Iowa State’s Indian Student Association held their biggest event of the year this past Sunday night, Diwali, the Festival of Lights.

This event consisted of Dhun (Indian Music Band, DSM), Sana and Gayatri (Bollywood Dance), Raas (Garbha and Dandiya), Mihir (Lyrical Hiphop), Punk Punditz (ISU Fusion Band), DubH (ISU Hiphop Team), Bhangra Dance Club, and an Indian Dinner.

The Great Hall at the Memorial Union was packed with not only students, but many families that had traveled to have a chance to celebrate such an important event in Indian culture. The room was decorated with candles, lights, flowers and beautiful Indian tapestry in honor of such a beautiful celebration.

“Diwali […] is the Christmas of India, it’s the Festival of Lights it originates in traditional Indian and Hindu culture. But it has branched off and it’s celebrated by a lot of different religions in India […] People dress up, decorate their houses, and gather on the streets and burst fireworks,” said the President of The Indian Student Association, Yash Solanki.

Students from the Honors program mentioned their excitement to have an opportunity to experience a new culture. “I was interested in learning about different cultures and a culture that was different than I. I’m excited to see the performances and taste the food.”

“I was interested in learning about different cultures and a culture that was different than I. I’m excited to see the performances and taste the food,” claims another Honors student.

The Association invited students and families from all backgrounds to enjoy this event. “Our event is basically our way of celebrating this event in Iowa. It’s not only for people who come from India, but it’s also for people who have never experienced Indian culture before, or been to India, or experienced Diwali,” nSolanki said.

The atmosphere of the room was astonishing all night long. People were laughing, dancing, singing, and smiling for all six hours of the celebration.

Although everyone came for a different reason, The Indian Student Association’s main goal with this event was, “to essentially allow Indians to celebrate this event and just to remember what they do around this time of the year back at home and just enjoy that with the community here,” Solanki said, “but also it is probably the funnest opportunity people in the ISU community could have to experience Indian culture at its brightest […] it’s a good way to get people involved in new cultures and involved in this celebration.”

The remarkable energy of the room all night was good enough proof that the Indian Student Association accomplished their goal of bringing Indian culture to campus in a fun, exciting way.