Bangalore students from foreign countries celebrate Diwali

All over the world, India is known as the land of festivals. It is not just the countrymen who rejoice one of India’s biggest festivals, Deepavali, but also the foreigners who, having heard a lot about it, look forward to it expectantly.

Students from foreign countries celebrated the festival of lights at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan on Friday. The students from West Asian countries, Mongolia, Bhutan, Afghanistan, Uganda and Tanzania, who are pursuing different courses in Bangalore, gathered for Deepavali at a programme that was organised to introduce the essence and significance of festivals to promote harmony.

“I had heard a lot about India and its culture before coming here. Now, I feel really good, celebrating different festivals of different culture,” said Karma Yeczer, a journalism student at Acharya Institute of Management and Science (AIMS).

Saif, a native of Afghanistan and a computer application student at AIMS, said he likes Indian festivals, especially Deepavali. He said he celebrates all the festivals with his friends in his hostel.

Fahim Warglak, an engineering student at AIMS, expressed his fondness for crackers. Interestingly, both Saif and Fahim associated Deepavali with chocolates. They said they like the festival because of chocolates.

Thanu Fernando, a management student from Sri Lanka, too, said he likes festivals and was thoroughly enjoying Deepavali celebrations. He added that he had heard a lot about the weather and food of Bangalore and, being “a big foodie”, loved eating local food such as dosa, rice bath and vada.

World Organisation of Students and Youth (WOSY) had organised the programme to promote togetherness among the youngsters.

Chief minister DV Sadananda Gowda inaugurated it by lighting lamp along with Vijaychandra, secretary of WOSY; Sanjeev Ningombam, international secretary of WOSY; and V Premnath Reddy, founder, Acharya Institutions and president, WOSY.

WOSY was started in 1985 when issues such as casteism, groupism, education and money were dividing people. Since then, WOSY had been organising talks and seminars all over the world to promote unity and peace. Besides Deepavali, the organisation celebrates Holi, Ugadi, Sankranti and Sagansa (new year of the Mongolians) too.