FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS: Celebrating Diwali at the Princeton University Chapel, Vineet Chander, the University’s assistant dean of Hindu life, carries the light that triumphs over darkness, as good triumphs over evil. More than 300 people attended last Saturday’s Diwali at the Chapel event featuring devotional music and dance, spiritual reflections, and a celebration of Hindu culture. (Photo by Tori Repp/Fotobuddy)

By Donald Gilpin

Participants in last Saturday night’s celebration of Diwali at the Princeton University Chapel were greeted by an array of candles on the sidewalk in front of the entrance. In the chapel vestibule were more lights, with a golden statue of the elephant god Ganesh atop an altar covered with candles. Inside the towering nave of the chapel, the altar decorations and colorful costumed performers, with many more candles and lights throughout the chapel, contrasted with the building’s austere arches and walls.

Often called the “festival of lights,” Diwali, actually on November 12 this year, occurs in the Ashvin and Kartika months of the Hindu lunar calendar on what is called the moonless night. “The idea is that we gather together as a community and we light these candles as a way of bringing light into the darkness,” said Vineet Chander, Princeton University’s assistant dean of Hindu Life, who organized the “Diwali at the Chapel” program along with University student members of the Princeton Hindu Society.

“Diwali connects the themes of the victory of light over darkness, of good over evil, of justice over oppression,” Chander continued.

The program included classical dances; traditional worship and chants; bhajans (devotional songs) accompanied by tabla and mridangam drums, violin, and sitar; and memories and reflections on the meaning and importance of the holiday. Guest presenter Jahnavi Harrison, a Grammy-nominated world music artist, and the University’s Swara student ensemble led the bhajans.

In his “discourse,” Chander told the diverse crowd of more than 300 that Diwali reminds us of the symbolic power of lighting a candle in the face of darkness and despair. “When we are faced with darkness collectively or individually, or when we feel that we are in dark times, we can feel discouraged,” he said.

He continued, “We can turn to despair and simply curse the darkness, as that expression goes, but Diwali challenges us to think differently and to think, ‘Well, I can light a candle, and it may not seem like much, but when I light a candle and then I lend that light to the person to the right of me and to the left of me and they light a candle with my flame, suddenly we have multiple candles and multiple lamps.’”

He added, “Our small efforts, when we come together in community, are multiplied and we truly can offer light to the darkness.”

Chander went on to explain how the Hindu tradition regards artistic presentations as not just entertaining performances, but opportunities to express devotion and worship through the arts.

“The culmination of art is when we can offer that art in praise of the divine as a way of bringing folks together in community to express their devotion, their gratitude, their higher aspirations,” said Chander. “That’s really what we were trying to do on Saturday.”

He pointed out that the message of Diwali — the word literally means a row of lights or lamps — is needed now more than ever. “Meeting the darkness with light is not just being a victim or acquiescing to the darkness, but saying, ‘No, I’m going to be an active force of good, of kindness, and compassion and love and justice in this world.’”

Inaugurated in 2008, the annual Diwali at the Chapel event was hosted by the Princeton University Office of Religious Life Hindu Life Program.

Diwali and Dance at Lawrence Library

Coming up on Wednesday, November 15 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. will be another chance to celebrate Diwali — this time with a performance by Guru “Kalashree” Sukanya Mahadevan and her students from the Shishya School of Performing Arts at the Lawrence Headquarters Branch of the Mercer County Library.

Mahadevan, the founder and artistic director of the Shishya School based in Lawrenceville, said that she and six or seven of her students would be performing different parts of a classical Indian dance that is more than 2,000 years old and originates from temples and temple sculptures.

Mahadevan teaches classes on world religion and dance at the college level where she focuses on Indian gods and goddesses and how dance is connected to religion.

“We’ll start off the program with an introduction to Diwali and how we celebrate it,” she said. “Then we’ll demonstrate it through our dances.” She went on to add that the presentation would also include a short lecture demonstration on the different components in Indian classical dance, as well as a five-minute Q&A.

Mahadevan, whose students have appeared at Carnegie Hall and at many other performance venues in the United States and India, described Diwali as the equivalent of Hanukkah or Christmas. “It is a significant celebration of hope, happiness, joy, and everything that is right and beautiful,” she said.

In addition to lighting candles, people celebrate by decorating their houses with lights, by lighting sparklers and firecrackers, and by passing out sweets.

“When I grew up in India, we would go to all of our relatives and friends’ houses and distribute sweets,” said Mahadevan. “And right after Diwali we start off the new year with happiness, hope, and joy.”