Apologies for my hiatus from blogging on OSO. I have spent the last week busily engaged in hosting a special Diwali celebration at Princeton University (where, as my day job, I direct the University's newly created Hindu Life Program). The event, held on Saturday November 14, was wonderful -- a magical evening of shared devotion, learning, and celebration. Lots of Hindu student groups at colleges and universities celebrate Diwali. What made Princeton's celebration unique, though, was that this celebration was hosted by the institution's Office of Religious Life and held right in University Chapel -- "a truly ecumenical and inter-religious worship space" according to its website -- which is home to Opening Exercises and Baccalaureate, and has hosted guest preachers like the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Here's an excerpt from the wire services about the event:
Princeton University will host its official celebration of the Hindu festival of Diwali at the University Chapel on November 14, 2009. The Diwali celebration is hosted by the University's Office of Religious Life (ORL) and spearheaded by the University's recently created Hindu Life Program. The program was launched last year as a pilot; this fall, Princeton made the program a permanent part of the ORL and hired Vineet Chander to be a full-time Coordinator for Hindu Life. The unique appointment makes Chander the first Hindu chaplain in the more than two hundred year history of the prestigious University.
Chandler [sic] said, "One of the aspects of the celebration that we're most excited about is the opportunity that it provides for guests to experience something new and expand their horizons. Last year, I met guests who regularly attend Hindu services at the Chapel, but who had never witnessed Hindu worship. At the same time, I met members of the Indian community who had lived in Princeton for decades but had never set foot in the Chapel. To bring folks like this together under a common banner was extremely gratifying."
(source: Hindu Press International)
The festivities included offerings from The Mayapuris,
a talented young Kirtan group, as well as from some of Princeton's
homegrown talent -- dances by members of Kalaa, our Indian classical
dance company; singing by Raaganjali, our student Bhajan group; and
dance and musical performances from two faculty members. Princeton's Vice President for Campus Life, Janet Dickerson (a lady who -- as far as I am concerned -- defines class, grace, and strong compassionate leadership) was the VIP guest of honor and lit the ceremonial diya. I shared a brief textual reflection, and we conducted an arati (a Hindu worship service) in the Chapel's sanctum sanctorum.
Assisting Vice President Janet Dickerson in lighting the diya.
Priest Ramnath Subramanium blows the conch shell.
Delivering the pravachan (reflection)
This was the second year I've had the pleasure of helping to put on this event, and it seems well on its way to becoming a Princeton tradition.
Personally, this event was also a milestone for me. Like President Obama's historic Diwali message and diya-lighting, I think that events like the Chapel celebration help to earn Hindus a place in the mainstream, and provide a sharp contrast to my own experience coming of age as a Hindu-American
When my parents arrived to the United States almost forty years ago, there was practically no Hindu community in this country. There were very few temples, little knowledge about thefaith, and no real representation of Hinduism in mainstream American institutions like universities. We struggled to mark Diwali the best we could, but I always felt that it was just another reminder of feeling -- even though my sister and I were born in America -- like strangers in a strange land. Because Hindus follow a lunar calendar, the day is observed on a different day each year, and often fell in the middle of the work-week or when students are in the thick of midterms. Most of my Diwali memories from my own college days involve modest gatherings with other students in a dorm or student lounge or sometimes just taking a study break long enough to light a candle and say a few paryers, alone in my room.
Are things changing? In acknowledging Diwali in the university's shared sacred space, Princeton seems to be saying "Yes." I truly believe that with each candle lit in the Chapel on Saturday night, the Hindu-American community grew a little bit older, wiser, and stronger.
And despite this past week's lack of sleep, the stress, and the hiatus from blogging (again, apologies) -- I feel both blessed and humbled to be allowed to play a role.
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I am delighted to hear that a special Diwali celebration was hosted by Princeton University's Office of Religious Life and was held right in the University Chapel as a unique event under the University's Hindu Life Program. The promotion of inter-religious worship is a move in the right direction to spread the message of love and peace preached by all religions.
While observing aarti, kirtans and Diya-lighting, let us not forget the following Hindu prayer to fundamentally alter the spiritual fabric of the world around us:
"May the entire universe be blessed with peace and hope. May everyone driven by envy and enmity become pacified and reconciled. May all living beings develop abiding concern for the welfare of others. May our hearts and minds be filled with purity and serenity. May our attention be absorbed in the rapture of pure love unto the Lord."
Let us also remember the words of Gandhi: "When I despair, I remember that all through history the ways of truth and love have always won."
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