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'Indian but also proud to be American': Udemy co-founder Gagan Biyani reflects on Diwali and cultural acceptance in US
Celebrating Diwali in Denver, Udemy co-founder Gagan Biyani said that the US now embraces Indian culture more openly than before.
Udemy co-founder Gagan Biyani has shared a heartwarming reflection on celebrating Diwali in the United States, saying the festival reminds him of why he is Indian, but also why he remains proud to be American.
In a long post on X, the entrepreneur drew parallels between what the festival looked like in the US years ago and how it had amassed a jubilant status now. “Today's Diwali and it reminds me of why I'm Indian but also why I'm proud to be American,” he wrote.
Biyani said that he was marking Diwali this year in Denver with his wife, brother, sister-in-law and mother, decorating the house and preparing a festive dinner. The celebration took on a deeper meaning when his brother mentioned that their four-year-old neighbour was “begging to join” the festivities after learning about the festival last year.
Biyani shared that the young neighbour, who is white and has little exposure to Indian communities, enjoyed a “mini Diwali” arranged especially for her last year, complete with lights, decorations and a short pooja ritual. “Given we're in Denver, she's white and has very few Indian friends, so normally this would be quite a shock,” he wrote.
“When I was young, I lived in a suburb with 20% Indians and still nobody ever asked me about Diwali. That was still the era when Indian Americans were most associated with Apu, the convenience store owner from The Simpsons,” Biyani continued.
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‘Proud to be celebrating my culture in US’
The entrepreneur contrasted that experience with what he now sees as a broader cultural openness in the US over the past three decades. “In 2025, I found nothing odd about a 4-year-old who is curious about my culture and where my parents are from. In fact, I've found that over my 30+ years here I have felt more and more curiosity and acceptance all around the country (not just in liberal enclaves like Denver and Oakland),” he said.
Further, Biyani acknowledged the polarisation in American politics and “some backsliding,” but said that his lived experience across the world leaves him more optimistic than discouraged.
“We constantly hear about how divisive America is. But I've traveled nearly everywhere - 60+ countries, often solo, including 15 times to India. America has its problems and it sucks to see the recent backsliding but the big picture is very clear to me,” he wrote, before firmly establishing that no other place ever felt like “home” to him like the US did.
“No place feels like home to me like the US of A. No place outside of India accepts my people the way America does. I'm proud to be celebrating my culture in the land of the free and the home of the brave,” he said.
