The Bovard Auditorium lit up Sunday evening for the celebration of the Diwali festival. With music, dancing, colors and food, the audience got a slice of the festivities that took place a week ago in India.
Diwali, originally a Hindu festival, but now celebrated across other cultures as well, is a major event in India. It represents the victory of good over evil and welcomes light in darkness.
“The celebration this year is special and different as [the Association of Indian Students] worked along with the government of India and is a part of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, an initiative by the Indian government to commemorate and celebrate 75 years of the nation’s independence,” said Ashish Kumar, president of the AIS.
The event kicked off after a few words from the Consulate General of India, Dr. T.V. Nagendra Prasad, who was the chief guest at the event. The speech was followed by various performances including Bollywood, folk and classical Indian music and dance.
The students attending the event sat in anticipation for the performances, each eliciting cheers and delight from the audience.
“It was really special performing for the first time to a big audience, in an Indian event in the U.S. and I thought picking Bollywood songs would be appropriate,” said Shamanth Nataraj Dixit, a Masters student from USC Viterbi and one of the singers at the event. “It was intense with the Bovard spotlight on me, but there was a nice cheering audience and it felt great.”
For some, the highlight of the event was the food, flooding them with nostalgia of the celebratory times.
“I feel like I am back with my family at an event,” said Pankti Trivedi, a graduate student from India, as everyone gathered around to get the food after the event. “Everyone’s traditional clothes and the food and people taking pictures…I love it.”
Kumar said organizing such an event is AIS’s way of bringing joy to people’s lives. The team at AIS also wants to make sure that it helps connect Indian students with home during the festive season, especially if this is their first time away from their family.
