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Diwali Fosters Community For Indian Students At USC

Jessica Moulite |
October 27, 2014 | 4:41 p.m. PDT

Staff Reporter

Volunteers at AIS' Diwali event. (Jessica Moulite/Neon Tommy)
Volunteers at AIS' Diwali event. (Jessica Moulite/Neon Tommy)
First year Master’s in Dentistry student Jasjot Sahni attended her first Twitter enabled Diwali festival Sunday evening.

USC’s Association of Indian Students, which hosted the event in a packed Bovard Auditorium, created #aisdiwali for the event.

At its core, Diwali is a religious holiday for many groups including Hindus, Jains and Sikhs where “the victory of light over dark and good over evil is celebrated.” But for Sahni and students like her, Diwali allows for Indian students to connect with their heritage and embrace a piece of home.

Sahni acknowledges that although Diwali is “a good platform” to share her culture, she affirms the festival as a way “to maintain [our] integrity while being outside in a foreign country.”

SEE ALSO: India's Influence In Southern California: How Religion, Culture And Politics Collide

Shashikant Pople is a Master’s student in Electrical Engineering.  He says being away from home during Diwali is difficult, but he enjoys being able to socialize with other students at the celebration. 

“We miss family a lot but this way… somehow we feel like [we are] with family,” said Pople. 

Engineering Management major Nikita Kumar echoed Pople’s beliefs. 

“I just feel that it brings people together and it reminds me of home. And it brings us to our roots,” said Kumar. 

From wearing traditional Desi garb to eating Indian sweets, AIS’ Diwali festival brings pieces of India closer for students thousands of miles from home. 

Reach Staff Reporter Jessica Moulite here. Follow her on Twitter.



 

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