Diwali marks Illumina’s exciting year ahead

It’s a stark contrast to the often-packed buildings in the heart of India’s Silicon Valley. Illumina’s Bengaluru offices are empty—but only for a special week of celebration.

The festival of light, Diwali, has arrived for the hundreds of team members in India. More than 1 billion people worldwide will celebrate the special holiday, which is seen as a pivotal occasion of reflection and new beginnings.

Celebrating the triumph of good over evil is the cornerstone of the festival, and distinctive displays of lights, candles, and festivities can be found in every home. It’s a theme that deeply inspires Uday Gs of the Product Lifecycle Management team.

While in college for his bachelor’s degree in pharmacy, Gs overheard a loud noise shortly after his friend stepped into a nearby room.

“He lost consciousness for five minutes,” Gs recalls.

That friend was living with epilepsy and had missed his medication the day before. He’d been told that, due to the genetic nature of his condition, there is no cure. Uday Gs's goal is to help enable the work that will advance precision medicine and overcome that darkness.

“It’s a dream,” he says, “one day maybe calling him and saying, ‘You don’t need to take the medicine; it can be cured.’”

Gs is not alone; many of his colleagues have shared similar stories and goals with him. Tens of millions of India’s 1.5 billion people are estimated to have a rare disease, and he’s confident that his team’s rapid growth will enable even more genomic discoveries and breakthroughs.

In 2023, Illumina opened a new office and state-of-the-art genomics lab—known as an Illumina Solutions Center—in Bengaluru. A year later, the company opened a global capability center in the city’s Manyata Technology Park, where Gs works. A recent town hall with teams from both offices was so large it had to be held off-site.

With all that expansion and change, Gs says everyone on his team is excited to embark on the next chapter during this important time of the year. Diwali marks the start of a new year in the Hindu calendar. For people in India and all who observe, it's an occasion for reflection and moving ahead—from challenges to fresh beginnings.

“We say, ‘Hey, Diwali is going to come, think positively,’” Gs says. “So much is coming in 2026. We are planning many new projects, and we are growing and expecting dynamic work.”

To usher in the new year, Illumina’s India offices went all-out with celebrations in the weeks leading up to the holiday. Hallways and workspaces were adorned with flowers and decorations symbolizing good fortune and the clearing of life’s obstacles.

Employees and their family members had the chance to join numerous fun games and activities, including karaoke, talent shows, a group dance, a DNA extracting experiment, an interactive quiz, and a photo booth.

At Illumina's headquarters in San Diego, the SHADES Employee Resource Group is hosting an event with festive snacks and candle-holder painting to kick off the celebrations—sharing traditions, helping educate colleagues about the cultural significance of Diwali, and elevating festivities for those already celebrating.

Diwali is also about spending time with community and family, which Gs says has been part of the culture at Illumina ever since he joined. While their teams have now grown, he is proud that they’ve all continued the close-knit family culture.

As the office Diwali events come to an end, some team members head home to the city and surrounding areas, while others fly more than 1000 miles to continue the celebrations with loved ones elsewhere. Gs is especially excited to spend time with his family.

“I called my mom; I told her, ‘I'm missing your food. I need this food and I need that food,’” he laughs, while listing off some of his favorite requests.

He’s looking forward to that feeling of a new start at the office after the holiday—they are all expecting an incredible year ahead.

“It’s a new beginning and time to start fresh,” he says. “As the company is growing, they are making sure we are growing with it.”