When a stranger made me feel I belong
“Tell me YOUR story.” is not a thing I often hear at a corporate gig. Sometimes, I am just a vendor who is there to provide an exciting experience. People participate wonderfully and then turn back to their work conversations. But not yesterday.
I had the opportunity to do a Diwali dances and stories workshop at a joint celebration between Capco, Molson Coors, Mars, and more. Not only was it beautifully organized, but every person who participated was so engaged! I was already beaming after the workshop when someone came over to learn more about me. More people joined, and then some more, and suddenly I felt that I fully belonged in that space.
Cultural celebrations in the workplace are not simply about an event or a holiday. They are one of the few moments when people feel invited to connect as humans. When a space encourages curiosity, conversation, and genuine listening, it creates a true sense of belonging.
And while I am usually the one working towards this goal at events, yesterday, a kind stranger did the same for me.
Thank you to the organizers who made that environment intentional and thoughtful. It was clear that this was not just a “Diwali activity” but a meaningful effort to create an event where people can show up as themselves. And that matters far beyond one evening.
2025 Public Diwali Events
Join us this Diwali as we combine Indian Dances and Cultural Stories in an incredibly fun way!
Magic of Diwali: India’s Festival of Lights!
All around Chicagoland and even Michigan!
In this unforgettable Diwali Celebration Workshop, you’ll be swept into a dazzling journey of lights, joy, and culture as we explore one of India’s most magical festivals.
Here’s what awaits:
✨ 5-day Adventure: Travel through the five festive days of Diwali, from Dhanteras to Bhai Dooj, through exciting stories that explain each day’s meaning in the most joyful, inclusive way.
✨ Dance Through the Days: Learn easy, high-energy moves inspired by Indian dance styles, bringing each part of Diwali to life with rhythm!
✨ Perfect for Everyone: Whether you’re a curious explorer or a seasoned Diwali fan, this interactive event is ideal for kids, families, teens, and adults.
Let’s Celebrate Diwali, India’s dazzling festival of lights!
Chicago Kids Diwali Party!
Get tickets to our annual celebration! Diwali Dance, Stories, Snacks, Craft!
Public Free Event Schedules
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Chicago Kids Diwali Party!
Join Bubbles Academy AND Bollywood & Culture Groove for another year of the Ultimate Kids Diwali party!
Diwali is the festival of lights and is the most popular festival in India.
Location: Bubbles Academy, 1308 N Elston Ave, Chicago, IL 60642
Date/Time: Sat, Oct 25, 4 pm to 6 pm
Join us for an afternoon of fun and excitement including:
* Diwali Storytime
* Make a cool Diwali Craft
* Diwali Dance Party!
* FREE Snacks by Patel Brothers
Tickets are $30 per child.
10 ways to celebrate Diwali at Schools
It’s Diwali and you plan to do *something* around the festival at your kids’ school. Or maybe you are a teacher who wants to create a more multicultural and inclusive environment in their classroom. Here are some easy ways to provide a memorable cultural experience!
1. Introduce the meaning and 5 Days of Diwali
Explain the significance of Diwali, the Festival of Lights, and its themes of good triumphing over evil, light over darkness, and knowledge over ignorance. Talk about the 5 days of Diwali with celebrations that are more cultural than religious.
Use the slide from our free Diwali Celebration guide!
What’s included? everything mentioned on this page along with 45, 60, and 5-day lesson plans along with a Diwali dessert recipe.
2. Storytime with Diwali Tales
Books are a fantastic way to get the celebration going!
Share age-appropriate stories from Diwali such as 5 days of Diwali, what are they called and how do you celebrate each day. Check out Maya/Neel’s three Bestselling Diwali books!
3. Make a fun and simple Diwali craft
Nothing better than a hands-on activity! I love this one because of how easy it is to both arrange for the material and also for kids of all ages to do.
4. Screen a Kid-Friendly Diwali Video
Show an educational and engaging video about Diwali to help children better understand the holiday, its traditions, and how it is celebrated.
5. Invite a Guest Speaker/Author/Dance Instructor
If possible, bring in a guest speaker from the community, like a parent, author or cultural educator, to speak about their Diwali traditions and answer children’s questions.
An Indian dance workshop is another way to provide a fun and hands-on cultural experience!
Ajanta provides incredibly fun Diwali interactive experiences at schools, libraries, and corporates.
6. Host a Diwali Quiz
Use this template to host a fun Diwali quiz! Offer small rewards for participation to make learning fun and interactive.
7. Talk about Diwali Day of Giving
As we mention in our books, Day 4 of Diwali is also celebrated as Saal Mubarak, when people often exchange new year gifts.
Taking this to one step further into giving to the ones in need, we have set up a Diwali Day of Kindness.
How do you participate? Simply enter any acts of kindness performed between now and 4th day of Diwali here.
8. Make a Diwali pop-up card
Make this super fun Diwali pop-up card! The kids love the 3D aspect of this activity.
9. Teach a fun Diwali song
Introduce children to a really fun Diwali song that teaches them about 5 Days of Diwali in the tune of 12 days of Christmas!
10. 5 Days of Diwali Coloring page
A Rangoli coloring page can be quite fun but even better is a coloring page that brings the learning of 5 Days of Diwali home!
Our free Diwali celebration guide has both. Please use whichever suits your needs best.
Virtual Diwali Tour
We are so excited to announce the 2022 Virtual Author Tour.
With three Maya/Neel books on Diwali, now is the perfect time to schedule your Author Visit!
Let Bestselling Author and Presenter, Ajanta, take over for an hour and engage your students’ or coworkers’ imagination by sharing an inspiring presentation on Diwali, the festival of lights of India.
Using a combination of Joyful Movement, Indian music, and Stories, Ajanta will create an ultimate exciting and engaging experience!
