The Indian Student Organization and the NEA Indian Cultural Society (NEAICS) came together on Saturday to celebrate Diwali, an annual festival celebrating the triumph of good over evil. It is also associated with wealth and good luck.

Since Diwali’s date is based on the lunar calendar, its date changes every year: normally falling between mid-October and mid-November.

“In this festival, people meet with each other, greet each other and worship in their home,” said Pradeep Mishra, graphic communications professor, advisor for the Indian Student Organization and vice president of the NEAICS. “The main worship in this time is the worship of the goddess of money. Lots of business people start their year with this festival. They pray for better profit or good business.”

Mishra added that fireworks are common at Diwali celebrations. 

The festival began with a puja, which is the lighting of a lamp and a prayer for everyone’s well being.

After the prayer, performers sang songs and put on dances. 

“They are dancing and singing to celebrate their own cultural traditions,” said Jagriti Chouhan, a graduate marketing student from Jonesboro. “They have chosen songs from every single region. (They performed) Bollywood (dances), they danced to their own traditional songs. It’s a communion of diversities.”

One of the performers was Sindhujavemi Reddy, a graduate engineering management student from India. 

“I used to give stage shows back in India, so I have some knowledge in how to participate and perform the stage shows,” Reddy said. “The first song which I sang was a bit traditional. It was in the name of the god Shiva. I just wanted to give a traditional song first.  All my friends are energetic, so I chose all the energetic songs to sing. I think everyone loved that.”

After the performances concluded, a traditional Indian dinner was served. After dinner, people danced to Indian songs and played games. 

The celebration was open to all both on the Arkansas State University campus and the Jonesboro community. There were around 250 people attending. 

“It’s my first event experiencing Indian culture. India is my neighboring country,” said Zahra Islam, a graduate supply chain managment student from Bangledesh. “I’m looking at things with a different perspective. It gives me (more) knowledge about different cultures and traditions.”

Mishra said the event helps Indian A-state students get to know the local community.

“We do this every year here with the students. The reason we do it with the students is because there’s not too many families to have our (celebration),” said Harikrishnan Ramasubramaniam, secretary for NEAICS. “There were five or ten families, that’d be a very small event. So we join with the students so we can have more fun with them.”

Alekhya Yarra, a computer science graduate student from India and president of the Indian Student Organization, said the celebration also helps with students facing homesickness. 

“All Indian students are away from home,” Yarra said. “(It helps them) not miss their home and food.”

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