Diwali, also known as the “Festival of Lights,” doesn’t just involve the physical brightening of a space or light displays. The holiday, celebrating the Indian New Year, is also a time to brighten the lives and futures of not only those who celebrate the cultural festivity but also all Chapman University students wishing to participate. 

The university’s 2023 Diwali celebration, which is a collaboration between the Fish Interfaith Center, the Cross-Cultural Center, the South Asian Student Association and the Shukla family, will occur on Monday, Nov. 6, at the Wallace All-Faiths Chapel from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. 

“Just like jack-o-lanterns have a light inside, we have a diya, or lamp, that we put out that shows that our home is welcoming you,” said Yatri Shukla, an adjunct professor and member of the Shulka family. “If you want to pass by or come by, we will give you sweets and treats and snacks. We welcome not just our friends and family, but anybody who wants to pass by.”

The celebration at Chapman began over three decades ago in 1987, when Shukla and her husband, associate professor Pradip “P.K.” Shukla, began inviting students to their house to celebrate the holiday. As the number of participants grew, the celebration was eventually moved to the university’s Fish Interfaith Center once the building was integrated onto campus. 

To Monica Shukla-Belmontes, an adjunct business and mathematics professor and another member of the Shukla family, cultural events at Chapman are important ways for one to explore and learn about other cultures and their celebrations. 

“When I was a student on campus, and I would hear about different events that were going on on-campus, different cultural events, I feel like it’s always nice to know what’s going on somewhere else or what other people celebrate, how they celebrate,” Shukla-Belmontes told The Panther. “A part of (Chapman’s) mission statement is to build global citizens, so one way to build a global citizen is to have more intercultural opportunities.” 

Some Diwali festivities include the cleaning of one’s house, the placing of lamps in front of the house to ensure that a home feels welcoming, and making a rangoli, a colored rice flour design, as another sign of welcome. 

Celebrated in India and other countries, Diwali is connected with the lunar calendar and is celebrated on the darkest day of the new moon. The next day begins the new year. 

The mission of allowing other students of different backgrounds to explore other cultures is at the heart of the university’s Diwali celebration, which is open to the entire campus. Once the celebration started being held on campus, a path of lights display began to lead Indian and non-Indian students to the event. For this year’s celebration, Yatri Shukla is prepared for over 200 individuals to partake. 

An influx of participants has resulted in students of other backgrounds participating in the spiritual aspect of the celebration, which involves asking for negativity in one’s past to be removed and to be provided with a fresh start for the new year. 

“We actually allow all the students who want to participate in doing the spiritual celebration of this,” Yatri Shukla said. “Even though somebody’s non-Indian, they can still light a candle and say, ‘Remove the darkness in my body, my mind, my soul, and give me purity, give me brightness, give me the wisdom.’”