Diwali gives insight into Indian culture University Daily Kansan

Sudarshan Loya remembers the last time he celebrated Diwali in central India with his family. His house was filled with vibrant shades of orange and magenta dyed silk as of his relatives and closest friends gathered for Diwali the festival of lights. Loya s mother lit oil burning lamps which cast a soft glow on the faces of those in the room. The rich smell of spices and sugary sweets filled the home as his friends knelt to pray together and share what had happened in their lives since their last meeting. Diwali is a celebration of lights that is celebrated during the time of Diya which is a widely celebrated East Indian festival. This year Diwali fell on Oct. . But on Sunday the KU Cultural India Club a group for international Indian students at the University will hold its sixth annual celebration of Diya. The event features native dances music and fashions from various Indian states. After the dancing and singing Korma Sutra an Indian restaurant in Kansas City Mo. will pr! ovide dinner. Loya Maharashtra India senior and cultural chair of the KU Cultural India Club or KUCIC said Diwali was the most important festival of the year. Diwali is like Christmas he said. It s a fun thing for a family to get together. Families and friends gather for fellowship and to share their lives with one another during Diwali which lasts one week. Loya said because India was such a large country families prepared to travel and meet together for the holiday. We are waiting for this time to happen he said. We look ahead to Diwali so we can all meet together and have fun enjoy sweets and Indian food. The festival of lights earned the name Diya for the rows of small earthen lamps or diyas families light every day for the six days of Diwali. The lights symbolize the victory of good over evil. Amruta Bhadkamkar Mumbai India junior and president of KUCIC said other KU students would benefit from attending the event because it displayed Indian culture. India is not Europ! e or Germany or Spain which are pretty well known but India has started coming up recently and becoming economically strong Bhadkamkar said. She said Indian culture in Lawrence was visible and that most Indian students had a strong network of support from other Indian students which helped many students with the transition to U.S. culture. She said the biggest challenges Indian students had to overcome included the language barrier the difference in cuisine and the unpredictable Midwestern weather. I don t think it s very difficult for Indians to adjust she said. If we do find it difficult there are people who have been here for years and they know what to do and what not to do. Santosh Thakkar Maharash India graduate student said the KUCIC festival of Diwali was open to people of all religions and cultures. He said the event would accommodate all nationalities and beliefs and celebrate commonalities between individuals. Loya said he enjoyed bringing his vibrant native culture to the U.S. while learning about American culture. He said he loved! celebrating Halloween and other American traditions but learning about new culture gave him a greater appreciation of his own. America gives us the freedom that we can celebrate our own culture and have other festivals he said. We get to see more areas and ideologies in a different part of the world. We are not giving up our culture but are also celebrating yours. The Diya festival begins at p.m. on Nov. in Woodruff Auditorium in the Kansas Union. Edited by Arthur Hur Discussion All comments are moderated by Kansan.com staff. For our full user policy click here . Share your Requires free registration . Username Password Forgotten your password Comment More news stories See all Students with food allergies exercise caution on campus Green Jayhawks receive accolades Diwali gives insight into Indian culture Former NFL commissioner speaks at KU Kansan hiring for spring semester Most recent stories See all Jayhawks excited for postseason Native Kansans Reed and Morningstar will! start for KU basketball Diwali gives insight into Indian culture Gameday Nov. Morning Brew ESPN s Chad Ford is a die hard Jayhawks fan Stauffer Flint Hall Jayhawk Blvd

Source: http://www.kansan.com/stories/2008/nov/14/diwali/?news


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