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Hindu, Jain, Sikh students celebrate arrival of new year with Diwali

Cue the lights. Columbia’s Hindu, Jain, and Sikh students were ready to ring in the new year a few weeks after it began.

By Hien Truong

Published Monday 16 November 2009 01:30am EST.

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This piece produced by Nilkanth Patel

Cue the lights.

Columbia’s Hindu, Jain, and Sikh students were ready to ring in the new year a few weeks after it began.

Ahimsa—a student group dedicated to Jainism—and the Hindu Students Organization collaborated with the Columbia Sikh Student Association to host a night that drew crowds of all faiths as students and alumni packed Roone Arledge Saturday to celebrate Diwali.

Diwali, which means “row of lamps,” marks the beginning of the New Year for many Hindus, Jains and Sikhs. Also known as “the festival of lights,” Diwali is a five‑day celebration that signifies the triumph of good over evil, light over dark, and spiritual knowledge over ignorance. The festival began on Oct. 17, but students celebrated it with a fete this weekend.

Though the core values of Diwali remain consistent between groups, its significance and origins vary. In the spirit of campus unity, both Ahimsa and HSO co‑host the event annually to raise awareness of the holiday’s nuances.

“We always work together as a board so we already were very familiar with each other. We have meetings with each other and just split it up as though we’re one group. We split everything up into committees and we make sure there are people from both boards on each committee,” said HSO Coordinator Srilekha Jayanthi, CC ’11. “It doesn’t feel like there are two different groups working on it,” she added.

“For our individual events, there’s definitely the practice aspect of it, but since we want to open this event to as much of the Columbia population as possible, we wanted to steer away from the main religious aspect and we try to also emphasize the cultural aspect of it more,” said Ahimsa Coordinator Ruchi Shah, BC ‘10, of negotiating the cultural differences that accompany the celebration. “We really want to emphasize the educational aspect of it.”

Posters and a pre‑filmed skit imitating the 30 Rock television show were part of an informational presentation to entertain the five hundred guests.

In Hinduism, Diwali celebrates Lord Rama’s and his wife Sita’s return to the kingdom of Ayodhya after their 14 years of exile. For Jains, it marks the attainment of Moksha‑similar to Buddhism’s nirvana—by Mahavir . Diwali celebrates his liberation from the cycle of rebirth. For Sikhs, Diwali marks the return of Guru Harobind Ji’s return to Amritsar after freeing himself and 52 kings from Mughal imprisonment.

“I really love Indian food and Indian culture and it seemed like it would be a really great experience to come and learn some new things and eat some good food and meet some nice people,” Julia Monk, CC ’13, said. “I knew about some of the traditions of Diwali, just traditional Hindi ones I guess, but I didn’t know that Jains and Sikhs also celebrate in a different way.”

“The thing is, they’re all united in some way and while of course there are different interpretations of Diwali,” said Chaitanya Medicherla, CC ’12 as he enjoyed his dinner with a group of first‑time attendees who he had brought along. “We realize it’s all tied in together with the word ‘unity,’ so trying to conjoin all these cultures isn’t a really big deal.”

“Of course, it is when you talk about politics and national differences but in culture, it’s all the same thing—the clothing, the food,” he added.

To honor this, Diwali coordinators organized a bazaar‑themed event, said Jayanthi, with booths that taught guests to tie saris and those that offered henna tattoos. The bazaar theme was meant to replicate an Indian village during Diwali and to present guests with a taste on India, she said. What the committee could not replicate she said, were fireworks and light. Fire safety codes eliminated the prospect of lighting candles in traditional Diwali lamps.

“It’s amazing how all of us students—without any such firecrackers—we still create that same kind of energy and feel of togetherness,” said Jayanthi in an address to her crowd.

Tags: News, Hien Truong, Nilkanth Patel, Ahimsa, Diwali, Event, Hindu, HSO, Jains

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