Garlands made of yellow and orange paper marigolds adorned the walls. Hundreds of tea lights cast a warm glow, illuminating the College Nine/John R. Lewis College (C9/JRL) multipurpose room. Throughout the evening, nearly 200 students and community members — many dressed in kurtas and brightly colored saris — flooded the dance floor for Diwali Night on Nov. 9.
As attendees trickle into the multipurpose room, they are greeted by tables lined with tea lights, decorations, and activities, including diya decorating and marigold making.
C9, JRL, and UC Santa Cruz’s Indian Student Association (ISA) and South Indian Student Association hosted the event, a celebration of Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights.
The celebration symbolizes the triumph of light over darkness, of good over evil. For some, it also signifies the start of a new year. In addition to Hinduism, the holiday also carries significance in Jainism and Sikhism.
Although Diwali observances differ by region and tradition, student attendees expressed gratitude for having a space on campus to relish in community and shared heritage.
“I’ve always had [a space like this] my whole life, through weddings, through my church, through my Indian community in my hometown,” said Annette Matthew, a computer science: computer game design major expected to graduate in 2026. “So to have something like that at university is really nice. It feels nostalgic. Even if I don’t know these people, we all have grown up with the same culture, with the same Bollywood songs and the same dances, and we all have an appreciation for India, even if we’re all from different parts of it.”
Tables lining the perimeter of the room presented activities for celebrants. At one, attendees could get henna. At another, they could make paper marigolds, a flower of great cultural significance in India representing auspiciousness, divinity, and new beginnings. And at a third, they could color paper diyas, a traditional Indian oil lamp. Diya lighting makes up one of the most widespread Diwali customs; they’re lit in accordance with the new moon to invite the presence of Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess of wealth and abundance.
A buffet-style dinner included samosas, paneer pakora, vegetable pakora, and fresh kaju katli. As attendees gathered and ate, three on-campus South Asian performance groups showcased dances.
Kalanjali, UCSC’s Bharatanatyam dance team, performed an Indian classical dance first. Dancers wore ankle bells called ghungroo that punctuated the rhythm of the song behind them. Kalanjali “aims to bring this ancient dance form [Bharatanatyam] to the cultural spaces on our campus,” said the emcee who introduced the troupe.
The Bharatanatyam dance team Kalanjali assembles into formation for their opening performance.
Apna Virsa, UCSC’s bhangra team, which specializes in North Indian dance, specifically Punjabi folk dance, performed next. Then Kahaani, UCSC’s premier co-ed Bollywood fusion dance team, finished off the series. The latter group combines Bollywood dance with hip-hop and contemporary styles.
Apna Virsa performs a rhythmic dance to the beat of a Bhangra Dhol, a traditional double-headed drum widely used throughout India.
The crowd met each performance with roars of applause.
“The performances were great,” said Rathik Murtinty, a third-year computer science and computational math double major who attended the event. “A staple of my childhood is that my mother used to sing a lot, so I’d be going to performances kind of like this, but as a family. To see students put on their own production is awesome.”
Once the dance showcase ended, attendees quickly filled the dance floor, beaming as they finished off the night dancing with one another to Bollywood, Tollywood, South Indian, Punjabi, and pop songs.
Promptly after the showcase, hundreds of attendees flood the dance floor, jiving to popular Bollywood tunes.
ISA has played a central role in hosting Diwali Night for many years. Zil Arya, ISA co-president and third-year politics major, emphasized how impactful the organization and the community she found there have been to her life.
“I think that [ISA] has in many ways given me a profoundly positive experience in connecting with my culture and the people who share that same culture with me,” Arya said. “Providing an inclusive space has also allowed me to make connections with people who celebrate differently than I do, and has given me an appreciation for the vast diversity of [India], with an underlying pride in the fact that although we might celebrate differently, we are all South Asians, and we are all valid. That is something that we hope to continue to show our community by continuing to be an inclusive space.”
Sonia Salunke, fellow ISA co-president and third-year cognitive science major, echoed a similar sentiment.
“ISA for me has been the most supportive and welcoming organization I’ve joined. I’ve met my closest friends through my involvement in ISA, and have been given the opportunity to reconnect with my own culture. ISA has allowed me to discover a newfound pride for my community and heritage, and I’m so honored I get to use my position to bring this beautifully diverse culture to all students of UCSC.”