Dressed head-to-toe in festive Indian garb, dancers brought the spirit of the Indian culture to life last Saturday in State College. An estimated 650 people packed the HUB Ballroom for a night of food and dance in celebration of Diwali.

Diwali, known as the Festival of Lights for the tiny clay lamps used to celebrate it, is an observance of the triumphant return of the Hindu deity Rama, and the victory of good over evil.

The Ballroom event is the largest annual function organized by the Indian Students Association (ISA).

"We're all here to celebrate a great festival," said Roopa Shah (senior-business logistics and international business), an undergraduate representative of ISA who was in charge of this year's Diwali celebration. "Today is a day to forget all enemies and all hatred."

The celebration began with a meal made available by members of the Indian community and Vegetarian Delight, 114 S. Hetzel St. Vegetarian dishes from different parts of India were served along with sweet traditional deserts called Carrot Halwa and Gulab Jamun.

The rest of the evening was filled with music and dance. Lavishly dressed girls with small bells wrapped around their ankles swirled to the intricate Indian beats. ISA members from both the Indian community and the University performed a variety of dances and put on a fashion show featuring authentic Indian attire.

"The kids are the ones keeping the culture and tradition alive," said Mini Bhardwaj, the Indian community representative. "It's important and fun to watch."

Apart from the celebration at the HUB, Diwali is a time when many Indian people clean their entire house and decorate with lights, Shah said. They prepare an abundance of food and spend time visiting friends and relatives. Gifts also are exchanged sometimes, she said.

Although Diwali is ISA's main event annually, the organization is making strides to increase the number of activities to include a variety of people, said Pratima Singh (senior-mechanical engineering), president of ISA. Along with Singh, the mostly undergraduate group has also created a monthly newsletter.

The night ended in a frenzy of clapping and laughter as dancers performed to Bhangra, one of India's most lively styles of music.

'It's great to see all Indians come together for our festival," said Soumya Dayananda (junior-international politics).