Indian Student Association celebrates 'festival of lights'

11/18/08 - The University of Rhode Island Indian Student Association held its annual Diwali Celebration on Saturday night in the Memorial Union Ballroom. Guests were welcomed with the distinctive scent of curry and spices, as colorful Christmas lights and spotlights colored various parts of the ballroom.

About 10 audience members arrived with their traditional Indian clothing to celebrate.

Diwali, or the festival of lights, is similar to the American Christmas, professor of mechanical engineering and Indian Student Association adviser Arum Shukla said. Shukla has been the adviser to the association since 1981.

"Like Christmas, it is religious, but it is celebrated by everyone in India," he said.

When people walked into the ballroom, they were immediately immersed in the celebration and its colorful lights and Indian music. The Indian dinner was saved for after the dance and musical performances, but there was an appetizer. Aloo Tikki, was available before the show started and served with traditional sauces.

The dish is made with potato, flour and several spices. Indian music played over loudspeakers, and there were lights set up on the stage. Also on the stage was an arrangement of drapes framing the Hindu symbol of the ohm. "Ohm" is the word repeated during Hindu meditation that is believed to have brought about the creation of the universe and embodies the three main Hindu gods, according to Hindu doctrine.

In front of the stage there was a small table with incense, pictures of Hindu gods and two candlesticks that were lit at the beginning of the ceremony.

Vice President of Student Affairs Thomas Dougan started off the events with a speech thanking the Indian Student Association for its work and effort, as well as the people who came to support and participate in the Diwali Celebration.

The first performance was a prayer in the form of a song to Ganesha, the Hindu lord of wisdom "known as one who destroys all obstacles."

There was also a musical number in which the Indian sitar was played.

The music and dances were diverse in dress, style and sound. There were some dances with only women, and others that involved women and men. The dances and musical numbers originated all over India.

Every year since 1983, the Indian Student Association has come together and held a Diwali Celebration.

A short film illustrating how Diwali is a celebration of the victory of good over evil and light over darkness, was shown.

The event took a good amount of planning and leadership, and the Indian Student Association Vice President Swaphil Dalvi and Cultural Secretaries Shripad Chitnis and Vijay More were involved with getting the production off the ground.

There were some nights when there was no food and people were still practicing until midnight. "We are a very small group of people, and manpower is very important,"Chitnis said.

A miscommunication almost caused a problem for the Diwali Celebration, "The cultural dresses were shipped to the wrong address, and we had to call FedEx and give them the correct address again," Chitnis said.

After watching the celebration unfold Chitnis said, "The best part is the fact that everyone was so supportive."

Dougan said, "The night was a wonderful celebration of Indian culture. It's been wonderful to see all the students and community members come out and support this event.