The Quad’s paths were aglow with tealights Tuesday night as the Indian Graduate Students Association held a ceremony in observation of Diwali, an Indian celebration marking the triumph of good over evil.

Students and community members lit candles along the paths on the Quad throughout the night. A major tradition of the Hindu holiday is to light candles as a symbol of welcoming home an Indian king.

As the story of Diwali goes, the demon king Ravana kidnapped the wife Sita of Lord Rama while the couple was in exile. Diwali celebrates Rama killing Ravana, symbolizing “the victory of light over darkness,” said group member and graduate student Ashish Khetan. Indian students who celebrate Diwali shared the meaning of the candles and other traditions with non-Indian students who attended the event. Group members served Indian desserts such as gulab jamun — fried dairy dough balls in flavorful syrup to represent the sweetness of the occasion.

Attendees traveled from as far away as India to celebrate Diwali in Champaign. Suranjana Sur Mukherjee traveled from Calcutta, India, to visit her son at Illinois and came to the celebration.

“It was a very beautiful ceremony,” Sur Mukerjee said. “All castes, all creeds, all communities (are) coming together to celebrate. It’s a universal brotherhood.”

Sur Mukherjee added that as Rama and Sita returned to his hometown, the community lit candles to illuminate their way home. The candles on the Quad recreated that scene.

“We celebrate Lakshmi, the goddess of money… When we light all our lamps and … leave the door open the belief is that Lakshmi will look at all the lighting in your house, and she will come and bless you with money and prosperity,” said Varun Goel, graduate student. “We all get together; there’s worship (and) there’s food. My parents take special care in cleaning their house.”

Kavya Gundavaram, freshman in Engineering, said she valued the opportunity to celebrate on campus.

“I’m from India, so Diwali is a large part of my life, kind of like Thanksgiving here,” Gundavaram said. “It’s the first year I’ve been away from my family (for Diwali).”

Aside from the significance of the event, attendees also enjoyed the aesthetic appeal of the celebration.

“(The candlelight) makes it beautiful at night … The fact that we live in this place and can come together and have something like this is really nice,” said Rhea Matar, senior in Education.

For some, the event was not just a religious festival but a symbol of acceptance on campus.

“The candlelighting is something that they do in most Indian households, so it’s kind of cool that the University is embracing it and kind of celebrating the holiday along with the Indian culture,” said Vidhan Desai, senior in Business. “I think it brings some diversity and culture to the campus.”

Ilya can be reached at [email protected].