Diwali, also known as Deepavali, is themost important festival of the year in India. It is one of the
very few festivals which is celebrated in every part of the country by all kinds of people, irrespective
of their caste, creed, colour or religion. There are a number of stories and explanations about the
origin of Diwali in Hinduism, Jainism and Sikhism. However, people of all these reigions celebrate
the day in the same way, i.e., spending time with their families and performing traditional activities
in their homes, wearing new clothes, visiting friends and relatives and sharing sweets and snacks.
Indians living abroad tend to get very homesick during this festive season and miss their families and
friends a lot. For such Indians in NTU, the Indian Social and Cultural Society (ISCS) organized a Diwali
Night on the 5th of November 2010.
The event was held in the Hall 15 Function Hall in NTU from 6 pm to 11 pm. Publicity for the event
started approximately two weeks in advance. Posters were put up, e-mails and Facebook invitations
were sent and booths were set up for 2 days for the sale of tickets in the North and South Spines.
All these efforts paid off when the event received an overwhelming response. Nearly 200 people
attended the event. Amongst them were not just Indian students from NTU, but from NUS as well.
Other International and Exchange students and a few Alumni were also present at the event.
The programme started with the performing of religious activities including the ‘Diwali Pooja’. This
was followed by music and dance performances by the students, who had been practicing and
rehearsing for the same for the past two weeks. Since Diwali is the biggest celebration of the year
for most Indians, it is customary for people to eat a sumptuous meal. As a result, a buffet dinner had
been bought from a good Indian restaurant in Little India and was served after the performances.
The dance floor was then announced open for everyone and the DJ who had been hired by the ISCS
for the event started entertaining the audience with his music. This was the highlight of the show
as every single person who attended the event joined in and the entire hall was soon filled with
groups of students joyously tapping their feet. The popular and groovy Bollywood tunes were too
hard to resist even for the Exchange students who didn’t mind trying their skills in Indian dance. But
the “Festival of Lights” is always incomplete without sparkles and fire crackers. The ISCS had thus
arranged for sparkles to be lit by the audience outside the hall in the open.
Everyone who attended the event ended up celebrating Diwali in its true spirit: with close friends.
The ISCS tried to make the event as close as possible to how it is generally celebrated all over India
and it was highly successful. This was evident from the smiles of the students as they left the hall
after the event. The night was especially enjoyed by the first year students who got a chance to
make new friends through music and dance.
Music. Dance. Sparkles. And Awesome Food. This was a Diwali celebration that will be cherished for
a long time.
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