DIWALI 2009 @ LIBA

Diwali – “The Festival of Lights”, is certainly the biggest and brightest of all Indian festivals. The word ‘Deepavali’ literally translates as ‘a row of lamps’ in Sanskrit. It would be quite foolish on my part to give an account of the festival in general, as all of us- Indians are well aware of it… So I would directly jump to how we celebrated Diwali in LIBA... The best Diwali of my life :) ….
My day started at 5 AM. Gosh… U might be thinking that I am quite an early riser… But actually it was the sound of crackers that woke me up so early in the morning. With the ambient noise level going upto 90 decibels or more right outside my window, It was not possible for me to continue my peaceful slumber. The entire day I just lazed around the house. The celebrations @ LIBA were from 6.30 PM onwards. As I was handed the responsibility of making the Rangoli design, I started early from home and reached college at around 4PM. When I reached the diyas were already placed all over the OAT and the college blocks. On one side of the OAT I was making the Rangoli and on the other side, Suman and Sanya were drawing an image of Ganesha. Once done, me, Kavita & Tess filled the Rangoli with different colors which nearly took us two hours. By this time, students started coming in, in their best ethnic attires… It was really a gorgeous night with all the lighted diyas and the gorgeously dressed people. In the middle of the OAT we placed a photo of Goddess Lakshmi and all the pooja stuffs. We also made a huge Swastik with the diyas which eventually was remade by Anurag(2nd year) as it turned out to be a reverse Swastik. Once everyone has arrived & the festive mood was set, Anurag started doing the Puja and some of the girls sang various Bhajans. Everyone then did the Aarti turn by turn. For me, it was the first Aarti of my life and a totally new experience. As soon as the puja was over, we heard Dhol beats coming from behind. We turned around and saw Ankit(LIBA Student Coordiantor) coming towards the OAT with a “Dholi”. It was a surprise for all of us & it didn’t take us even a single second to start dancing to the dhol beats… to be precise Bollywood dhol beats. Even those who have never danced before, broke all the barriers of their shyness and joined us in dancing. It reminded me of Dandiya as we formed a huge circle and went round and round dancing. Once we all were famished, we were served with lots of snacks & cold drinks by 360 degree volunteers. In just few words, we had a Blast!!!
Here ends the account of Diwali 2009 celebrated @ LIBA. My ‘Best’ Diwali though didn’t end here :). There is more to it but I am supposed to end it here . Diwali this year was a huge SUCCESS, thanks to 360 degrees & I am proud to be a part of it…