After months of uncertainty over whether Diwali celebrations would occur in the fall due to COVID-19-related complications, celebrations started taking place Nov. 1. Emory University’s Diwali celebration, spearheaded by the Indian Cultural Association (ICA) and the Hindu Students Association (HSA), is typically among the largest student events of the year.
While most students will be away from home, Emory’s Hindu Chaplain Shweta Chaitanya said there will be no shortage of Diwali celebrations on campus.
Among the events are an ICA and HSA sponsored mehndi night on Nov. 4, a planned pooja by HSA on Nov. 5 which will include reenactments of portions of the Hindu epic “Ramayana” and ICA’s Diwali bash at McDonough Field on Nov. 6. Rollins School of Public Health students also have tentative plans to create traditional rangoli art forms.
The Oxford campus will host a Diwali celebration orchestrated by the Oxford HSA and Oxford South Asian Cultural Association on Nov. 11.
ICA Cultural Chair Tanu Pendharkar (20Ox, 22C) also noted that ICA moved India Week, which is usually held in the spring, to this semester. The week consists of a weekful of events beginning Nov. 1 and culminating in the Diwali extravaganza on Nov. 6.
In addition to the mehndi night on Thursday, there will be a movie night on Wednesday and a lunch at the Canon Chapel hosted by International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS).
Graphic by Ha-tien Nguyen
Diwali, which falls on Nov. 4 this year, is a major religious festival celebrated by Hindus, Jains, Sikhs and some Buddhists that represents the triumph of the forces of light over darkness.
Chaitanya, who was hired in February, understands the long-held importance of Diwali as a highlight event for the University’s Hindu community, South Asian student body and students at large.
In discussing the significance of Diwali for Hindus, Chaitanya noted that Hindus “come to it in many different ways.” While the occasion is deeply religious for some, she said the holiday is of a more cultural nature for others.
Chaitanya noted that the term Diwali originated from the Sanskrit word dipavali, which translates to “row of lights.”
The religious meanings attributed to the festival vary. Some Hindus view Diwali as symbolic of the defeat of the demon-king Ravana by the deity Rama, as chronicled in Hindu literature, while others also associate the holiday with the god Krishna.
One of the prominent rituals during the festivities is Lakshmi Pooja. Chaitanya said this ceremony involves worshipping the Hindu goddess of prosperity by lighting lamps to invite her presence into families’ homes.
The familial component of celebrating Diwali cannot be understated, Chaitanya said, explaining that families often bond by cooking large amounts of traditional foods and deep cleaning the house together.
The Diwali party, which will take place this Saturday from 7-11 p.m., is a scaled-down version of the typical annual celebration.
Pendharkar detailed three main components to this year’s Diwali celebration: food, performances and presentations.
The food involves a full dinner and dessert featuring North and South Indian cuisines, along with a food truck serving chai and other hot drinks given the chilly outdoor environment.
Several groups are lined up to perform, including dance teams Karma Bhangra, Savera and SaRaas that will showcase an array of traditional and folk South Asian dances.
There will also be presentation segments by the ICA board to explain the meaning of Diwali. After the fixed programming, there will be a DJ and an open dance floor.
Pendharkar shed light on the pandemic-related logistics that complicated planning for the traditional Diwali bash. The Diwali party is usually hosted at a hotel in Atlanta, such as the Omni Hotel which was used in 2019, which was the intended venue for this year.
There were two COVID-19 restrictions this fall that made using venues unfeasible, causing ICA to initially postpone Diwali festivities to the spring semester. For one, the event capacity would have been limited to 250 people under University guidelines. The event traditionally has crowds of 700 to 800. Moreover, the restrictions prevent school-sponsored organizations from serving food indoors, so all food would have to come in pre-packaged boxes and be consumed outdoors.
Pendharkar discussed ICA members’ collective disappointment of not celebrating the festival during its actual occurrence, given its cultural importance to many South Asians. Accordingly, ICA discussed hosting a small outdoor celebration.
“As the event started coming together, we realized that we had the capabilities to make it almost as grand as it usually is,” Pendharkar said.
Nevertheless, there will be some missing elements from past Diwali celebrations due to the planning uncertainties and the event being held outdoors. For instance, ICA was unable to contract a decorating vendor in time and assumed personal responsibility for the decorations.
The event will also be at reduced capacity compared to 2019 levels. While around 800 attendees were expected in 2019, 500 are expected this year. Pendharkar noted that University professors and staff are still welcome to attend the festivities.
Though ICA is still planning celebratory festivities in the spring, Pendharkar said that this will be ICA’s main Diwali event “from the point of view of should we go all out or should people expect a really fancy event.”
“We do hope to make it special, even if it is in a modified setting,” Pendharkar said.
