New York : With Ganesh Chaturthi less than a week away, NRIs in the US are circulating messages urging Indians to celebrate at home and keep festivities private. Ganesh Chaturthi, which marks the birth of Hindu deity Ganesha, is celebrated with the installation of Ganesha idols, both privately in homes and publicly at elaborate pandals. This year, it will be celebrated on September 14 (Monday).
This year, however, some Indians in the US are advising each other against publicly celebrating Ganesh Chaturthi. They are also urging content creators to refrain from posting or publicising their celebrations and festivities online. The calls for caution come amid a growing wave of anti-Indian hate and racism in the US, particularly on social media. The conversation began with a graphic posted by Nris_Adda, an Instagram account with over two lakh followers that regularly posts about issues affecting the NRI community in the US, including H-1B visas and the EAD programme.
“Please celebrate only at home with your family,” the post read, adding, “Avoid group celebrations in apartments, colonies, roads and public places, especially Dallas.” For context, Dallas is home to one of the largest Indian-American populations in the US, with nearly 2.7 lakh Indian-Americans living in the broader Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area. It is also located in Texas, a state that has long been a stronghold of the Republican Party.
The post further urged Indian Americans to reject invitations from fellow community members to participate in festivities, stating: “If friends invite you, say we will celebrate at our home.” The Nris_Adda post also included an advisory for “content creators”, asking them to avoid posting any content related to Ganesh Chaturthi festivities. It also advised creators to avoid attending public festivities organised for the festival, stating: “Avoid mandaps, loud gatherings, road events and visarjan (immersion) in lakes.”
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