Hindu students in Ohio to get holiday for Diwali

San Francisco: Hindu students in Ohio will be getting a holiday for Diwali and two other Hindu holidays per school year, an Indian American State legislator has announced.

A bill co-sponsored by Indian American Senator Niraj Antani that was passed by State Legislation has now been passed by Ohio Governor Mike Dewine.

"Because of this law that I co-sponsored, every Hindu student in Ohio will be able to take school off as a holiday for Diwali beginning in 2025 and then for the rest of history. This is an incredible victory for Hindus in Ohio,” Antani said.

“This makes us the 1st state in American history to give every student Diwali school off as a holiday,” said Antani, who is the 1st Hindu American State Senator in Ohio history and the youngest Hindu American state or federal elected official in the nation.

“As well, our law surpasses any other school district in the nation so far as it also allows 2 other religious holidays to be taken. That means a Gujarati Hindu student can take a day off for Navaratri or Annakut, a BAPS devotee can take off for Pramukh Swami Maharaj Jayanti, a Swaminarayan devotee can take off for Hari Jayanti, a Telugu Hindu student can take Ugadi off, a Tamil Hindu student can take Pongal off, a Bengali Hindu student can take Durga Puja off, a Punjabi Hindu student can take Lohri off, an ISKCON devotee can take Krishna Janmashtami off, and more,” he said.

“I remember as a kid that for Navarati on weeknights not being able to stay for dandiya at the end of the night. This will no longer be a problem for any Hindu kid in Ohio henceforth," Antani said.

The bill does require a parent to send the principal of the school a signed letter informing them of the religious holidays the student will be taking off. The signed letter must be sent to the principal within 14 days of the 1st day of the school year. The principal must approve the days off.

"Ohio is setting an example for the rest of the country on how schools can ensure all students can practice their faiths fully without the fear of negative academic consequences. The Hindu American Foundation applauds Senator Antani and the interfaith community of Ohio for their leadership on this important initiative," said Samir Kalra, managing director of the Hindu American Foundation.

The Ohio Department of Education and Workforce has recognised Diwali as October 20 and October 21 for 2025.

“As a Hindu parent of students who recently graduated in Cleveland, this would have been astounding to have during Diwali. It would have allowed my children to observe Diwali fully and without worrying about their studies. I am so glad that now, no other Hindu student or parent in Ohio will have this worry,” said Rakesh Ranjan, Director, the Cleveland Chapter, Coalition of Hindus of North America (CoHNA).

“This landmark effort empowers nearly 120,000 Hindus across the state to celebrate their cherished traditions with their families, fostering inclusion and cultural understanding. More importantly, it furthers Ohio’s commitment to upholding family values. This will serve as a template for many other states with significant Hindu populations, to emulate,” said Utsav Chakrabarti, executive director, HinduACTion.