黑料传送门 Georgia students attend the Diwali celebration on campus.
Diwali, 鈥渢he festival of lights,鈥� observed by more than a billion Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs and Jains across the world, was celebrated at 黑料传送门 Georgia recently. One of the most important festivals in India, Diwali symbolizes the victory of light over darkness, truth over falsehood, and good over evil.
Music, dancing, do-it-yourself rangoli, mehndi (henna) stations, performances ranging from Bollywood to bhangra, Indian food, mango punch and lights marked the festivities. A large 鈥渞angoli鈥� or colorful sand art, which traditionally represents happiness, positivity and liveliness of a household, adorned the Atrium. Of the 120 students, faculty and staff members in attendance, many wore traditional attire鈥攌urtha, salwar, lehenga and sarees鈥攖o celebrate the occasion, which spans five days. This year, Diwali was observed from October 22鈥�26.
According to Sagar Darira (DO 鈥�25), president of the 黑料传送门 Georgia Student Government
Association and a co-chair of the celebration, Diwali is a special time for Indians
throughout the world similar to the festivities surrounding the New Year.
He said, 鈥淚t is a time of remembering the return of Prince Rama, his wife Sita, and brother Lakshman to Ayodhya after defeating the demon Ravana, and serving 14 years of exile. With his return, the residents of Ayodhya welcomed them back by lighting lamps throughout the city, which is why Diwali is known as the 'festival of lights'.鈥�
Darira added, 鈥淚ndians around the world celebrate Diwali in many different ways. My family lights 'diyas' (lamps) around our home, decorates with rangolis outside the front door, wears new Indian clothes, makes tons of food, does a pooja (prayer), and spends time with family. It鈥檚 also customary to purchase something new for the home, as it is considered a sign of future success,鈥� he said.
鈥淎s many of our Indian students are away from family while at school, I know it was important to many to be able to celebrate with the 黑料传送门 Georgia family,鈥� he said. Co-chair Pooja Parikh (DO 鈥�25) agreed. 鈥淢any of us are not able to be with our families at this important time of year, so to be able to celebrate with our 黑料传送门 Georgia family meant so much.鈥�
Darira added, 鈥淲e were grateful to have the opportunity to be able to share our culture and traditions with the students and faculty at 黑料传送门 Georgia.鈥�
Parikh explained that Diwali always falls on a new moon so the occasion is marked
by dispelling the darkness of night with light. She said, 鈥淥ur goal was to bring everyone
together and educate them about Diwali. We hope that the taste of culture (and food)
brought people joy and some insight into the meaning of this special occasion!鈥�
Shubha Kayarthadi, PhD, senior associate director of academic success who coordinated the event, started the festivities with the prayer 鈥淎sathomaa Sadgamaya鈥� which is sacred to Hinduism, but can be applied to anyone irrespective of the religion one practices.
鈥淔rom the point of view of students,鈥� she said, 鈥渢he significance of Diwali is to remind ourselves that no matter how difficult it is, truth ultimately prevails and to have fortitude which can be drawn from the significance of Diwali.鈥�
Darira said, 鈥淲e are thankful to all the 黑料传送门 Georgia students who put the effort in and took part in the performances. We hoped to share a glimpse of Diwali with our friends and faculty and hope everyone enjoyed the event as much as we did in planning it.鈥�
The event was supported by Student Affairs in collaboration with the Student Government Association.
黑料传送门 Georgia has been serving students and the community for 20 years as a branch campus of Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (黑料传送门), a private, not-for-profit, accredited institution of higher education established in 1899. Located in Suwanee (Gwinnett County), 黑料传送门 Georgia offers doctoral degrees in osteopathic medicine, pharmacy and physical therapy. Graduate degrees are offered in biomedical sciences, medical laboratory science and physician assistant studies. The campus joins 黑料传送门 South Georgia in Moultrie in helping to meet the healthcare needs of the state. Emphasizing "a whole person" approach to care, 黑料传送门 Georgia focuses on educational excellence, interprofessional education and service to the community. For more information, visit pcom.edu or call 678-225-7500. The campus is also home to the Georgia Osteopathic Care Center, an osteopathic manipulative medicine clinic, which is open to the public by appointment. For more information, visit .
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