Colorful scarves decorated the trees of UT’s South Mall and Northern Indian music blasted from the speakers Friday night as students mingled and danced to traditional Indian songs.
The Hindu Students Council hosted its 12th annual Navratri festival.
Navratri, which means “nine nights,” celebrates female divinity in Hinduism and the triumph of good over evil. The council led students in a circle around a gold-colored statue of Lakshmi to dance garba, a type of Northern Indian folk dance.
Traditionally, the festival is divided into three sets of three days. Each set of days is devoted to one of three supreme goddesses — Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati. Durga represents power and courage, Lakshmi represents prosperity and wealth of spiritual values, and Saraswati represents knowledge and wisdom.
The festival gave Hindu students who were unable to return home an opportunity to celebrate their culture on campus, said council president Apoorva Murthy.
Murthy said the council also wanted to give people unfamiliar with the festival an interactive glimpse of Indian culture.
“Instead of just doing a talent show where people are passively watching, we wanted something where people feel welcomed to join in,” Murthy said.
Along with garba, the council rented out Dandiya sticks for Raas, a dance that involves partners striking their sticks together. The council also provided catering from Udipi Cafe that included dosa, which is made from a batter of lentils and rice; pavbhaji, a curry with potato and carrots; and samosa chaat, a fried curry snack.
“We want to see our children be successful and continue to follow Hindu traditions,” said Kokila Shah, adding that he was proud to see students celebrating one of India’s major festivals.
Murthy said some people have a misconception that Hinduism is a polytheistic religion, when in actuality, there is one god who appears in many forms. The three goddesses celebrated that night represent three facets of Brahman, the name of the single divine entity that transcends all existence, she said.
“I wasn’t sure what the festival was about, but I came here to watch,” said government junior Jeff Murchison. “Hindu dancing is always beautiful to watch.”
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