3rd annual Diwali celebration shines light on Indian holiday, collects food for local pantries

LED tealights flickered between vibrant garlands and flowers Nov. 2 at the Baierl Family YMCA in Franklin Park.

More than 300 guests, many clad in bright saris and kurtas, attended the third annual celebration of Diwali, the Hindu Festival of Lights, hosted by state Rep. Arvind Venkat, D-McCandless.

Diwali — a holiday celebrated by over a billion Hindus, Jains, Sikhs and Buddhists from the Indian subcontinent and around the world — is “the time of light over the darkness, the triumph of good over evil,” Venkat said.

Guests of the event enjoyed traditional Indian food such as samosas, onion pakoras, carrot halwa and gulab jamun along with traditional beverages like mango lassis and hot chai.

Henna artists Saritha Chowda of Franklin Park and Rekha Rane of Zelienople applied henna designs to guests’ hands. Children made paper lanterns and played in the kids’ room and the gym.

Venkat’s office collected dry foods to benefit North Hills Community Outreach’s three food pantries. According to Brenda Hill, NHCO’s director of development and communications, the nonprofit received 41 bags and boxes filled with food from the event.

This was the second Diwali celebration hosted by Venkat since legislation he introduced to recognize Diwali as a state holiday passed the state House in April 2023. Gov. Josh Shapiro signed the bill into law in October 2024.

Venkat said the law does not require schools or businesses to close but is meant to recognize the “maturity and integration” of the Hindu, Sikh, Jain and Buddhist communities in Pennsylvania, in accordance with William Penn and the Quakers’ establishment of Pennsylvania as “a welcoming place for all.”

“The state recognition of Diwali is really a statement about how we are an important part of Pennsylvania, and that we want to be contributors to Pennsylvania, and we appreciate the recognition of our cultural heritage as well,” Venkat said.

Venkat and his wife, Veena, were born in India and moved to the U.S. at early ages.

“Being immigrants to this country, our celebration of Diwali was very much within our own community,” Venkat said. “And it is an extraordinary moment, and it is truly humbling for me as a state legislator, as the first Indian American to serve in our state House in its over 200-year history, to be able to share this cultural event with all of you.”

Veena said she embellished the space with her own decor and the help of student volunteers from the North Allegheny intermediate and senior high schools.

“They were really very efficient and fast and so interested and did a lot in terms of the flowers and the lights,” she said. “So I really appreciated having their help as well.”

The first Diwali celebration Venkat hosted drew about 150 attendees to his McCandless office. As the event has grown more popular since then and moved to the YMCA for the increased capacity, Veena has collected more and more decor to fill the larger space.

“Someday, I’m sure I’m gonna have too much, but that is OK,” she said.

The event concluded with Bollywood-inspired dance performances and group dancing led by Marshall resident Ritu Vaidya, who has worked as a part-time instructor at the Baierl Family YMCA since 2010.

Vaidya said she strives to make her recurring Tuesday night Bollywood class a workout where everyone can “vent out” their stress through dance and a place where culture can be passed to the next generation.

Vaidya also runs Shiamak Pittsburgh, a franchise of the Shiamak Davar International dance academy, where she teaches classes for children and adults during the summer. Vaidya’s students, including Yuvaan Varshney, 11, of Franklin Park and Parnika Sharma, 9, of Mars, demonstrated their dance skills for the crowd.

Greg Supianoski, chief experience officer at the YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh, said hosting cultural activities and events have been “really impactful.”

“We want to embrace the culture, the community that’s around us — and what an amazing way to bring it in and what a beautiful festival to be able to celebrate,” he said.