Assemblyman Balvir Singh (left to right); Moorestown Mayor Quinton Law; township sisters Reet Arora, Rhea Arora and Vari Arora; state Sen. Troy Singleton; and Burlington County Commissioner Randy Brolo at the Perkins Center for the Arts on Oct. 4.
Moorestown residents Rhea, Vari and Reet Arora were inspired by a discussion on cultural appropriation to create Diyas and Delights – a celebration of Diwali, the Festival of Lights – for their community.
“One night we were all sitting together and we were scrolling through Instagram, TikTok, all those apps,” Vari recalled, “and there were so many videos about how different parts of our culture were being appropriated, about how people were calling them things that they weren’t.
“So we (thought), ‘This is not okay. How can we do something about it?'”
“We were reacting (about) it and we wanted to take action instead, so we decided on creating an event to showcase the culture and to include our community,” Rhea said. “We really wanted to promote inclusivity and diversity within our community, and we also thought that it would be an educational opportunity to teach the history and the culture, because it’s so rich and many people don’t know about it.
“We wanted to teach that within our community.”
Diwali, held annually over a five-day period, is a festival that marks the triumph of light over darkness, knowledge over ignorance and good over evil. Its origins date back to ancient India, and it is celebrated by millions of Hindus, Jains and Sikhs worldwide.
Diwali is associated with new beginnings and is a time for families to come together to celebrate with food and festivities. Although the holiday was celebrated on Oct. 20, Moorestown’s event happened at the Perkins Center for the Arts on Oct. 4.
“I thought it was really amazing how everyone was able to come together,” Vari commented. “It (the event) just looked amazing. I was in awe … It’s really nice to have people support you and what you’re doing.”
Diyas and Delights featured a variety of dances, music, shows and song.
Rhea, Vari and Reet started to plan Diyas and Delights earlier this year and worked closely with Kahra Buss, Perkins’ executive director, and Karen Reiner of MooreUnity. Once they got the ball rolling, the sisters reached out to friends, family and peers to help with the event, all of which the volunteers were on board with.
Rhea was the coordinator for the festival’s vendors. She’s a senior at the Burlington County Institute of Technology and she coordinates all the outreach events for the school’s robotics team, so the experience helped.
“It was nice … And it was just easy,” she observed. “They were all happy to help us.”
More than 400 residents, community and state leaders – including Moorestown Mayor Quinton Law and Assemblyman Balvir Singh – attended Diyas and Delights for music, song, dance, Henna design, food and crafts. (Henna – called mehndi in Hindi and Urdu – is mainly used in celebration of special occasions such as weddings and birthdays in a joyous gathering of people.)
Volunteers helped with the event’s colorful and festive setup. A variety of Indian vendors set the theme, Vari explained, and the festival also had people decorate and light diyas, the small clay or metal oil lamps with cotton wicks used for festivals like Diwali.
To top it all off, guests were treated to a fashion show. Since Diwali is celebrated in different ways in different states of India, the show’s garments helped to demonstrate that.
“People wore outfits from all over India,” Reet recounted, “and as they were walking up and down, Rhea would (talk about) each part of where the outfit is from … And how Diwali shared in each part.”
“Every part of India has such a different way they design their clothes,” Rhea explained. “It (the fashion show) was definitely an experience that was very insightful.”
The sisters spent more than 80 hours this summer planning Diyas and Delights, but all the hard work was worth it, they emphasized. The three plan to bring the event that made them feel proud of their culture back next year.
“A few of (my teachers) asked me in person on Monday (Diyas and Delights was held on a Saturday) how the event went, and I was able to tell them how well it went,” Vari offered. “I was just so proud of what we did. Imagine being able to tell your teacher that you (had) 400-plus people at an event.”
“Bringing everybody together from the town was huge,” said Ruchika, mother of Vari, Rhea and Reet. “I know for me – just standing back – it was nice to hear and see the entire community, everybody we’ve ever come across, there.
“It was really nice.”
