Priyanka Chopra on Diwali being a school holiday in New York from 2023: ‘My teenage self living in Queens is crying…’

Actor Priyanka Chopra has reacted to the recent announcement that Diwali will be a holiday in New York City public schools from 2023. Taking to Instagram Stories, Priyanka re-posted a video. She wrote, “After all these years! My teenage self living in Queens is crying tears of joy. #representationmatters.” (Also Read | Katrina Kaif reveals learning Kathak with Priyanka Chopra, recalls guruji’s reaction to her dance: ‘Koi nahi beta’)

In the video, New York Assembly Member Jenifer Rajkumar said, “Today I’m proud to say our 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.” She was joined by Mayor Eric Adams. The video was originally shared by Brut India on their Instagram.

Priyanka, at the age of 13, moved to the US to study. She lived with her aunt and attended schools in Newton, Massachusetts, and Cedar Rapids, Iowa, after Queens, New York. She returned to India after a few years and finished the senior year of her high-school education at the Army Public School in Bareilly.

Last year, speaking on The Carlos Watson Show, she had said, “I was kind of bought in by the big high schools and not having to wear uniforms. And in my school you wore uniforms. (In the US) girls wore makeup in middle school. At that time, at 12, I was like, yes, I want to study in this magical land of vanity. ”

She added, “I told my mom I want to move here, and my mom’s sister was very happy to take me in. So I kind of lived with my mom’s sister and brother for a period of about three or four years. And they moved around in their jobs. So I lived in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. I was in Indianapolis for a bit. I was in Queens — Flushing, Queens, actually — for a good year. Then I was also in Newton, Massachusetts, before I went back to India.”

The actor currently lives with her husband-singer Nick Jonas in Los Angeles. Priyanka and Nick got married in Christian and Hindu ceremonies at Jodhpur’s Umaid Bhawan Palace in December 2018. In January 2022, the two announced that they welcomed daughter Malti Marie via surrogacy.

Priyanka will be seen in international projects such as It’s All Coming Back To Me, and the series Citadel. Produced by Russo Brothers, Citadel will hit the OTT on Prime Video. The upcoming sci-fi drama series is being directed by Patrick Morgan and stars Richard Madden alongside Priyanka. She also has Farhan Akhtar’s Jee Le Zaraa, with Alia Bhatt and Katrina Kaif.