Indian Diwali is similar to Christian Christmas

Diwali: It’s like Christmas, but it’s not.

The Mount Pleasant community celebrated the incarnation of Lakshma,
the goddess of beauty and wealth Saturday at Diwali Night, which was
held in observance of the Indian holiday.

“Diwali is a very important festival for us, like Christmas here,”
said Madhavi Rawat, a sophomore from India.

It’s like Christmas in a sense because of the shopping and
exchanging of gifts and sweets; lots of lights and decorations for the
house; parties; visiting family members and feasting, she said.

Lighting of the lanterns, or diyas, is symbolic to Diwali. It
represents the overcoming of ignorance with knowledge.

Sasirekha Murthy, an Indian graduate student and Indian Student
Organization president, estimated between 450 and 500 students, faculty
and Michigan residents attended Diwali Night in the Student Activity
Center’s Turf Room.

Muthy not only organized Diwali Night, but also participated in two
of the classical Indian dances and the fashion show.

The fashion show featured traditional Indian apparel like the
panjabi and sari, which usually consists of six yards of unstitched
fabric.

Cedar Springs senior Beth Groner came to see her friends.

“I think it’s important to take advantage of this,” she said. “What
a great thing to do on a Saturday night.”

The night’s performances included classical Indian dances, a
devotional song featuring a sitar and drums, several dance groups with
Indian and Western-inspired music and the singing of the American and
Indian national anthems.

The dinner included traditional Indian dishes like roti, jabous,
ritu, sweets, rice and cooked peas.

Rawat said it is meaningful for her to still celebrate Diwali here.

“(It’s a) platform for knowing the Indian culture and welcoming
diversity in a beautiful way,” she said.

Yasir Ahmed, a senior from Pakistan, said he came to Diwali Night
for the food and performance.

“I hope they keep it up every year,” Ahmed said.