By Casey Gannon
The Indian Student Association at the University of Maryland held its first ever Diwali Dhamaka event on Friday, Nov. 8. Diwali is the Indian festival of lights, which celebrates the victory of good over evil.
Students filled the entirety of the Stamp Colony Ballroom for the event. The event included a Bollywood DJ, traditional Indian food, and performances from five Indian performing arts groups.
Aditya Samant, a first year telecommunications masters student, attended the event with his friends, Nayan Wayangankar and Neel Nair, who are also first year telecommunication graduate students. While the three are not members of the Indian Student Association on campus, they attended the Diwali Dhamaka event for fun.
Samant had much prior knowledge behind the festival of lights. He explained that the festival originated from the fable of Ramayana. According to an article in the Seattle Times, the story is a Hindu fable that has been passed down for generations. Ramayana was exiled to a site for 14 years, but upon his return, the people in the country threw a celebration. Ramayana’s return is signified by a pathway lit with lamps, Samant said.
Samant, Wayangankar and Nair all agreed that one of their favorite parts of Diwali is the special sweets they consumed throughout the festival, which can be easily shared with relatives, neighbors and friends.
Anokha, this university’s South Asian American fusion a cappella group, opened the event. They sang traditional Indian songs as well as popular American songs such as Billie Eilish’s “Ocean Eyes.”
The received roaring applause from the audience throughout the duration of their performance. Sukhman Kaur, a freshman computer science major and member of the dance group, explained why she believes Diwali is important and why she celebrates the festival.
“I think it’s just a way of the community coming together,” Kaur said. “It’s like just fun to be with your friends and family.”
Senior public health major Sydni Thomas attended the event to be entertained and to help the TPD Bhangra backstage. Like other people in attendance, Thomas does not celebrate Diwali for religious reasons.
“It just helps promote diversity…and inclusion as well,” Thomas said. “I know [they are] inclusive of other people, and we definitely want to help others just learn more about our culture.”
Freshman biology major, Apanjit Sahi is also a member of the TPD dance team. She too does not celebrate Diwali , but she echoed Thomas’s idea that the event was a way to promote diversity on campus.
“Overall I feel like it brings people together,” Sahi said. “If you all celebrate or, like, know about the same things, you’re more likely to include others.”
Anokha, a South-Asian American fusion a cappella group performs at Diwali Dhamaka on Nov. 8, 2019, in the Stamp Colony Ballroom. They performed traditional Indian songs as well as popular American hits like Billie Eilish’s “Ocean Eyes.” Featured photo courtesy of Casey Gannon.