Navratri @DePaul 2024
My friends and I got there at seven pm and were surprised to have gulab jamun (Indian fried dough balls soaked in sugar syrup) at the event. Turns out they were all hand-made by a SASA E-Board member’s parents! No wonder they were amazing and melted as soon as they were in my mouth. Their nostalgic and comforting taste indicated to me that this was going to be an evening full of fun.
The music was amazing as SASA hired a DJ who knew what he was doing. The event started with Garba (an Indian dance form, performed in a circle), and then transitioned into Dandiya (an Indian dance form, performed with two wooden sticks). Afterwards, we all took a break for pooja to worship goddess Durga. The night ended at nine pm after the DJ played some Bollywood dance party music we all couldn’t help but groove to.
Navratri is a nine-day festival celebrated by Indians all over the globe. It is dedicated to the fierce and protective Goddess Durga and each one of the days is celebrated to worship her nine forms by wearing colours corresponding to that day.
I am an international student from India and despite being many thousands of km away from home, I think it is very crucial to be in touch with your culture and roots. Thanks to DePaul SASA (South Asian Student Association), I was able to enjoy my festival with my people in the comfort of DePaul’s LPC Student Center.
With a ticket worth $15 from DeHub, my friends and I were ready in our traditionals to enjoy an evening filled with music and dance. Despite the colour of the day being Green (as it was the 4th of October), I decided to wear a blue lehenga. It was the same lehenga which my mother wore when she was my age! Years later, its beauty is still unmatched, as today, it is my favourite lehenga.
Overall, the night was fun and it was a blast to see everyone wearing their cute traditional clothes and putting their best foot forward (literally).
As a sophomore, I can confidently say that being an international student at DePaul does not mean you have to say goodbye to everything you know and love. If anything, DePaul helps you embrace yourself as an individual while you learn through top-tier education. With clubs like SASA, DePaul ensures that its students are equipped with social gatherings and meetings which help them with soft skills and personal development, as they are just as important as curricular knowledge.
I think it is very obvious that I enjoyed my Garba night during Navratri at the SASA event! I cannot wait to do it all again next year too.
-xoTani
