My idea of a perfect Friday night involves Indian food, Bollywood music and a lot of dancing. Luckily for me, The Hindu Students Council and Tufts Association of South Asians (TASA) jointly organized a Diwali event at Tufts this past Friday. Diwali is the festival of lights, and - to keep the explanation simple - it is a holiday celebrating the victory of good over evil and light over the darkness of our ignorance. The evening event was illuminated with lights as we began with a puja, or prayer service, and then had a dinner followed by a celebration - which is when the dancing came in.
I jumped at the opportunity to help organize the event, since Diwali is a festival I celebrate back home. I was pleasantly surprised to see so many people gearing up for the event by painting of the cannon, helping out as part of TASA or the Hindu Students Council, or setting up with the Diwali committee. As for those students who didn't celebrate Diwali, it was nice to see them soak up the buzz of the celebration. Granted, most were participating for the Indian food, but at least they still cared enough to ask about the significance of the holiday and the prayer service. It was as if they had stepped into another cultural atmosphere temporarily - tourists in the midst of the South Asian cultural atmosphere at Sophia Gordon.
As excited as I was to wear a salwarkameez - a traditional outfit for women - I was a little anxious as to the responses I would receive once I stepped out of my residence hall. I have seen people dressed in pajamas, superhero costumes, dance costumes and even shorts with blue spray-paint gallivanting around Tufts. Therefore, I figured a traditional outfit shouldn't be any more eye-catching. But the idea of wearing something so definitive of my culture for everyone to see was a little unnerving. I got glances, smiles and various messages along the lines of "You look nice!" or "Oh, it's you!" It was quite interesting to see the effect clothing can have on how other people approach you.
I was also a little skeptical of the compliments; merely putting on ethnic clothing does not necessarily mean that I looked nice. Maybe what they really meant was "different." Back at home, I would wear traditional outfits once a week and would not hesitate being seen in them out at the malls or other venues. Here in the United States, clothing is a cultural aspect I have had to adapt to. (I recently learned that there is a difference between leggings and tights.) After having a strict dress-code policy back in high school in which I had to wear a uniform, it is strange to dress so casually for classes and not receive looks of disdain from the professors. I also found it strange seeing many of my South Asian friends wearing traditional clothing - a little ironic because now I do not give a second thought about their appearance when they wear Western clothing.
It was also nice to see those who do not celebrate Diwali come to the event in traditional South Asian clothing. It reassured me that students at Tufts are receptive to different cultures and are willing to take the extra step to immerse themselves in different cultural practices. Halloween is near, and I will be dressing in my first ever costume for a holiday I have never celebrated before. Seeing people dress up in traditional South Asian attire just shows me that we are all adjusting to each other's practices, ideas, backgrounds and beliefs. It is "Hello U.S.A." for me, but it is also "Hello 'Insert Culture'" for everyone else.
NimartaNarang is a freshman who has not yet declared a major. She can be reached at Nimarta.Narang@tufts.edu.
