AANAPISI’s Diwali lit a cultural light on the college community

Lighting up the vibrant cultural diversity in the college, Seattle Central College’s students with Asian American & Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution (AANAPISI) celebrated Diwali on Oct. 30. The AANAPISI space was decorated with lanterns and crafts, with lights created by the students over the past few weeks. The aroma of hot chai and delicious food, including rice and curry, filled the atmosphere.     

“Diwali is the Hindu New Year,” said Kamya Malhotra, a sophomore and also a Club Coordinator at The Clubs and Activities Board in the college. “We welcome goddess Lakshmi, who is the goddess of prosperity and wealth. And that’s why we burst firecrackers in order to light the way to heaven so that she has no trouble coming to our front door.” Malhotra wore a vibrant Indian saree and jewelry and arrived with food she had specially prepared for the Diwali celebration event in the college. 

Diwali originated in India more than 2,500 years ago. It is one of the most celebrated festivals in India. Over the centuries, Diwali has been celebrated in many countries around the world. “It is the festival of lights; we want our new year to start as brightly and as vibrantly as possible,” Malhotra added. 

Even though this is Malhotra’s second year, it was the first time she could celebrate Diwali at the college. “I’m grateful they approved this event and allowed us to showcase my culture at the college.” She explained how it empowers students who come from diverse cultures and countries. 

This Diwali celebration made Seattle Central student Raja Rao recall his relationship with India and its culture. Even though he was born in the United States, he expressed how the roots of cultural heritage still exist around him and his family. “My grandma calls it Deepavali,” Rao said. “I love it because I get to celebrate it with my grandma, and I feel more connected to that part of my culture.” Rao’s grandma is from India, and his dad came from India when he was younger. Rao last visited India when he was four years old. 

He did not forget to mention how his grandma prepared his favorite dish, Bisi Bele Bath, which originated in the state of Karnataka, India. “I feel like I really get to access it because it’s both food I love and people I love. So that’s what I like about Diwali.” Rao noted that he is pleased to see the Diwali celebration at the college as it’s rare to see South Asian celebrations.

While Halloween is the biggest and most popular celebration these days in the United States, Kaung Pyi Kyaw, a Seattle Central student and also an AANAPISI Peer Mentor, explained why they planned to celebrate Diwali this year. “Our intended plan was to celebrate Halloween in this quarter, but we realized that Diwali also celebrates these days.” He noted how celebrating Diwali this year is important to the college community. “South Asian culture is not well represented everywhere, including in the media. So, we wanted to have a good space for people to come, enjoy, and learn more about the culture in general.”  

Yenni Wong, also a Seattle Central student and an AANAPISI Peer Mentor, recalled how they were making decorations, arts, and crafts for weeks since they wanted to plan a big festival of lights. She also mentioned the information slides they had displayed on the premises. “We also have info slides for people to learn more about Diwali because I feel like it’s a holiday that not a lot of people like; people that don’t celebrate it won’t know about it,” Wong said. “So, we wanted to have a space for them to celebrate and learn about it because other programs weren’t really celebrating that because it’s the time of Halloween.”

The AANAPISI space was full of students representing many different cultures to experience the Diwali festival. They lit up the Diwali decorations; they colored pictures. Also, they tasted the rice and curry. It was a very special moment for students at Central to learn and enjoy the beauty of cultural differences.  “It’s all about sharing culture and about representation, and I just hope people are able to take something with them,” Malhotra said.