Diwali is celebrated majestically in the country – it is one of our most-awaited festivals. The excitement of buying new clothes and burning crackers for kids, the devotion to Goddess Lakshmi shown by elders and the delight of eating sweets for all. Diwali may be a fun-filled festival, but students of ISM Dhanbad and IITKgp miss out the opportunity of celebrating this festival with their families. Institutes located in the Eastern states of India give a Dusherra break instead of a Diwali break, as the former is celebrated with more enthusiasm and zeal in the region.

PaGaLGuY spoke to some students from both ISM Dhanbad and IITKgp to find out how they feel about this situation. An aerospace engineering student at IITKgp, says, “We can’t go home because we don’t have any Diwali break. We went home during the one-week Durga Puja vacation.” IITKgp is now preparing for Illumination: a competition of lights, where each Hall of Residence (hostel) comes out with a unique theme; exhibited on bamboo grids using diyas. (PaGaLGuY has written about Illu in the past) But for students of ISM Dhanbad, it will be like any other day. “There are absolutely zero preparations for Diwali. I wish I could go home. I don’t miss my family on regular days or during other festivals, but to me Diwali is a festival only when I am with my family,” says Akshat Gogia, a student at ISM Dhanbad, who hails from Rajasthan. Another student from Rajasthan who is in his final year, Shreyans, has this to say, “It is so boring here. I miss eating the sweets my mother prepares for Diwali. The aura of Diwali can be felt only at home; our elders, parents and siblings create a different atmosphere altogether. And that atmosphere cannot be created in hostels.”

However, students at IITKgp feel differently. A mechanical engineering student, Sanket Mandal says, “Currently, all halls are busy in preparing the chataai during the day and study for our upcoming exams at night. A day’s holiday is our Diwali break. Only the students whose hometowns are near Kharagpur go home.”

Vyom Srivastava, a third year student at IITKgp, says, “Though I miss home and celebrating Diwali with my family, nothing can be done about it. My days are occupied in assembling chataai for my hall and I speak from experience, Illumination is going to be a fun day for all of us.”

Sanket further adds, “We don’t burst any crackers so there is no pollution, we have an eco-friendly celebration. And this a better way of celebrating Diwali than going home. Our semester exams begin on 18th November and our classes are on till 17th. This is another reason behind not going home for Diwali. For us, Illumination is Diwali.”

Amidst this jovial celebration across the country, this is a low-point for students of these two institutes. They won’t be able to join their families in traditional celebrations.

Diwali has the uniqueness of being associated with a number of events for every individual. Students of ISM Dhanbad will have an uninteresting and a sad Diwali, but for students at IITKgp, the excitement and spirit of Illumination covers up the feeling of homesickness.