By Jeanine Budd

Navratri, the nine-night Hindu festival of prayer, came to a close Saturday evening. While many students were watching the Red Sox game or heading to Halloween parties, members of the South Asian Student Group (Utsav) were hosting Dhol Bhaje 2007.

On Saturday, Northeastern and the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (MCPHS) hosted a celebration that featured live music, food and a variety of dances at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design gymnasium.

Students at other Boston-area schools, like Boston University, Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, had already held their celebrations.

“Pretty much every weekend for the last month has been a Garba weekend,” said Roshni Mirchandani, a sophomore business major and Utsav public relations chair.

Garba is an Indian form of dance that constituted the first of two parts in Saturday’s celebration.

Raas is a more complicated form of dance than Garba, where dancers use two colorful sticks, called Dandiya Sticks, as symbols during their celebration.

Aekta Vasavada, a freshman pharmacy major, said she enjoyed the celebration because it gave her a sense of home.

“It’s been a while since I’ve been home, so I haven’t really been able to see all the Indian culture,” she said.

Vasavada said she also enjoyed the event for its audience.

“The one’s I’ve been to have been really, really, really crowded and weren’t that organized,” she said. “They also had a lot of different age groups. So it’s cool that there’s all college students here. It’s people you can relate to.”

Mirchandi said Utsav is a good resource for students interested in South Asian culture.

“Utsav is a culture club that brings together students from six different countries: India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan,” she said. “We meet once every other week and we have events that bring all the different South Asian communities together.”

Mirchandi said Dhol Bhaje served as a way to prepare for future events.

“It leads up to the festival that happens next month, which is called Diwali,” she said. “It’s one of our biggest events. We’re going to have Hindus and Muslims come together and we’re going to eat dinner.”

Mirchandi said Utsav is also hosting a Christmas party and will participate in a dance-off next semester.

“It’s the first time we’re doing something like that and it’s with all clubs across the school,” she said.

Mirchandi said preparation for the Garba began a month in advance. After they created a budget and received funding, Utsav contacted advertisers and made flyers to promote the event, she said.

MCPHS’s Indian Student Organization funded the band and food at the event. Utsav payed for the decorations and promotion.

Jaewon Kim, a freshman pharmacy major and friend of Vasavada’s, said it was her first Garba experience.

“I think it’s different. I’m getting to know about a different culture and get an idea of how they celebrate,” she said. “I think it’s really nice getting to know the different people and having the chance to embrace a different culture.”