'Indian Festival of Lights': HSE University-St Petersburg Celebrates Diwali
Bright saris, mehendi, flavorful curry and extraordinary dances—for one day, the HSE building in Kantemirovskaya street turned into hot India. The traditional festival of Diwali, which symbolises the victory of light over darkness, united professors, students and guests from all over the world.
The festival gathered not only students from the countries which celebrate Diwali (India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Kenya, Nepal, Malaysia, RSA) but also representatives of Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Nigeria, Ghana and other states. The event started with the speech by Olga Gaidova, director of the International Student and Alumni Centre. She conveyed the greeting words of Manoj Sharma, vice president of HSE University-St Petersburg. He reminded the guests that Diwali was the symbol of goodness and new beginnings, which is similar to the journey in the world of knowledge.
The festival programme was opened with dance performances. With the help of movements and costumes, the dancing school 'Natya Sutra' and Anita Sutradhar introduced the guests to Indian traditions. One of the dances was based on an ancient mantra devoted to the students' respectful attitude to their mentors, and the second symbolised a blossoming flower.
Immersion into the Indian culture continued with the lecture about Hindi. It was delivered by Ekaterina Ezugbaya, tutor at the Institute of Asian and African Studies at HSE University-St Petersburg. She talked about the origin of the language, the nuances of pronunciation and the unique peculiarities.
The culmination of the festival was the concert involving students, professors and alumni of HSE University-St Petersburg. Songs and traditional dances alternated with Indian games.
'In my blog, I talk about Indian culture in Russia, and it was interesting for me to perform a dance. The atmosphere of the festival is as close as possible to the traditional one. Such events really help students from different countries to get to know each other better through culture’, shared Daria Staroshchuk, the festival guest.
A special part of the programme was a video message for the participants. Lakshmi Panicker, graduate of the master's programme 'Comparative Politics of Eurasia', showed how they celebrated Diwali at home and shared her warm memories about her studies at HSE University-St Petersburg. Dr Neera Agnimitra, director for international relations at the University of Delhi, talked about the importance of the main festival in India, its mythology and festive traditions.
Ms Neelam Rani, Consul General of India in St Petersburg, also joined the celebration. She highlighted that joint festivals underscored the special connection between our countries.
'The festival teaches sensitivity and responsibility for the prosperity of whole nations. I am sure that such events are a big step towards enhancing the mutual understanding between our countries. I am glad to see a lot of Indian students at HSE University-St Petersburg, and I hope that their number will only increase', commented Ms Neelam Rani.
HSE University-St Petersburg is developing academic mobility programmes with Indian universities. One of the joint projects with educational institutions of this country is the expeditions to the Himalayas for studying the residents of the highlands. 'We have been to the Himalayas three times. The last trip was in the format of a Summer School. Our research helps to understand how the climate changes the local community. We have formed an academic alliance with Indian colleagues, which has great potential', said Dmitry Omelchenko, head of the project, senior lecturer at the Department of Sociology.
Diwali finished with the tasting of national dishes. The guests could try authentic curry, butter chicken (chicken pieces simmered in tomato sauce with spices), aromatic pilaf with basmati riceand thick soup made of beans—dal.
Manas Warbhuvan, co-organiser of the event, 3rd-year student of the programme 'International Bachelor's in Business and Economics', summed up: 'I have dreamt of holding an event devoted to my native country. I am happy that the festival united students from various countries and showed the cultural diversity of the world. We created the atmosphere of light and happiness—this is how Diwali should go'.
International students of HSE University-St Petersburg regularly organise events to introduce people to the cultural peculiarities and traditions of various countries. Follow the announcements of such events via the link.