Diwali in US: Sharing and honouring Indian cultural heritage

The annual Diwali celebration is among the most popular on-campus events in US universities. Diwali is the Hindu New Year and India’s Festival of Lights. Ashoka, South Asian Students Association, celebrates the Diwali show each year to promote “sharing and honouring the Indian cultural heritage.”

The lights signify knowledge. They remove the darkness of ignorance. There is also a significance of good over evil for some and as a remembrance of liberation for others. This year’s Diwali show included 200 participants representing a wide array of backgrounds and talents ranging from white to brown to black, from Christian to Buddhist to Hindu, stand on stage to thunderous applause with around 1,000 spectators. Students had rehearsed day and night to prepare for the show, a collection of traditional Indian dance numbers set to a story of two desis who learn to appreciate their culture.

Despite mid-terms and assignments, hundreds of university students put classroom commitments aside to make this show a great success. Diwali can be compared to the holiday season in the US. Diwali show is one of the most highly anticipated and popular campus events of the year. Taking place at Edison Theatre, it is one of the largest student-run shows on campus. With a new focus on social action, the annual event was sold out and many camped out at the box office to grab a ticket.

In the US, many universities and colleges have a South Asian or Indian student organisation that partake in the Diwali celebrations with other classmates. At the Washington University, the student group, Ashoka, puts on an annual Diwali show filled with lively dances, a humorous skit, and other entertaining acts.

Every year, South Asian students across campus come together to put on this show and celebrate their Hindu culture. As preparations for this show start at the very beginning of the school year, the Diwali show is where many meet their best friends and find a community where they feel like they belong.

Against the backdrop of the storyline “My Big Fat Desi Wedding” was a host of dances, ranging from the traditional Bharatanatyam to a lively hip-hop dance. The show also featured the fashion show segments, which have become the regular feature of every Diwali show. Show was brought to a conclusion with the usual mix of lively Indian dances including the Garba, Raas and Bhangra.

For many others, Diwali is all about feeling a sense of community with their peers. It is about forgetting differences and embracing similarities. This message is very evident in Ashoka’s Diwali celebration. For example, the show began with a ceremony called “Diya Lighting.”

During the Diya Lighting, participants welcome the audience to the Diwali celebration in a variety of languages. By doing so, it removes any barriers between cultures and allows for a sense of unity on this campus. Every year, as the show approached, daily rehearsals were necessary, and the performers practiced late into the night.

Increased popularity

The show has grown to incorporate more and more people from the non-Indian community. “There seems to be more and more participation from those who are non-Indian and this shows a greater interest in our culture,” said Rasika Reddy and Saniya Suri, co-cultural chairs.

The show not only celebrated Indian culture in a variety of ways, but also educated the audience about the severe challenges facing the Indian population today through an informative slideshow. People can experience most about Diwali was how one could really feel the pride in Indian culture through the dancing, the music, the clothing-everything.

Being part of the Diwali show is more than just a way to educate others said Anni Bommireddy, who performed in several dances. “I have been immersed in the Indian culture since I was a child, and being a part of Ashoka and participating in this show is a way for me to continue being a part of something that connects me to my roots.

When I was five years old, my parents enrolled me in a Bharatanatyam class because my sister was learning the art, and I had expressed a lot of interest while watching her practice. Since then, Indian classical dance has become my passion, and I have grown to appreciate the rich culture that comes with my Indian heritage”.

Diwali celebration has increased in popularity in the United States over the past few years, as evidenced by number of audiences growing rapidly year after year. Now, it has become one of the main celebrations of the Indian diaspora throughout the globe. Cultural rituals are celebrated every year by different ethnicities. Rituals are observed in order to keep the memories that our ancestors have started and pass them through the generations.

During this past week, Ashoka has been asking students what Diwali means to them. Some of the responses were “friendship,” “bringing light to darkness,” “meeting your best friends,” ”an opportunity to share a special part of our culture with the rest of U,” “watching a great performance,” “embracing your culture,” “creating memories with family and friends,” and “celebrating with family, both at home and at school.”

It is clear that during the Diwali celebration at this school, students treat their new friends as family, and they are able to enjoy the festival with them and feel at home.

The US House of Representatives also approved a resolution recognising the significance of Diwali, the “festival of lights”. The action not only acknowledges an important feast in the Hindu, Sikh and Jain religions, but recognises the importance of the South Asian community in the US.

(The writer, a linguist, teaches at Washington University in St Louis, USA)