Hindu leader praises Port schools for considering Diwali

Luke Torrance
Rajan Zed (Photo courtesy of Rajan Zed)

Rajan Zed, a Nevada-based Hindu statesman, singled out the Port Washington School District over its consideration to make the Hindu festival of Diwali a school holiday.

“[A] Diwali holiday in PWUFSD would be a step in the positive direction in view of… a substantial number of Hindu students in the District; as it was important to meet the religious and spiritual needs of these pupils,” he said in a statement.

Diwali is the festival of light for Hindus and occurs every autumn but the exact date depends on the Hindu calendar. In 2017, the holiday was celebrated on Oct. 19.

The issue has been brought up at school board meetings over the past few months.

During each meeting, a Port Washington resident would speak during public comment about why the district needed to recognize Diwali.

During December’s meeting, board president Karen Sloane said the district was looking into adding the holiday to the school’s calendar.

Hinduism is rich in festivals and religious festivals are very dear and sacred to Hindus,” Zed said in a statement. “Diwali, the festival of lights, aims at dispelling the darkness and lighting up the lives and symbolizes the victory of good over evil.”

Zed said that it is important to celebrate Diwali with family and he did not want Hindu students punished for being absent on the holiday.

Six New York school districts — East Meadow School District, East Williston Union Free School District, Half Hollow Hills Central School District, Herricks Union Free School District, Hicksville Union Free School District and Syosset Central School District — recognized Diwali as a holiday in 2017.

The Mineola Union Free School District had classes on Diwali but no homework was given or examinations were held.

Zed is the president of the Universal Society of Hinduism and has delivered Hindu prayers in the senate and house of representatives of Oregon, Nevada, Colorado, California, New Mexico, Arizona and Washington.

He was invited to a meeting with the European Parliament in 2008 to promote interfaith dialogue and discuss Hindu issues.

He is perhaps best known for delivering the first ever Hindu prayer in the United States Senate in 2007. The decision to allow Zed to deliver a prayer drew protests from Christian conservatives like the American Family Association and failed Senate candidate Roy Moore.

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