Light over darkness: That’s what Diwali symbolizes for me and so many South Asians who celebrate the holiday. This year, the season kicked off with the All That Glitters Diwali Ball in New York at the Pierre Hotel in Manhattan.
Anjula Acharia, an entrepreneur and South Asian powerhouse, brought together a host committee including Teen Vogue editor-in-chief Versha Sharma and celebrated personalities like Indra Nooyi, Jay Sean, and Rupi Kaur. The October 28 gala featured a stunning Taj Hotel atmosphere and high-profile attendees dressed in glittering and bedazzled outfits — many of them outfitted by Indian designers Falguni and Shane Peacock, also on the host committee.
As I made my way to the hotel’s Rotunda Room with Kaur and our mutual friend Saad Amer, I was mesmerized by the hundreds of people gathered for the cocktail hour, light reflecting off their embroidered outfits and heavy jewelry. Ornate white flower arrangements framed the staircases we walked down to get to the crowd, and several chandeliers hung above as wait staff expertly weaved through with drinks.
After taking photos on the Rotunda Room’s two grand staircases, we all made our way to the adjacent Cotillion Room; here, several hosts — including And Just Like That’s Sarita Choudhury — gave speeches and thanked all the guests for coming, some of whom had flown in from abroad to attend.
Following the speeches, AATMA Performing Arts’s dancers performed and we enjoyed a dinner featuring several Indian delicacies like pav bhaji, biryani, gulab jamun, and rasgulla. Bollywood and popular American tunes carried us late into the night, emceed by Jay Sean himself.
Designer and host Prabal Gurung, who floated across the dance floor for hours, told me Diwali was “one of [his] favorite holidays ever.”
“It has been since I was growing up in Nepal and India, and it feels surreal to be able to celebrate like this,” he said. “I mean, look at the fashion!”
Gurung was right, since guests took the “Modern Raja and Rani” (king and queen) theme very seriously. The Peacocks are co-founders of the famous Indian couture line who recently collaborated on a New York Fashion Week collection with celebrity stylist Law Roach. Their style was reflected in the outfits they designed for many of the guests, like influencer and entrepreneur Diipa Kholsa’s stunning backless custom gown that I immediately wanted to try on. Gurung’s hand embroidered sherwani (which was encrusted with 100,000 emeralds and crystals in his atelier) was another one of my favorites. All the while, I spent the night in my own intricate lehenga, a stunning off-white and gold embroidered ensemble from Preserve, a rental company founded by Lindsey Chakraborty.
New clothes are an important part of honoring Diwali because of the holiday’s emphasis on prosperity, new beginnings, and light over darkness. “Wearing new clothes is seen as a way to show respect and devotion to the deities, seeking their blessings for prosperity and happiness,” The Times of India writes.
The evening made me reminisce about my own days celebrating Diwali while growing up between the U.S. and India, and how mainstream the holiday is becoming in this country compared to when I was a child. In fact, Diwali was recognized by New York City public schools for the first time on November 12, 2023.
For Jessel Taank, the first Indian woman on The Real Housewives of New York City, this kind of progress wouldn’t be possible without the determination and energy that Gen Z brings to the table.
“Young people are the future, I’m so thankful we have so many who are fighting for causes they believe in because we need that drive right now,” she said, speaking of Saad Amer’s important climate change efforts.
Taank isn’t the only one with her eye on the youth. Bing Chen, CEO and founder of Gold House, an initiative that aims to uplift and champion Asian Pacific creators and companies, said the youth right now are the light in what can be a dark world. “You and your generation are the future. Don’t let anyone dim that light,” he said.
Falguni and Shane Peacock fervently praised renowned activist Malala Yousafzi. Meanwhile, Rupi Kaur uplifted the work of the young journalists on the ground in Gaza like 24-year-old Motaz Azaiza.
The poet, who first took the world by storm when she published the critically acclaimed Milk and Honey, was among several artists to sign a pledge calling for a ceasefire, which she shared on Instagram the day before the Diwali event. She also recently shared a public statement about why she was rejecting the White House’s invitation to celebrate Diwali, citing reasons like the U.S. government’s financial backing of Israel.
Many guests I spoke to were reconciling with the tension of celebrating the holiday at the Pierre given what’s happening in the world, particularly in Israel and Palestine. Kaur underscored that we can hold space for both celebration and grief.
“It feels weird to dress up in this time because my mind is still on what’s happening,” she said. “I’m hoping to bring politics into the spaces because I really think we need them and we can’t ignore what’s happening around us.”
Acharia agreed. She told me she had thought very seriously about cancelling the festive occasion altogether because of the current political climate, until she spoke to a friend about it.
“She said that if I’m going to allow so much sadness into my heart then I also have to let the light and happiness in,” she said. “Given that Diwali stands for exactly that, I went forward with it because I think we needed to get together to celebrate a day that’s so important for our culture.
Acharia is one of several hosts of the event who has been outspoken on social media about the dire situation in Gaza, particularly for children.
The event organizers turned their collective grief into action by donating tens of thousands of dollars to Doctors Without Borders and directing people to organizations like UNICEF that are conducting life-saving missions for vulnerable people in the region.
As Kaur told me on her way out of the event, “They need us to keep talking. We can’t stop.”
