response to the issue.
“It’s very unfortunate, to be honest. I think SASA has pushed really hard for it for the past two years. We’ve talked about it a lot in our club. So, it was a little bit frustrating.”
