Traditional dances, music, and saris filled Live Oak on the Boca Raton campus, as Florida Atlantic University’s Asian Student Union hosted its annual Diwali event, India’s biggest and most important holiday, bringing students together to honor South Asian culture on Thursday night.

Maxine Nguyen, ASU’s president and a senior studying urban design, felt it was important to celebrate Diwali because of FAU’s high population of South Asian students and ASU’s high focus on recognizing Asian culture. Focusing on cultural holidays allows the club to represent traditions that a large part of the FAU’s student population can identify with. 

According to a report by Florida Atlantic University, over 800 South Asian students were enrolled during the fall semester.

Alongside ASU was the Professional and Academic Collaboration for Excellence club, an organization based on creating a platform for knowledge, sharing, and networking. Three PACE club members performed dances for dozens of students. They also prepared a presentation to inform the attendees about the history and importance of Diwali.

Manasa Maram, a data science and analytics graduate student and PACE club’s community leader, led the club’s Diwali presentation. According to Maram, Diwali, also known as the Festival of Lights, symbolizes the victory of good over evil, knowledge over ignorance, and light over darkness.

One of the most well-known stories behind the beginnings of Diwali is the return of Lord Rama, his wife Sita, and Lakshmana, Rama’s brother, to Ayodhya after 14 years of vanvaas, also known as exile, after defeating the demon king Ravana. The holiday is celebrated through a five-day-long series of events. 

“The whole town celebrated their visit with lights,” said Maram. “Since then, the whole of India celebrates with lights and firecrackers.” Maram continued that at this time in India, people usually rest at home, cook food, and share gifts with their friends and family. 

After the presentation, Nguyen and all other ASU members performed a Diwali-inspired dance, followed by another dance performance by three PACE club members. Likhita Potluri, PACE club’s graphic designer and a computer science major, performed alongside other club members. Though their routine wasn’t a traditional Indian dance, it was choreographed specifically for this year’s Diwali celebration.

“You all coming to the event … many of you are participating in the event, interconnecting with each of us. It feels really special,” said Potlura, when speaking about her favorite part of celebrating Diwali this year. 

After the dances, students painted lotus flowers and diyas, small oil lamps traditionally lit during Diwali. Others enjoyed traditional Indian food, while ASU turned the floor into a dance floor, and the night ended with students dancing to popular Indian music. 

For students like Anil Kumar Kondra, the event helped foster a sense of community and a chance to celebrate Diwali even while far away from home. Kate Kadavil, a freshman nursing major, heard about the event through a friend on the Bollywood dance team. While not Hindu, Kadavil’s Indian background inspired her to see what the Diwali event was about. 

“I’m really enjoying hearing my cultural music in a different environment than just my AirPods,” said Kadavil. “ It’s nice to see the dances because they’re very traditional … It reminds me of home.”

Kaii Thompson is the Culture Reporter for the University Press. For information regarding this or other stories, email kaiiliburdthompson@gmail.com.