By Shaaranki Kulenthirarasa

International students at TMU are finding ways to keep traditions alive for Diwali despite being away from home. Diwali, also known as Deepavali, is the festival of light celebrated by Hindus, Sikhs and Jains across the globe. During the festival, numerous lamps are lit to symbolize light over darkness. 

Some international students from South Asian countries said they feel most homesick during this time of year. 

Divisha Jain, third-year creative industries student said Diwali is one of the biggest festivals for international students who celebrate. “During the month or the week there [are constantly] guests over, I can’t even describe how it feels in India,” she said. 

Third-year food and nutrition student Priyanka Prakash agrees, saying she misses the togetherness of the community back home during the festivities of Diwali. 

“Most [of] the time, I do call my parents, but if I am really sad, sometimes I actually don’t because I don’t want them to see me being sad.” Prakash said. “So, I get homesick and then I’ll just try to internalize it and I try to think of ways that I can celebrate Diwali from now on.” 

Prakash keeps her traditions alive during this festival by preparing traditional dishes and going out to watch Tamil films with her fiancé. As a student who lives and works in residence at TMU, Prakash says she avidly looks forward to the Diwali meals by TMU Eats every year.

“I remember [in my] first year, they made sambar [a lentil vegetable curry] and rasam [a South Indian soup] and they made three different types of Payasam [a sweet porridge] so I am waiting for that,” Prakash said. 

As the vice president of marketing for the Indian Students Association (ISA) at the university, Jain is helping plan Shaam Shaandar, this year’s Diwali event the club hosts. She feels that events like this could help ease feelings of homesickness while allowing students to meet other people who also celebrate this festival. 

“Attending the Diwali event is obviously a good option and there’s everything from Indian food to photobooths where there are props to a Bollywood DJ,” she said. 

Jain said the ISA team is working very hard on planning the event and marketing it to allow students to celebrate this important holiday. 

Usha George, a professor in the school of social work said hosting events like this can play a significant role in helping students stay connected to their identities despite moving to different countries.

“Since [international students] are all far away from their homes, this is probably their first experience with being in a foreign country, enrolled in a demanding program, so this provides them with an opportunity…to feel that they belong,” she said. 

George spoke about an event that was held at Sankofa Square last month to celebrate Onam—the annual harvest festival celebrated throughout the Malayali diaspora—and how that was an example of an event that provided international students with a similar opportunity. 

Jain had a different perspective to offer for students who are nervous about attending events.

“There are some days where you should let loose, go, give it a chance, give it one try. If not that, then you can just go, maybe have food if you’re too nervous to dance,” she said.