Bloomberg Vetoes Bill on Diwali
BY: N. C. SRIREKHA
Nov 9, NEW YORK (INDIA POST) — Indian American New Yorkers were a tad disappointed when City Mayor Michael Bloomberg vetoed a legislation to suspend alternate side of street parking on Diwali day -- making the Hindu festival an official holiday in the City calendar -- despite an overwhelming approval from Council members. Although the City Council is planning to override the veto, any law passed thereafter will only benefit the community by next Diwali.
Expressing her disappointment over the Mayoral veto, Councilwoman Gale Brewer who sponsored the bill for suspending street parking restrictions in the city on Diwali day, said, "I look forward to working with my colleagues to accept the Mayor's veto at the November 16th Council Stated Meeting and override it at Nov 30th's Council Stated Meeting. The Indian American community is civic minded and this important piece of legislation honors their contributions in a uniquely New York way."
Last month, after the City Council passed the Diwali legislation, the Mayor had until Oct 28 to either pass it into law or veto it. Unfortunately, Mayor Bloomberg chose to veto it on the last possible day ensuring that the City Council did not rush to override his veto and make Diwali an official holiday.
Explaining the legislative process, Uday K. Tambar of the Indian American Center for Political Awareness said, "When the Mayor vetoes a bill, at the following Stated Council meeting (meeting with all Council Members) the Council Clerk enters the veto into the record. After the veto has been entered into the record, the Council can override the Mayor. Unfortunately, only one Stated Council meeting (Oct 27) remained before Nov 1. The Mayor had till Oct 28 to veto."
The Council can now make its move at one of the two Stated Council meetings in November (Nov 17 and Nov 31). So the city will officially observe Diwali next year.
Interestingly however, the City Council kept up the tradition of celebrating the Festival of Lights at the City Hall for the third consecutive year. Legislators and community came together to celebrate the Hindu festival on the evening of November 2.
The two-hour celebration was held in the Council Chambers, and was hosted by Council Speaker Gifford Miller and Council Members Gale Brewer, John C. Liu, Alan J. Gerson, Helen Sears, and David Weprin.
Community organizations that were invited to attend included the Association of Indians in America, the Indian American Center for Political Awareness, the Hindu Temple Society of North America, and the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON). “Having Diwali recognized by New York City helps make our community more visible in the cultural and political landscape,” said Udai Tambar from the Indian American Center for Political Awareness, “New York City has always been at the vanguard of what the rest of the country will do.”
A colorful addition to this year’s celebration was the active participation of young leaders from the Hindu-American community. In his saffron-colored robes, Columbia University Hare Krishna chaplain Gadadhara Pandit helped to remind the attendees of Diwali’s deep spiritual and traditional roots. Council Member Brewer, herself an alumnus of Columbia University, had earlier invited Pandit to speak at City Council hearings about Diwali’s religious significance. “Among Hindu festivals and holidays, Diwali is unique,” Pandit explained, “In that it is a common celebration that is sacred to Hindus from all regions, traditions, and denominations.” Reportedly, more than one million Hindus live and work in New York City. The celebration at City Hall included a ceremonial lighting of the diya, speeches by Council Member Liu and other dignitaries, a rousing tabla performance by an all-women’s ensemble from Chhandayan, and an Indian vegetarian dinner.
