The MSU community joined in the Hindi festivities Tuesday night, celebrating Diwali, or the festival of lights. The celebration was part of the biweekly Hindi-Urdu Chai and Chat eventmtg, sponsored by the Asian Studies Center and the MSU India Council.

Aditi Tanna, second year masters student in accounting, said Diwali commemorates the return of Lord Rama, a Hindu god, to his city after 14 years in exile. It is believed that on the day of his return, people lit up the city and were playing with colors in celebration.

“I miss family because it’s a vacation,” Tanna said, adding that Diwali is the second biggest vacation after the summer vacation for schools, and usually lasts three weeks.

“Everyone in the family would be at home and we have a tradition of visiting our elders who are not living in our homes, so grandparents and uncles and aunts, and they give you some money,” she said.

The day the event starts is called Dhanteras and is a celebration for Hindu Goddess Lakshmi, Tanna said. People tend to give gifts on that day and be charitable since it is believed that the more one gives, the more wealth and health one will get back.

The last day of the festival celebrates the bond between brothers and sisters and is called Bhai Bij or Bhai Dooj.

Despite the events in their home countries being grander, “noisier and more fun,” Tatiya said coming to the event was a good experience that showed him how people can also be interested in learning more about different cultural festivities.

Fulbright scholar Shakul Tewari said this is one of the main aims of the chai and chat event.

“I think it’s important to come here because we all have certain questions and certain notions about certain countries and communities and ethnicities in our minds,” said Tewari, who is one of the organizers of the chai and chat event. “And since I have come from that country, I think I would be in a better position to comment on it.”

Assistant professor of Hindi Dr. Sean Pue said having such an event helps students studying Hindi and Urdu to practice the languages and also interact with natives of the region.

“I think MSU is fairly weak on South Asian studies so the more we can kind of bolster community for that, the more courses and majors we can offer,” Pue said. “And it’s also good to have people from the different countries of the region come together.”

He said this year, the organizers of the event are planning on having film screenings of both Bollywood and art films.

Other than the film screenings, some chai and chat events have been dedicated to discussions of different topics, which sometimes lead to “intense conversations” between students from India and Pakistan. The topics varied from life in the cities to marriage customs and traditions.

The next event will be on Nov. 4 at 5:30 p.m. in Room 303 of the International Center.