Learn about Indian culture by experiencing traditional performances and an authentic meal at Diwali: The Festival of Lights.
In ancient Indian mythology, a prince, his wife and his brother were sent to live in exile. The wife was then kidnapped. After the prince and his brother rescued the wife, the three went back to their kingdom, which had many lights to signify their return. In Indian culture, they celebrate this annually with a festival called Diwali: The Festival of Lights.
The Indian Student Association will host its own Diwali celebration Sunday at 5 p.m. in the Baker Ballroom.
Though significantly smaller than the festivals that take place in India, the celebration will feature similar components, Akanksha Rohit, the vice president of the Indian Student Association, said. The festival will include traditional dances and Bollywood music performed by Ohio University students, she added.
Diwali will be catered by Tadka, a restaurant in Columbus, Shivam Agrawal, a freshman studying finance, said. The menu will include traditional Indian cuisine, such as an entree with chicken and rice, Agrawal, the secretary of the association, said.
Swathi Raghu, president of the organization, said guests at the event will be able to learn about the significance of the holiday and how it’s celebrated in India.
The Indian Student Association does not run the event for profit, Raghu, who is a graduate student studying electrical engineering, said. They receive the majority of the funding from the International Student Union, she added.
All 300 tickets for the Diwali: Festival of Lights celebration have been sold, Rohit, who is a graduate student studying electrical engineering, said. Students planning to attend should arrive no later than 5:30 p.m., he said.
According to the Office of Institutional Research as of 2014, there are more than 100 students from India studying at OU.
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All three members agreed this event is very important for the Indian student population on campus, especially for those who are missing home.
“Diwali is one of the biggest festivals in India,” Rohit said. “When you are far away from home, you tend to be more homesick during a festival time, so to compensate for that we gather and get together with whoever we know and try to feel like we are at home.”
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