The India Club of the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology invites the public to celebrate the 30th Annual Diwali Night, featuring cultural entertainment, food and a fireworks show. The event will be held from 5-8 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 23, in the Surbeck Center Ballroom on the SD Mines campus (map here). The popular annual event is free and open to the public.
Diwali is one of the largest festivals in India, celebrating the “victory of light over darkness and knowledge over ignorance” across the subcontinent. Traditionally, the festival is marked with elaborate fairs, food preparations, prayers and gift-giving. The night is lit up with fireworks and houses are decked out with lamps, welcoming wealth and prosperity into the household.
The SD Mines’ India Club begins Diwali celebrations with a traditional lamp-lighting ceremony, followed by cultural performances. A fireworks display across from Surbeck begins at 6:30 p.m., followed by an authentic Indian dinner. The food is prepared by Indian students enrolled at Mines, aided by the Indian diaspora of Rapid City. Henna hand-painting stations will also be available.
Cultural entertainment this year will include performances by the tiny tots, and a fusion dance number put together by the students. A diverse range of participants from Indian, American, German and Nepali backgrounds help us make this a truly international event.
Festival organizers are always looking to engage local businesses in sponsoring Diwali Night, as well as supporting other student-led events and community service projects. Mines extends thanks to the SD Mines Student Senate, Coca Cola Bottling of the Black Hills, Curry Masala, Everest Cuisine, Kathmandu Bistro, the SD Mines Office of Multicultural Affairs, the Ivanhoe International Center and International Students, Inc. for their invaluable help in putting together this event. The India Club appreciates any and all support from the public: the crowdfunding site that supports this all-volunteer effort is here: https://crowdfunding.foundation.sdsmt.edu/project/17614.
