In the entryway to Redwood Hall, pots overflowing with marigolds and strings of flowers welcomed guests, creating a festive atmosphere. The Indian Student Association (ISA) brought CSUN to life on Oct. 19 with Garba Night 2024, a vibrant celebration of Indian culture. Students, faculty and community members gathered to celebrate Garba. Upon arrival, attendees were asked to remove their shoes, for religious reasons.
“We are representing our Indian culture on campus here in CSUN. We are just trying to celebrate all of our events, as much as possible. We want to celebrate every event naturally how we celebrate it back in India,” said Aastha Joshi, secretary of the ISA.
Garba is a devotional dance to the feminine form of divinity, originated in Gujarat, India. Performed in a circle around a central image of the Goddess Durga or maa Ambe that symbolizes women’s power and strength, is done during nine nights of the Hindu festival of Navratri.
Before the dance began, attendees gathered together around an altar surrounded by flowers, candles and a portrait of the Goddess Durga to pray and make offerings in a praying ritual called Puja. Soon after, the students performed the Aarti, a prayer of gratitude where a candle or a flame is waved in a clockwise circle while singing a hymn.
These rituals are known by different names depending on the region and serve as symbolic gestures to seek the goddess’ blessing for good luck, prosperity, strength and success, setting a spiritual tone for the night’s festivities.
Once the prayer concluded, traditional folk music filled the hall and attendees formed a circle to begin the traditional Garba dance. Moving in sync, they start dancing “2 taali”, one of the Garba dance steps that involves moving two steps forward, two steps back and a rhythmic clapping to the music. The circle grew and shrank as people joined in, creating a lively and festive atmosphere.
ISA Social Media Manager Khushboo Arora, an international student from North India, shared how they celebrate in a different style, dressing up as different gods. In South India, where most of the students at the celebration are from, they instead choose to dance.
“But it’s particularly Indian, so we all will join them and dance with them,” Arora said. “It’s cultural heritage, it’s about the rich culture of India.”
This semester was Arora’s first time being involved with the organization of the event with the ISA, completing the set up and inviting the DJ all by themselves.
“It’s actually what India is built of,” she said. “India has many rich cultures, as you know. It’s divided into parts and people come together and celebrate these festivals together.”
An open-air photo booth allowed attendees to capture memories of the night, offering a fun way to commemorate the celebration. Free snacks and water were also available throughout the event.
In attendance was Vice Provost Joy Borah, who attended the event, shared her excitement about the cultural celebrations at CSUN.
“I have been here for three months and I was really excited to hear that our students here are celebrating all these various cultures,” said Borah. “I heard about celebrating Hispanic night, celebrating the Indian festivals here. I am really excited to be part of this and support our students in celebrating their cultures. To bring a little piece of home for them at CSUN.”
For many international students, Garba Night was more than just a dance, it was a way to reconnect with home.
“Right now they are missing home,” Arora said. “It’s really special for us to take it forward as we are so used to doing. It feels like home, you remember home. How we used to do it there, how it’s different here. Like we miss our family, so we come together and become each other’s family.”
Members of the Indian community also expressed the want for other CSUN students to consider attending their cultural events, even if they are from a different culture themselves.
“It’s not just for Indians, other people should know,” said Harssh Saini, an international student and third year mechanical engineering major.
For those unfamiliar with the steps, experienced dancers were quick to teach. Attendees invited newcomers into the circle, guiding them through the simple steps, making sure everyone felt included. Smaller circles often formed within the larger groups, allowing people to dance in smaller groups.
Colorful and decorated wooden sticks known as dandiyas were available for attendees. Raas is a traditional dance performed in pairs, where dancers strike their sticks together rhythmically as a part of the dance.
“It’s the first time I’m seeing so many Indians together, so it feels good as well just to meet everyone,” Saini said. “It brings everyone together, it gives everyone a reason to show up and wear traditional clothes. It just feels like you’re back home.”
