On a bright sunny Sunday, Oct. 6th, 2002, the South Street Seaport in New York was transformed into an Indian port for Diwali, the Festival of Lights. The NY chapter started this Festival in 1986 and has continued to celebrate it every year except in 2001 due to the national tragedy of 9/11.
In the aftermath of 9/11 the theme for the 2002 festival was chosen to be United We Stand. A shrine was created to pay AIA's homage to the 9/11 victims and heroes. It blended with the significance of Diwali, i.e. the ultimate triumph of good over evil. Several VIP's and dignitaries visited the Shrine to pay their respect.
Celebration of Diwali promotes awareness of India in the United States by showcasing its rich culture and traditions. For the first time the Museum of Natural History arranged a tour for their visitors to give them a first hand taste of India, its culture and traditions. Volunteers from AIA-NY guided the tour.
More than 100,000 people dressed in colorful costumes walked with families and friends over several blocks covered by the festival. A noticeable feature this year was the mix of visitors, which included different religions and geographical origins such as Chinese, Hispanics, Jamaicans and mainstream Americans.
The Festival was divided into several segments. True to their promise the organizers made it bigger and better. This year, 2 additional streets were acquired to provide new activities. The two cultural stages had non-stop performances of tribal folk dances and classical dances by renowned local schools to the packed audiences. The number of activities to keep such a large crowd of children and adults had to be many and varied to hold their attention. To supplement the traditional activities like Rangoli, Mehandi, Face Make-Up that drew long queues, the following were added to serve the interested public: Health Fair, Total Well Being (Garden of Wellness), blood donation, free check ups by Physician volunteers, Yoga, meditation, vegetarianism, and Ayurveda. Masala Bhangra (an Aerobic style Bhangra) created a lot of excitement in the audience. As always the festival offered Free admission.
