Anthropologist Tejaswini Ganti. / New York University

In the evolving landscape of American culture, Indian festivals have found a unique place, shaped by the experiences of immigrants. Tejaswini Ganti, an Associate Professor in the Department of Anthropology Program in Culture & Media at New York University, offers a thoughtful perspective on this transformation.

Ganti, who moved to the U.S. as a child in the late 1970s and has long been fascinated by the evolution of Indian festivals in the American cultural fabric, in an exclusive interview with New India Abroad, offers insights into the transformation of Diwali celebrations in the diaspora, from a more private observance to a recognized cultural occasion.

When she first moved to Houston in 1978, Indian festival celebrations were small and often took place on weekends to accommodate the American work and school schedules. “When I was a child growing up in the late 1970s and 1980s, any sort of Indian and Hindu festival celebration was always relegated to weekends since the numbers of the community were smaller and there wasn’t a cultural confidence to make any assertion about the need to take a day off from work or school for our festivals,” she explains. 

For her family, originally from Andhra Pradesh, larger-scale cultural celebrations through the Telugu Cultural Association often centered around regional festivals like Ugadi and Sankranti, with Diwali remaining a more intimate, household affair.

The 1990s marked a shift in attitude for many Indian American youth who began to advocate for recognition of Diwali as a legitimate holiday. Ganti recalls how her younger brother and his friends in high school took pride in asserting their “right” to take Diwali off as a religious holiday. 

"I was quite impressed with his generation and their cultural confidence to assert their presence," she shares, noting the community’s increasing desire for visibility and acknowledgment.

Fast-forwarding to today, Diwali’s footprint in the American mainstream is undeniable. The New York City Department of Education’s recent decision to include Diwali as an official school holiday is a testament to the festival's growing recognition. 

“The fact that many American calendars now list Diwali is a sign to me that the consciousness of a festival called Diwali has entered the American mainstream,” Ganti observes, pointing out that Diwali is celebrated in the White House, a practice started during the Obama administration.

Yet, while the mainstreaming of Diwali reflects a welcome inclusivity, Ganti sees both positives and limitations in this shift. She notes that Diwali has become the preeminent Hindu festival in the U.S., often at the expense of other important Indian celebrations, reflecting a narrower view of India's rich festival landscape. 

“In that sense, the singular focus on Diwali in the U.S. even by the desi communities here reduces the diversity and simplifies the range of festivals,” Ganti says, explaining that while growing up, she celebrated festivals like Sankranti and Dussehra with equal fervor. Today, however, Diwali takes on a heightened significance in her own social calendar, overshadowing these other regional festivals.

Ganti also highlights a unique adaptation she calls the “weekendification” of Hindu festivals, a phenomenon where events are often shifted to weekends to fit American schedules. "Most of the events, whether it's for Navratri or Diwali or even Holi... tend to take place on weekends rather than on the actual lunar dates,” she says, suggesting that while the NYC public schools’ recognition of Diwali is a step forward, Indian Americans continue to align their celebrations with the dominant American calendar rather than dictating their own.

The commercial aspect of Diwali in America has also grown, with glamorous, large-scale events becoming more common, especially in cities like New York. Ganti mentions a recent feature in the New York Times Magazine showcasing a lavish Diwali ball attended by South Asian celebrities. While the trend toward grand festivities doesn’t necessarily bother her, she sees it as “a sign of an expanded South Asian elite class.”

Despite these evolving dynamics, Ganti expresses a sense of pride in Diwali’s broader recognition, appreciating the visibility it brings to Indian culture. “Despite what may appear to be some critical comments, I definitely relish the fact that many more people around me know about Diwali and that it’s an important festival/holiday; it is a sign of being seen and acknowledged as a community,” she concludes.