New Mexico State University’s Indian Student Association (ISA) brought the festivities of Dandiya to Corbett Outdoor Stage with music, dance, and food for all to enjoy on Oct. 4.
Dandiya is a celebration within the holiday of Navratri, incorporating music, food, traditional wear, and dancing including the use of dandiya sticks. The full name for these festivities is Dandiya Raas.
Mihir Kumir, NMSU graduate student and member of the ISA explained the background of the event, including its roots and what it encompasses.
“The nine-days [long] festival is celebrated in India, and mostly the west part of India,” Kumir said. “They will gather all together and every night, they worship the goddess, Maa Durga. They pray, and then after they will play the Dandiya…In short, it’s celebrated for the winning of the goddess killing the devil.”
The night included a turnout of students from all-over, including Sri Lanka, Nepa, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and more. The event also served free Indian food to the community, including gobi manchurian, onion pakora, and aloo gobi.
After, the association provided entertainment with music and on-stage dancers dressed in traditional garb, such as the kurta for men and chaniya choli for women. They gave out dandiya sticks for guests to dance with and gave out a gift card to the best dressed of the night.
The ISA also brought a display of Bathukamma: colorful orange, yellow, and white flowers arranged for ambiance and a photo backdrop for attendees.
Milan Parekh, member of the ISA, included more context for the associations goal hosting the event and how they assist international students during their time at NMSU.
“It’s just to gather the international students because they feel alone,” Parekh said “Because this is the biggest festival in India, especially for the young people [where] they dance all night, from 8 in the night to 4 in the morning. So it’s just to help them [be] more comfortable here, because it’s like providing home away from home.”
Along with bringing together international students at NMSU, the event served as a celebration and sharing of culture on campus.
“We like people to see how we celebrate and what our culture is…all the people unite together and dance for the goddess Devi. They forget everything, and there is no pain, nothing,” Parekh said.
According to Parekh, for each of the nine days the goddess is celebrated and dressed differently in Hindu Temples.
“It’s nine days,” Parekh said “So [the] first day the goddess is a little girl. Second day she’s grown-up. Third day she’s married. Fourth day [she] is a mom… and seventh day she is starting the killing [of] the demons.”
Mithila Gubba, vice president of the Indian Student Association explained how the association hosting events like these provides students a comfortable space and a reminder of home.
“We are away from our family…and it’s a lot. [Dandiya] is filled with a lot of emotions, happiness, everything,” Gubba said.
Gubba said that the ISA plans to host an on-campus event to celebrate Diwali with an even bigger crowd.
“We are having another huge event, which is Diwali, celebrated for the festival of lights. It’s celebrated [in] November. There, there will be more people; like 500-600,” Gubba said.
She also said the ISA hopes that events like these provide a place for the NMSU community to unwind and have fun.
“From the event, I hope people take away happiness, dance, food, and just [to] chill and have fun,” Gubba said.
![NMSU Dream Team Organizers [from left to right] Jovanny (he/him/el), Alberto (he/him/el), and Sarai (she/her/elle).](https://nmsuroundup.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Image-1.jpeg)
