Last night we celebrated Diwali at the Tuck Annual Diwali Party. The event was one part educational, one part dancing, and – as is the case with all Tuck events – two parts alcohol.
Diwali, we learned, is the Indian Festival of Lights, the celebration of the return of Lord Raama to his Ayodhya after rescing his wife from the demon king, Ravana. Or at least, that’s the version we heard. I’m told the origins of Diwali Day vary from region to region and Wikipedia lists multiple versions… and if Wikipiedia says it, it must be true.
We celebrated Diwali with traditional food and dance performances from something like thirty Tuckies (and Tuck Partners.) And less traditional drinks, of course.
I have to say, I was impressed both by the vegetable samosas – which I love but probably eat incorrectly since I avoid all the associated dipping sauces – and the elaborate dance routines, costumes, and music. (Jai ho!) While there is certainly a strong international presence at Tuck, including India, dancers were by no means limited to any particular background. (See picture above.)
One of the things I love about Tuck is that in any given week Tuckies will rally to support an Intramural Hockey Championship, a Diwali celebration, and a wild game feast (today’s activity) with equal fervor. That kind of community support is rare and I think unique to the school. People love to be involved.
Possibly too much so… the room was so crowded, so overcrowded that my claustrophobia kicked in after the third or fourth dance number.
Still, at the end of the day, and as fun and delicious as Diwali was, grabbing a drink at Canoe Club with a few of our friends was my favorite part of the night...
A slightly different kind of community support, but I like to think it still counts.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment