In Light and Dark

In Light and Dark Diwali Panelists

Yakuta Poonawalla/Parks Conservancy

When: DATE NEEDED

Where: LOCATION NEEDED Registration Required.

Please join park staff for an evening of storytelling and a panel discussion at the Tunnel Tops to amplify South Asian community expert and leader’s voices, thus bringing awareness and attention to the role of members of this community in social and environmental justice movements. Using metaphors of light and dark (as Diwali is a festival of lights and a candle is lit as a metaphor for bringing light during darkness, good over evil etc.), the panelists will share about their work and what inspires them to create spaces of curiosity, community, access, welcome and belonging. This event will be moderated by park staff Yakuta Poonawalla with the support of Rebekah Berkov.

About panelist and artist Barnali Ghosh: In 2021, Berkeley-based designer Barnali Ghosh started a new pandemic project: taking photographs of herself dressed as California native flowers, centering the brown body and using South Asian fabrics and dance forms. The images took the native plant world by storm. Ghosh will share the backstory of these viral images, and how the project helped her find belonging in the native plant community and beyond.

Barnali Ghosh is an immigrant artist, landscape architect, and co-founder of the award-winning Berkeley South Asian Radical History Walking Tour. Her work attempts to bridge homes and homelands, and create spaces for belonging. A longtime transportation advocate, Ghosh was elected to the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) Board of Directors last year, representing District 3, which runs from Berkeley to Richmond, and beyond.

You can see her work on instagram @berkeleywali and @berkeleysouthasian.

About panelist and artist Vishal Subramanyam: Vishal Subramanyan is an award-winning wildlife photographer, videographer, and National Geographic Young Explorer. As a freelance storyteller, he partners with leading conservation organizations in California and beyond to create stories that inspire deeper connections between people and nature. He graduated from UC Berkeley in 2024 with degrees in ecology and statistics.

His work has been featured by National Geographic, CNN, NPR, Smithsonian, and the LA Times, and has won prestigious awards, including Wildlife Photographer of the Year. Through his work, Vishal shares compelling wildlife stories that spark curiosity and drive conservation action.

This is a free, family-friendly event but registration is required. 

Covid-Specific Guidelines:

• Face coverings and social distancing are encouraged but not required.
• Stay home and DO NOT attend if you:
  • Have any illness symptoms
  • Have tested positive for COVID-19
  • Suspect you have had contact with a COVID-19 positive case

The Golden Gate National Parks Volunteer Program is a cooperative parkwide effort of the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, the National Park Service, and the Presidio Trust.