ESU Hosts Diwali, Festival of Lights, October 12

Diwali Celebration

Posted by: Elizabeth Richardson on October 2, 2019, No Comments

East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania’s Desi Student Organization (DSO) will host Diwali Night ’19 at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, October 12, 2019 at the ESU Innovation Center, 562 Independence Road, East Stroudsburg.

Diwali Night ’19 will begin with the ceremonial lighting of lamps followed by a short introduction to the meaning of Diwali and other festivities around this time of year. The introduction will be followed by classical dance, and popular Bollywood dances by ESU students and community children. Special highlights of this year’s program include Tabla, a classical Indian percussion instrument, performance by Paresh Kashalkar, a well-known artist from the Lehigh Valley, and henna. An acclaimed local henna artist from the Pocono Mountains will entertain children with simple designs for a nominal charge. There will also be a fireworks display in the parking lot on the Innovation Center. The program will conclude with an ethnic Indian dinner from Clove Restaurant in Allentown, Pa. Bollywood music will be performed during dinner by DJ.

Diwali is a five day festival that occurs on the 15th day of the lunar month Kartik (October/November).

The word “Diwali” is the modern version of the Sanskrit word “Deep Avali” which means rows of light, and so the celebrations are often referred to as the “Festival of Lights.” The festival symbolizes the triumph of good over evil and focuses on appreciating the goodness in everyone – friend or foe. Diwali festivals are celebrated by a billion people in South Asia and elsewhere in the diaspora annually.

Diwali Night ’19 is sponsored by ESU’s Desi Student Organization. DSO represents the countries of the United States, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Mauritius, Guyana, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Trinidad, and the Caribbean, as well as other Diaspora South Asian countries. The organization’s membership is open to all students. The term “Desi” is a common term referring to, or characteristic of, people of South Asian descent.

Admission to Diwali Night ’19 is $20 for the general public and $8 for children ages 4 to – 11. Tickets for ESU employees are $15, and ESU students pay a reduced price of $10 per ticket (a limited number of free tickets are given first-come-first-served basis). Students must visit Dr. Pats Neelakantan or Dr. Seewoonundun Bunjun with their university-issued student ID in the political science & economics department (408B Stroud Hall) to receive their free student ticket by Wednesday, October 9, 2019 as quantities are limited.

Advance ticket purchase is recommended due to limited seating for the event. Tickets can be purchased online by clicking here.

For more information or to purchase tickets contact Dr. Neelakantan at 570-422-3002 or email pats@esu.edu, Dr. Bunjun at 570-807-7769, Sofia Shaikh by emailing sshaikh@live.esu.edu, or Nimra Khawaja by emailing nkhawaja1@live.esu.edu.