Priyanka Chopra Shares Excitement Over Diwali Becoming a Public School Holiday in NYC: ‘Representation Matters’

Earlier this week, New York City legislators made the announcement that Diwali will become a public school holiday, starting in 2023. And among the many who are celebrating this decision, one of the people to show their excitement was none other than Priyanka Chopra, 40, who took to social media to share her elation.

The Quantico actress reposted a video to her Instagram Story, where New York State Assembly member Jenifer Rajkumar shared the news. Along with the video, Chopra wrote, “After all these years! My teenage self living in Queens is crying tears of joy. #representationmatters.”

In the original video, courtesy of the Brut India Instagram account, Rajkumar says, “Today, I am proud to say the time has come. The time has come to recognize over 200,000 New Yorkers of the Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh and Jain faiths who celebrate Diwali, the Festival of Lights.”

The caption of the video read, “In a historic move, the New York City Mayor announced on Thursday that Diwali would be a public school holiday from next year. The Big Apple city is home to nearly two lakh South Asians and, for years, scores of them have been demanding Diwali to be declared a school holiday.”

Since there was no room on the city's calendar to add another holiday, it is being swapped in for Anniversary Day, which usually takes place on the first Thursday in June.

The dates of Diwali fluctuate, and this year, the 5-day festival starts on October 24.

Last year, Chopra shared snaps from her own family's celebration, writing, “Our first Diwali in our first home together. This one will always be special. Thank you to everyone who worked so hard to make this evening so special. You’re my angels.”

She also gave a shoutout to her friends and her hubby, Nick Jonas, writing, “To everyone who honoured our home and my culture by not only dressing the part but dancing the night away, you made me feel like I was back home. And to the best husband and partner @nickjonas, you are what dreams are made of. I love you. My heart is so grateful and full.”

The White Tiger actress also had a Diwali celebration in 2021 with a few of her famous friends, including Mindy Kaling and Lilly Singh. She posted snaps from the event and said, “Love, laughter and a room full of badass desi boss ladies. Thank you @mindykaling, @deepica + @meena for a lovely pre Diwali celebration.”

We can't wait to see how Priyanka celebrates this year (especially in the wake of such exciting news!).

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