On October 28, 2022, the Hindu YUVA at Stevens (HYaS) threw a Diwali celebration in the Gallery inside the University Center Complex (UCC) South Tower. The event was successful, with about 50 attendees enjoying prayer, games, and food throughout the night. HYaS, a student-led, religious organization for graduate students, is open to all students of any background.
Diwali, also known as Deepavali is “the celebration of the return of Prabhu Shri Raam (seventh incarnation of Lord Vishnu) to Ayodhya (his kingdom). The people of Ayodhya celebrated the return […] by lighting the streets with diyas (clay lamps with oil and cotton wicks) and bursting crackers.” Now to honor its origins, Diwali is celebrated with lights and firecrackers to show the victory of good over evil. The President and co-founder of HYaS, Sumedh Habbu, a graduate student studying Information Systems, says the main problem facing the event was that, as a religious organization, HYaS does not receive any funding from the school. To compensate, they had to come up with creative solutions to supply the event such as having attendees donate snacks and drinks. All monetary funding for the club comes from members themselves but they do their best to plan events that do not require funding.
HYaS hopes that in the future they might be able to host a larger celebration for Diwali by working with Graduate Student Life to establish a fund through the school. They also hope to work with other religious organizations to host an event sharing the importance of Hindu festivals. Overall, HYaS aims to take care of the theological needs of Hindu students.
For their next event, HYaS is bringing a speaker on campus to discuss “Building Mental Resistance through Yog,” this will take place on November 9. They invite all students of any background to join. Habbu also has a message for the undergraduate Hindu student community, saying “we look forward to having you join us! I have had wonderful interactions with some of you and I truly appreciate the perspective, knowledge, creativity and energy you bring to the table. We would love to have you join us for our future events where we can discuss, debate and enjoy the various facets of the Hindu dharma!”
Be First to Comment