The ceremony began at Rollins Chapel, where Hindus from Dartmouth and the local area worshipped before the idol of Lakshmi Puja, the goddess of wealth, good fortune and prosperity for the New Year.
"These idols are a way for the human mind to comprehend an omniscient God," Tanuja Kulkarni '10, president of Shanti, the Hindu student organization, said.
Though many of the worshippers at the event were Hindu, there were several Sikhs present as well. For Sikhs, the event celebrates Hargobind's release of 52 fellow prisoners from the fortress of the invading Muslim army, according to Harjit Rakhra, a Sikh from Norwich, Vt. Sikhs and Hindus celebrate the day as a fresh start.
"There is no moon on Diwali," Rakhra said. "It is the darkest night of the year, so it is a perfect time to close your books and start over."
Shanti, meaning "peace" in Hindi, was founded in the early 1990s, but the large-scale celebration of Diwali on campus only began two years ago. Since 2006, the event has grown from approximately 100 people and 2,000 candles lining the Green to 300 people and 3,000 candles this year.
Along with the candles lining the pathways of the Green, Shanti arranged candles in the shape of the Sanskrit symbol Aum on the middle of the green. The symbol signifies the eternal and the primeval sound. Along with the swastika, a Hindu symbol of purity and health, and the Shree, a symbol for good luck, Aum is always present at Hindi celebrations. These symbols represent the meaning of Diwali, according to Kulkarni.
"When we are on Earth, we try to perfect ourselves and be the best possible," Kulkarni said. "Diwali is a way to turn a new leaf if you haven't been good."
After a celebration on the Green, which included lighting all 3,000 candles and several fireworks, the group of students and Upper Valley residents attended a performance at Collis Common Ground where local children and Dartmouth students sang devotional songs and danced in traditional northern and southern Indian styles. This was the first year that the event included Indian performance, Kulkarni said.
The local Hindu community prepared a traditional meal including several different kinds of rice, bread and traditional cuisine from southern India and Punjab, a northern Indian state.
In addition to providing a forum for Hindu members of the Dartmouth community to celebrate their beliefs, Diwali is also an important way to bring Indian students together, Kulkarni said.
"There has been a sizable [Hindu] community at Dartmouth, but it has been inactive and decentralized," Kulkarni said. "Now, with events like Diwali, we are hoping to expand and pull people together."
International students from India said they enjoyed the cultural experience at Dartmouth.
"It's cool because everyone misses home, and the Indian population here is not too significant, but this event brings people together," Apurva Nair, a Thayer Engineering School student from Bombay, said. "There are more Hindus now at the master's programs at Thayer and [the Tuck School of Business]. Events like Diwali fill this cultural void for us."
Diwali is particularly significant because it is the culmination of several smaller and more specific celebrations throughout fall, according to Kulkarni.
"This autumn period has all of the Hindu holidays, and the Diwali unites them all and brings everyone together," Kulkarni said.
Kulkarni hopes that events like Diwali at Dartmouth will help create more interest in the Hindu culture and lead to more student involvement, she said.
"In terms of expanding, we hope to have a Hindu student center that can serve the whole community, much like the Roth Center does [for Jewish students]," she said.
Currently, there is only a very small Hindu temple at Rollins Chapel, and members of the community often stand outside during Friday night services because it gets too crowded, according to Kulkarni. She and other members of Shanti are hoping that interest in Diwali will lead to Hindi courses being taught at Dartmouth, she said.
"[Hindi courses] will hopefully serve the interests of Dartmouth students who want to reconnect with their roots, or even others who are interested in the India Foreign Study Program that will be offered in 2011," Kulkarni said.
