On Oct. 8, three clubs collaborated at lunch to hold a diya social to raise more awareness about Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, Indopak co-president Sania Khanzode said. It was planned and executed by art club, English Learners and Indopak. 

In this event, participants painted diyas, which are clay candle holders placed in front of homes during Diwali, participant Aarya Patel said. Diyas symbolize the light against darkness in the world, Patel said.

“[Painting diyas] is definitely a vital and pretty major part of Diwali, while [also] being a really fun way for people to be creative and artistic,” Patel, a freshman, said.

The diya social helped raise awareness of Hindu culture and its inclusivity, participant Reva Karri said.

“I personally really like painting, and it’s nice that they are acknowledging different events that happened during this time from [different] places,” Karri, a freshman, said. “This event helps others from different cultures realize just how fun Diwali can be.”

EL, which plans most cultural events at our school, such as multicultural night, provided the paints and brushes and set up the tables for the event, ASB EL Commissioner Chetan Kurkure said.

“EL is all about culture and diversity, so our job is to put on events for different cultural holidays, including this one,” Kurkure, a senior, said. “We’ve provided an experience for students to get involved and explore the cultural side of Diwali.”

Indopak provided the diyas for participants to paint and promoted the event, Khanzode, a senior, said. Art club also promoted the event to its members to boost participation, art club co-president Abigail Song said. 

“We collaborated so we can bring together all of our members, so we can have more people from all kinds of cultures celebrating [Diwali],” Song, a senior, said. 

The diya social was an opportunity for all students, even those non-Indian, to connect to Hindu culture, Khanzode said. 

Painting diyas allowed students from all religions to participate because of its artistic aspect, enabling them to become more comfortable with Hindu culture, Song said.

“Sometimes we don’t get to focus on art from different countries or cultures, so it’s nice to get our members up here and let them try different styles [of art] from the rest of the world and understand the cultural significance behind it,” Song said.