North Texas Daily

New campus organization Hindu YUVA hosted their first major cultural event, Deepavali Utsav, on Nov. 6.

The celebration was held in the Union and open to the campus community. It featured dance and singing performances, as well as other cultural practices, including Lakshmi Puja and Bathukamma.

Hindu YUVA’s university chapter was officially registered this semester to serve as a platform for the preservation, practice and protection of Hindu dharma. The organization chose to have Deepavali as their first large event due to its cultural and religious significance, according to Karan Kakroo, Hindu YUVA UNT event head and Ph.D. mechanical engineering student.

Deepavali, also known as Diwali, is the dharmic Festival of Lights, which Kakroo said symbolizes the power of one’s inner light over darkness. He said he hopes Deepavali Utsav and future Hindu YUVA events provide a platform for students to commune and celebrate Hindu culture together.

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A stack of seasonal flowers, called Bathukamma, are aranged in the shape of a gopuram, or an entrance to a Hindu temple, on Nov. 6, 2022. Photo by Jesse Sanders

Featured Image: A group dances around a Bathukamma on Nov. 6, 2022. Photo by Jesse Sanders