Interpreting the D-day

Sheetal

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Diwali aaj hai, says Dwayne Bravo hiding his Caribbean English accent in the latest advertisement of a clothing brand hinting at how the season of Diwali has arrived. And as you watch it, you cannot stop smiling at the efforts, of Dwayne Bravo and Shane Watson, to get into the festive vibe by wearing ethnic clothes. As they say, when in Rome, do what the Romans do, the same way students from foreign lands get into the festive vibe with their Indian friends.

The Afghani twist  

Afghanis have been a part of various exchange programs in Chandigarh for quite some years now. Some stay for a single course while some stay till they earn a doctorate. Farhad Haqyar, student, School of Communication Studies, Panjab University, just started his semester in July and says, “I am very excited to witness how Diwali is celebrated. I will probably go out with my Afghani friends and Punjabi friends. I also got to know people exchange gifts on this day and I would like to gift Afghani dry fruits, badam, pista, kishmesh, nakhod and charmaghz this Diwali.” 

Zia Rahman Safi, second year student, at University Institute of Applied Management Sciences(UIAMS), PU, hails from Kunar province in Afghanistan. He recalls last Diwali as a peaceful experience. Says Zia, “I went to University playground where all the students from different departments came together to celebrate Diwali as they did not go home for some or the other reason. We all lighted thousands of candles and it was a delight to watch them glow.” Well, this year Zia plans to celebrate it outside Chandigarh.

A German celebrates  

A semester exchange programme at Chitkara University helps Indians as well as foreign students to learn from each other’s cultures. For an artist, boundaries don’t exist. Edwin Giebelhaus, German student who landed in Chandigarh in July for Bachelors in Applied Arts, says, “I am already seeing changes around me due to the festival. Markets are more crowded and everywhere people have put on lights of different kinds.” Does he find some similarity between Diwali and any German festival? He answers, “Not exactly, but yes I find Diwali to be a mixture of Christmas and New Year.” About his plans on Diwali, “We were invited by friends to their house but since classes will be off for a whole week, we planned a trip to Thailand which is a lot closer and cheaper from India than Germany.”

The Ethopian take 

A research scholar at Department of Public Administration, PU, Mulugeta Fisseha is an Ethopian and says, “I celebrate this festival every year now with my foreigner friends as well as some Indian friends. We enjoy by staying up all night, dancing and drinking. This year will be no different.” The only thing he doesn’t like about the festival is the sound of fire crackers and to distract himself, he likes to stay inside the house with friends and music. Mulugeta adds, “The togetherness amongst the people reminds me of our Ethopian festival Meskel, but it is more religious and a little different like fire crackers are not used.”

Diwali with 

French friends  

There are foreigners who celebrate the festival with Indians to make them feel like they are in their home country. Shreya Attri, masters in French, was last year in France for a programme and her friends and colleagues reached out to her, dressed in traditional attires to celebrate the festival just like we Indians do. She informs, “Festivals are the only way to open up and understand each other’s culture. Robert Mclean and Fabienne made last year’s Diwali as the most memorable one for me and I invited them this year to be here on Diwali. Since they have longer holidays during December, so I will be celebrating Christmas with them in India.” 

Time to soak it all in 

British Indian, Vignesh Piramanayagam is studying at Indian School of Business, Mohali Campus (ISB). He studied in UK and recalls how his childhood was filled with moments when being the only Indian in his school, he never shied away to wear his ethnicity on his sleeve. He says, “My parents are from Chennai and this is the first time that I will be experiencing North Indian Diwali.” In a similar context in UK, Vignesh informs, “We have Guy Fawkes night also known as Bonfire night celebrated on November 5 every year when people gather to celebrate it and there are firecrackers. Only thing that British do differently is that they do not exchange gifts.” Arifa Nastoh from Afghanistan has been in India for a while now. She shares, “I will be celebrating it with my Afghani friends. Last year we went to a friend’s place in Sector 46 and remember there was rangoli drawn on the floor and diyas all around the house.

Sheetal.dadhwal@tribunemail.com