Indian Students Association celebrated light over darkness with Diwali Night
With upbeat dances and energetic performances, the Indian Students Association brought Diwali, a traditional Indian celebration that represents light over darkness, to Central Michigan University.
ISA hosted Diwali Night, or “the festival of lights,” on Nov. 14 in Plachta Auditorium so both domestic and international students could experience Indian culture.
Graduate student Sanjana Kamireddy said Diwali is one of the most important festivals in India and symbolizes light winning over dark, or good winning over evil.
Her favorite part of the event was hosting it.
“I was a little nervous, but it was fun,” she said. “It was nice.”
The hosts incorporated humor into the show, often making jokes and bantering with each other.
Graduate student Pranav Botti, who was also a host, said everyone involved had a great time working together and preparing for the event that teaches people more about their culture.
“(People) get to know why we are celebrating Diwali, how we dress up (and) how our food tastes,” he said.
The event featured numerous musical and dance acts, in addition to a fashion show with models representing different places in India. During one performance, the faculty adviser of ISA participated, which Botti said was his favorite performance of the night.
“There are many traditions in India,” graduate student Mohan Chaitanya said. “We mainly focused on a few.”
One Diwali tradition is lighting lamps or candles. Since Diwali is the festival of lights, people also commonly light firecrackers to celebrate. Though ISA did not get permission to have firecrackers at the event, Chaitanya said he enjoyed every aspect of it.
ISA also unveiled their new logo, which features the colors of the Indian flag. The saffron color represents strength and courage, while white represents peace and green represents growth.
Throughout the performances, people in the audience cheered and clapped along to the music, filling the auditorium with energy. The hosts also played both the United States and Indian national anthems at the beginning of the event.
“The most important event for us in India is Diwali,” said graduate student Vishwateja Reddy, president of ISA. “We love celebrating Diwali in your country. Most of the people of your country also love to attend our event.”
