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Clarification: In a previous version of this post, it was stated that Romita Ray is an art and architecture professor. She is an art and architectural history professor.

In 2016, Romita Ray was discouraged to find that Syracuse University didn’t hold celebrations for the festival of light, otherwise known as Diwali. Ray decided to invite the entire community to celebrate the holiday by holding the first ever public Diwali festival on campus.

“It’s not about replicating something that is halfway across the world, it’s about invoking it … in many ways we have to grow our own tradition of Diwali,” said Ray, an art and architectural history professor at SU. “That’s part of the beauty of these traditions moving across the world.”

On Monday night, Syracuse University and the National Organization of Minority Architecture Students (NOMAS), alongside Ray, collaborated on their sixth annual Diwali Celebration Event: Light Up the Orange Grove. Diwali is an annual Hindu holiday traditionally observed by exchanging gifts, spending time with loved ones and displaying lights around homes and businesses.

Architecture students and NOMAS members Sonali Mistry and Max Horkenbach helped bring the Diwali festival to life. With the help of other attendees, they arranged hundreds of tea lights and Rangoli designs across the Orange Grove.

“There’s something profoundly beautiful about engaging with light. It’s a very simple, elemental part of our human existence,” Ray said.

In addition to arranging the lights, Ray handed out locally-catered samosas, a popular Indian street food.

Anshul Roy | Staff Photographer

While it is observed worldwide, religious communities across Syracuse hold their own unique Diwali festivals.

K.G. Das works as a board member for Mantra Central, a Hindu temple in Syracuse. The Diwali event the temple organizes focuses on the religious themes of the holiday, while still welcoming a more secular approach.

“Diwali is universal, so everyone can relate to light over darkness,” Das said.

While Diwali commemorates popular Hindu stories, Das said the true meaning of the holiday is internal reflection.

“It’s really celebrated when you, yourself, as a person achieve or conquer one of the difficulties or challenges that you’ve had within you,” Das said.

Stephanie Zaso | Design Editor

Although Mantra Central primarily focuses on the religious undertones of Diwali, Das said that the holiday is intended to be celebrated by everyone.

The lights and food drew in SUNY ESF sophomore Christian Prosper, one of many people who participated in the festival by chance. Prosper happened upon the event while taking a break from his homework in the Physics Building.

“It’s definitely a lot more active than I’ve seen this part of the Syracuse campus at night,” Prosper said.

Although Prosper never celebrated Diwali before Monday, he immediately connected with the environment.

“It’s really, really pretty … everyone’s smiling, laughing and talking,” Prosper said.

People like Prosper, who previously knew little about Diwali, are part of the reason why the event is such a fulfilling experience for Ray. For some in NOMAS, the festival allows them to share experiences that they typically only have with their families back at home.

“It’s good to see so many people here enjoying food and experiencing the culture that I grew up in,” Sonali said.

Published on October 25, 2022 at 12:45 am

Contact Ethan: evchanin@syr.edu