Where was I Saturday night? A college student? Movie? House party? No, no, no, I was at Diwali of course!
Diwali is mainly celebrated by Hindus to signify the Lord Rama’s return from war back to his hometown. The story goes that Rama, the prince of Ayodhya was ordered by his father to leave the country and come back after fourteen years of living in a forest. The king of Lanks abducted Rama’s faithful wife and Rama was able to track down and kill this demon king. After fourteen years of exile the prince returned home and the townspeople celebrated. Still today, people celebrate by having large parties and get togethers, lighting fireworks, exchanging gifts, lighting candles, and performing in talent shows.
A major part of the Diwali here at SMU was the talent show. Many students were given the chance to perform and express themselves the way they wanted to while celebrating Diwali. Performances ranges from singing to many different dances, like the one my friend (pictured) was in. For her dance in particular, they did a Bollywood mix dance. All the songs were from famous Bollywood movies from the late 90s and early 2000s.
Outside from the talent show, the experience of Diwali was fantastic. What I enjoyed the most was the diversity of students in attendance. Even though Hindus mainly celebrate Diwali, the Diwali celebration at SMU was open to the student population attracting many non-Hindus such as myself. I, along with many other SMU students would not normally be exposed much to the Hindu culture, but with this open celebration was given the opportunity to celebrate with many of my friends from many different backgrounds. I think it’s important, now more than ever, to continue cultural immersion on this campus. This will continue to broaden students’ perspectives and allow them to gain more of an appreciation for other cultures.
After the talent show, dinner was served. Adding to my captivation within the Hindu culture for the night, I got to feast on this delicious North Indian food. There was a buffet consisting of naan, masoor curry, saag paneer, pulao, and other foods. The pualo and naan were definitely my favorites and I ate way too much of them. Perhaps this overconsumption of food wouldn’t have affected me as much had there not been a dance party to continue the Diwali celebration after the dinner.
Popular Bollywood and many other songs I had never heard in my life were played for this dance party and really allowed everyone at the celebration to dance around together. No one was performing, no one was eating, everyone was just celebrating and having a great time.
Aside from the SMU related signs, you wouldn’t have known you were in the basement of a college student center this night. From the traditional outfits, to the North Indian food, to the pure happiness being exuded by so many, Diwali was a truly rich experience had by all.