Celebrating Diwali

By Kendra L. Bates, Assistant Director of Communications

Moments of celebration are always in abundance at the Lower School. On the morning of October 21, 2022, Berwick Academy’s youngest students gathered with faculty and staff for their community meeting and a special presentation.

During the presentation, guests Meera Mahadevan P’20, ’23, Dr. Mansi Saksena P’21, ’26, and Dr. Padmini Holla P’22, ’27, shared the history of Diwali, also known as the Festival of Lights, a multi-day celebration of post-harvest bounty. Mahadevan, Saksena, and Holla explained how they celebrate the holiday in their homes and read a short story on the origins of Diwali while projecting hand-drawn illustrations for all to see.

Students sat attentively as they learned that, while the holiday’s origins are Hindu, people of various faiths celebrate Diwali. Hindus celebrate it to receive Lord Rama following his victory over Ravana and to welcome the blessings of Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth. Sikhs celebrate to remember the time of the release of their Guru, Hargobind, from captivity by Emperor Jahangir. Jains and Buddhists also celebrate Diwali. For them, the festival marks the day Lord Mahavira, the last of the Jain Tirthankaras, achieved enlightenment and the day that Emperor Ashoka embraced Buddhism as his chosen faith.

The presenting parents carefully answered student questions and shared the personal objects they use to decorate and celebrate Diwali. They demonstrated how they tie their sarees, the traditional Indian garments that consist of a single fabric that stretches and weaves over the body.

The community meeting and presentation concluded with students returning to their classrooms to experiment creatively with Rangoli coloring pages, which are works