Texas State celebrates Indian festival of lights
By: Sarah Pollok
The Indian Student Association held a Diwali celebration in the Alkek Teaching Theater on Nov. 9 as part of International Education Week at Texas State.
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| Kanika Verma, president of the Indian Student Association, performs a traditional Indian dance at the Diwali Festival, Nov. 9. |
Dr. Moonis Ali, faculty adviser for the ISA, welcomed guests to Diwali, which celebrates the triumph of good over evil as a festival of lights. He also described Diwali with five words: prosperity, wealth, health, happiness and love. Those five words combine to determine how good someone’s life is, Dr. Ali said.
“The purpose of Diwali is to make people happy in every way possible,” said Dr. Ali.
With the theater filled to capacity, dancers and performers entertained the crowd throughout the evening at the free event. As part of ISA’s goal for cultural diversity, performers from other cultures and organizations were welcomed to participate in Diwali. Some groups combined their culture and Indian influences in their dances. Ritmo Latino Dance Company performed a samba, traditionally a Brazilian dance, to Indian music.
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| Members of the Ritmo Latina Dance Group at Texas State perform at the Diwali Festival. |
“It’s awesome that we can come together and celebrate as one,” said Floritzel Moreno, junior fashion merchandising major. “As an officer in Ritmo Latino Dance Company, we try to go out there and perform at different kinds of events. We want to express that we’re all about cultural diversity.”
Kanika Verma, president of ISA, talked about the importance of cultural diversity on college campuses as more universities globalize, including Texas State.
“If we think in terms of international students, who are here thousands of miles away from their home, it is very important that here on campus they feel close to home,” Verma said.
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| The Harambee Group performs their Hip Hop and Stepping routine at the Indian Student Association's Diwali Festival. |
ISA also took the chance to highlight the association’s accomplishments in the past year, including a Boko award for last year’s Diwali celebration.
“It’s the biggest event we have,” said Sahil Malik, freshman business major, who also performed several dances.
ISA served traditional Indian food, including chana masala, a garbanzo bean curry, and naan bread.
“It felt like home,” said Yesha Raval, a performer in the festival.
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| A performer dances in the Diwali Festival. |
International Education Week, hosted by International Student Services and Programs, aims to prepare students for a global environment through various celebrations and presentations. The week officially runs from Nov. 11-15, but events are held throughout the month.
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Photos: Tyler Barstow
