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For more than 60 years, Diwali celebration brings light to campus

The Punjabi dance group Cornell Bhangra performs at the 2023 Diya Jale.
The Punjabi dance group Cornell Bhangra performs at the 2023 Diya Jale (Provided)

By Caitlin Hayes, Cornell Chronicle

As the days get shorter and the clocks turn back, the student group Society for India is bringing light to campus with Diya Jale – the longest-standing campus celebration of Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, in North America.

“In India, there are a lot of states, languages, religions, but every single person I know celebrates Diwali,” said Anoosha Mallakanti ’26, an operations research and engineering major in Cornell Engineering, international student and events co-chair for the Society for India. “Everyone comes together, everyone celebrates, and the Society for India wants to bring that spirit and that light into everyone’s day before daylight savings ends.”

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