Diwali has been celebrated on the Sunshine Coast for years. Except, it also hasn’t.
There’s never been a public celebration of Diwali here, even though it’s one of the most significant festivals on Earth. The Coast has always been a multicultural place, but let’s be real, Vancouver it ain’t. And so, the people who celebrate Diwali have done so privately, in small gatherings and in their homes.
But as the Indian and South Asian diaspora communities grow – as they are across B.C. and Canada – bursts of cross-cultural experimentation break through into the mainstream culture of the smaller places in this province. At least that’s what I’ve noticed here on the Coast.
There’s a kind of cross-pollination that’s producing new ways to practice community – unique, I’d wager, because of our small population. We’re too small to stay out of each other’s business. It’s organic, sometimes it’s awkward, but it is happening.
On the Coast it feels like we’ve reached a threshold where it’s possible to write new chapters together – even though we have no idea where they’ll lead. It’s organic, sometimes it’s awkward. But as Sushma Dass and Sarah Dhillon have proven, if we try, we can make what’s happening, beautiful.
Show Notes
Read about the Sunshine Coast’s first Diwali in Coast Reporter
Listen to Abhishek Khosla’s music via Facebook
Listen to Aamin Khosla’s music via Instagram
Sushma and Sarah are looking for volunteers for next year. Contact them at secheltdiwali@gmail.com
Songs in this episode include Greyleaf Willow, Frank and Poet, and Sage the Hunter by Blue Dot Sessions
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