Lighting Freedom and Faith in East Harlem — Our Diwali & Bandi Chhor Divas Recap

Oct 27

On a crisp East Harlem afternoon this weekend, neighbors, faith leaders, artists, and advocates filled the Church of the Living Hope for an interfaith celebration of Diwali and Bandi Chhor Divas. What began as a simple invitation—Know Your Lights—became a living room for New York’s pluralism: prayer and percussion, yoga and children’s laughter, Know Your Rights tables beside diya painting, all threaded together by a shared ethic of freedom from fear.

The program opened with prayers and remarks from community partners and spiritual leaders, setting a tone of gratitude and resolve. Kajori Chaudhuri/CCHR offered an opening statement grounding the day in human dignity and mental health. Then came the music: a gorgeous invocation in song by Shobana Ram, a soul-shaking performance by Umer Piracha of Falsa, a joyful mariachi set by Daniela and Juan Escamilla, and a closing crescendo from Sonny Singh (of Red Baraat) with Jonathan Goldberger and Rohin Khemani that had the hall on its feet.

Between and after the performances, two community panels traced the arc from devotion to liberation.

Panel 1—with Evan Freed (Port Together), Asma Elhuni (Resistencia En Accion NJ), and Rex Chen (Latino Justice Center), moderated by Prof. Radhika Balakrishnan (Rutgers, Emeritus)—lifted up concrete tools to keep one another safe and informed.
Panel 2—Sherry Padilla (Desis Rising Up and Moving) and Rabbi Abby Stein (Jewish Voice for Peace), moderated by HfHR NYC organizer Vrinda Jagota—wove stories of interfaith solidarity, migration, and the daily craft of showing up.

In the courtyard and space in front of the church, families moved between mehndi, children’s games, diya decorating, and a centering yoga session with Anuraag. Know Your Rights and community resource tables stayed busy throughout with Gurvir Singh Sidhu of Sikh Coalition and Ahmed Kargbo of CCHR, reminding us that celebration and safety belong together.

As dusk gathered, we lit diyas (well electric diyas, so we switched diyas on) —small flames for big commitments. Diwali’s triumph of light over darkness met Bandi Chhor Divas’s call to release and return from captivity. Together, they formed a promise: to let faith be a force for freedom, equality, and compassion in our city.

Thank you to our hosts and partners—Hindus for Human Rights, The Sikh Coalition, Church of the Living Hope, and the NYC Office for the Prevention of Hate Crimes—and to every volunteer, performer, and neighbor who made the evening shine.