Annual Festival of Lights enlightens students with ethnic dancing and food
Shah Jahan Ali
The International Club of STLCC-Meramec held the annual Indian celebration Diwali in the student center on Nov. 5. To kick off the celebration, a video of Barack Obama was shown, wishing a happy Diwali to the Indian people.
The International Club provided Indian food and entertainment, as well as dances, a fashion show and music. There were many indian dishes offered at the Diwali celebration such as Samosa, Paneer Pakora, Vegetable Korma, Paneer Tikka Masal, which are all spicy dishes. The dessert dishes available to the students were Gulab Jamon and Kheer.
Diwali is known as the Festival of Lights. The celebration is a five-day festival that represents the start of the Hindu new year. It honors the victory of good over evil and brightness over darkness.
The Festival of Lights also marks the start of winter. Diwali is one of the major and most celebrated Hindu festivals in India.
During Diwali, people illuminate their homes with traditional earthen diyas, candles and luminous strands of electric bulbs.
Hindus believe that brightness on the day of Diwali helps to dissipate the darkness of ignorance and spread the light of knowledge.
Diwali is also a meaningful celebration to the Sikh community. The word Diwali is adapted from the Sanskrit word “Deepawali,” which means” a row or cluster of lights.” It is an annual observance held during the autumn months the Hindus call Karthika.
Vidyullata Waghulde, chemistry professor at Meramec and a sponsor of the event, said, “This is the fourth year for this celebration. One of the reasons for doing it is to increase cultural awareness on this campus”
Waghulde said the whole purpose of the event is to make other students familiar with other cultures.
“We live in a globalized world, so people should be familiar with other cultures. This year [it] is 140 and every chair was filled.”
Jane Safina, president of the International Club, explained why they host the event.
“We want people to know Diwali, the meaning of Diwali, what it is, how it goes and what people usually do.”
Kapil Luther, a Meramec student who helped at the event, described some of the traditions and beliefs of Diwali.
“The tradition of Diwali is a celebration of triumph of good over evil as depicted in human literature, and the meaning of the Diwali is festival of lights.”
Silvana Guzman was among the students taking part the Diwali celebration. For many students such as Guzman, this was their first time enjoying everything Diwail had to offer.
“It makes you excited and [the music] makes you want to dance,” Guzman said.
