By Nana Aisyah, news correspondent

More than 500 Northeastern students attended the university’s Diwali event Oct. 19. Attendees had the chance to perform Lakshmi Pooja, the act of praying to Goddess Lakshmi, to celebrate and ask for blessing, wealth, health and prosperity in the upcoming year.

Diwali is a five-day festival of lights celebrated by millions of Hindus, Sikhs and Jains around the world. The festival symbolizes new beginnings and celebrates the triumph of Rama, a major deity, against the demons and the demon king. The free event was organized and initiated by the Hindu Community of Northeastern and sponsored by the Center of Spirituality, Dialogue and Service and Office of Global Services.

“In an American perspective, Diwali is the holiday season of India. It is celebrated by most religions in India, and it’s very open to interpretation. Most importantly it is a very community-oriented event where families come together,” said Sagar Rajpal, an engineering management graduate student and member of the Hindu Community of Northeastern University.

The event started at 7 p.m. at the Sacred Space in Ell Hall. After their initial prayers, the event moved to the Curry Ballroom, which featured mouth-watering food stalls and cultural performances.

Rajpal said the overwhelming positive response from students was promising.

“This event is open for everyone in the Northeastern community, and not just for Indians,” Rajpal said. “Our goal is to provide a space for some to perform their religious practices and for people with little to no particular faith so they can learn and get to know about the time of Diwali, its customs and practices.”

Noul Singla, a graduate student studying data science, was one of the 500 attendees. He said he was really excited when he heard about the event and didn’t want to miss out.

“[It was] a good event. We were able to get connected with other Indians on campus,” he said. “When being so far away for home, it’s a good feeling to have fellow people share the celebration.”

Singla said more students attended than the organizers expected, so some students weren’t able to get food because there was not enough food and space to accommodate everyone. However, if there is another Diwali event next year, he said he definitely wants to be a part of it.

“I will definitely try to be a part of it and improve the event management,” he said.

Rajpal, who also works as the operations and program assistant in CSDS, said the event served 10 different types of street food from 10 different cities in India.

“We chose to feature regional cuisines from India because all these things that we have on the menu, you don’t very easily get [in the United States],” Rajpal said. “From personal experience, I crave for local foods during family and eventful times, and this is also a chance to share our amazing cuisines not only to Indians but also to a wider community.”

The food included various appetizers, main courses and desserts including samosa chaat of Delhi, pav Bhaji of Mumbai, biryani and raita of Hyderabad and dhokla of Ahmedabad.

By 9 p.m., the event was still in full swing. Students were still coming through the door, and some performed Bollywood songs onstage.

Monisha Patel, a graduate student studying professional studies in analytics, was also in attendance.

“This is my first year at Northeastern, and it’s hard being away from home. I think this event is a great way for me to get in touch with my culture,” Patel said.

Patel also said the regional food helped satisfy her cravings for food that tastes like home.

“Some of the food here requires a lot of preparation and [is] very elaborate to make,” Patel said. “But now it feels like we’re like at home celebrating this event together.”

Singla said more students attended than the organizers expected, so some students weren’t able to get food because there was not enough food and space to accommodate everyone. However, if there is another Diwali event next year, he said he definitely wants to be a part of it.

“I will definitely try to be a part of it and improve the event management,” he said.

Rajpal said  the overwhelming positive response from students public was promising.

“This event is open for everyone in the Northeastern community, and not just for Indians,” Rajpal said. “Our goal is to provide a space for some to perform their religious practices and for people with little to no particular faith so they can learn and get to know about the time of Diwali, its customs and practices.”

Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that this event was on Oct. 9.