Ajanta is the co-founder of Bollywood & Culture Groove and for the past 10 years, has endlessly worked towards spreading the joy of culture! She is the award-winning co-author of Maya/Neel book series. Her work has been featured on NBC, ABC, FOX, Elle Magazine, Neilsen Media, Sun-Times, Univision, Al Jazira+, and more.
Explore Maya/Neel Diwali Books
We hope to bring the magic and excitement of Diwali to your School, Library, or Organization.
Happy Diwali!
What People Say
Ajanta provides a highly engaging webinar. The information and resources provided in it, to go along with her high energy level during the presentation, made it a success.
Awesome inspiring and energetic lecture on the importance of cultural awareness and acceptance in our world !!
It’s rare to find such a dynamic speaker who also provides such structured content.
Saw Ajanta at a conference and wow! She is dynamic and inspiring! She is the pinnacle of edutainment--building cultural awareness while fully engaging and entertaining her audience. (Imagine a group of librarians on their feet dancing along with Ajanta!) I'm now booking her for 22 performances in my area and I may attend every single one!
Ajanta is AMAZING! I booked her at my public library for both a family dance and culture program and a short workshop for tweens through adults. She has unstoppable energy, is excellent with all age groups, and really brought the fun. The addition of her books and introduction to Indian language and culture was fantastic. It really opened a door for kids, teens, and adults in my community. Couldn't recommend her more!
We had a group of young kids. Ms. Ajanta's energy was infectious. Even the reluctant one stayed for the whole program. Her way of describing Indian culture was simple, highly visual, and bubbly. She was very good at engaging the kids. Even the parents got into the dancing.
Today Bollywood Groove & Culture Groove was at the West Englewood Library and it was an amazing experience. They explained Holi, The Festival of Colours with music and dance. It was interactive keeping the attention of a room of preschoolers for an hour while providing new information. Fun & learning was done by all.
I attended a dance class at the public library and it was an absolute delight! Ajanta had great energy and I learned a lot about Indian dance, culture, and history.
Ajanta came to do an Indian Dance & Culture Workshop for kids at my library. She had so much energy that I was tired just watching! She was able to keep the kids engaged the whole time while teaching them about different aspects of the Holi Festival. In the process the kids learned a dance that they put together at the end. We would love to have Ajanta back in the future!
Ajanta was amazing. The kids loved her. They were super engaged throughout the whole lesson. Very educational and entertaining!
We organized a virtual party for my daughter Sarah during the lockdown. Ajanta was amazing and the party was a great success! Children and families connected through Zoom and learned a traditional dance and it's meaning. Thank you for the great experience!
We no longer live in Chicago but my daughter and I both love the kids and adults Bollywood groove classes! The adult classes are a fantastic workout and I have not found anything as good in Atlanta. The kids dance classes are perfectly paced for this age group, interspersed with story telling and culture and a virtual recital at the end. Love, love, love Ajanta!
I'm not sure how I haven't written a review here before. I've been taking these classes for a year and a half now. I've never stuck with a workout that long. I love Ajanta. Somehow after dancing all day she still has more energy than I have when I wake up. I work out harder in BG than I do in any other workout I do; it's probably because I'm having so much fun that I don't even realize how hard I'm breathing. I highly recommend these classes.
My four-year-old daughter loves dance classes with Bollywood Groove! She has been taking classes for eight months - first at her school and now online. I highly recommend this program for kids and adults! It's a great workout with catchy music and awesome dance moves. Class also has a bit of education regarding India (the language, culture, etc). Truly a wonderful experience.
We had a virtual 5th birthday party last week put on by Bollywood Groove. The organization of the event was taken care of and we were provided simple instructions as to how to manage the party. The party itself was full of energy, perfectly themed, and fun for all! the birthday girl loved it, as did all of the attendees!
Wonderful Bollywood birthday party for my eight year old grandson via Zoom. Friends and relatives from all over the country were able to participate. And they DID because of the excellent example, enthusiasm, and creativity of the teacher! One party goer said that it was the most fun he'd had since COVID-19 quarantine began. I went all out and felt accomplished after the exercise.
By far the most energizing virtual workout I have been to all year! Ajanta was such a lively instructor and amazing at engaging the group. Such a fun way to get a workout in!
This place is so much fun. It doesn't even feel like you're working out because the music is lively and everyone is so into it. Definitely give it a try. You won't regret it.
This is a review for the zoom kids class. Love the choreography, music selections, your style of teaching. Ms Ajanta you are energetic, and we love your manner of explanation to the kids. We also love how you've incorporated story time regarding Indian culture during your breaks. My son doesn't know any Hindi but is able to dance to the songs and has learnt some awesome moves! This class has been enriching at so many levels but most importantly the kids love you and they have fun! You make the parents want to sit in and dance as well! I often find most Bollywood song choreographies very redundant but yours is unique and fun!
Bollywood Groove helped my company celebrate Diwali virtually with employees from across the country! The class was the perfect blend of cultural learning and dancing. Ajanta was able to tie in different parts of Diwali with each of the dance moves. Everyone who joined the virtual dance class loved Ajanta's high energy and how engaging she was. I definitely recommend Bollywood Groove for any parties/corporate events/etc. as a fun, lively, and educational event - that can be done virtually!
By far the most energizing virtual workout I have been to all year! Ajanta was such a lively instructor and amazing at engaging the group. Such a fun way to get a workout in!
Ajanta’s energetic workshop received nothing but positive exclamations from our Dell Team members! She makes diversity and inclusion through culture sharing engaging, fun, interactive and absolutely refreshing against our typical day-to-day.
Bollywood Groove has been AMAZING! We have been joining the virtual classes over the past month and the level of instruction is unmatched. My 3yo is blossoming!