Pelham Art Center Lights Up Diwali with Dances, Diyas and Henna

PELHAM, NY (November 4, 2025) — Pelham Art Center will host its annual Diwali: The Festival of Lights celebration on Sunday, November 16, from 1-3 p.m., featuring Indian classical music, Bollywood and Bharata Natyam dance performances, an art workshop and traditional henna.

The free event, open to the public of all ages, marks more than 20 years of the tradition at the center.

Diwali, a major festival for Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists and Jains, symbolizes light as a metaphor for knowledge dispelling the darkness of ignorance and signifying health, peace and prosperity. Celebrants light diyas — small oil lamps made from clay with a cotton wick dipped in oil — to signify the victory of good over evil.

Participants can create their own modernized decorated diya in an art workshop led by artist and designer Priya Nag.

The 2025 lineup includes:

• Sarod performance of Indian classical music by young instrumentalist Stefan Dutta.

• Bollywood-style dance performance by Pelham resident Heena Jain and her students.

• Bharata Natyam Indian classical dance performance, including storytelling, by Nalini Rau and students of the Natya Anubhava Academy of Dance.

• Henna offered by artist Rooza Rizwan.

For more information, visit https://www.pelhamartcenter.org/event/diwali-the-festival-of-lights/.

This article was drafted with the aid of Grok, an AI tool by xAI, under the direction and editing of Robert Cox to ensure accuracy and adherence to journalistic standards.