Coming after months of Covid, Hindu College's Diwali Mela 'Suruchi' rejuvenates students

New Delhi [India], October 19 : Hindu College organised a Diwali Mela named Suruchi that celebrated the diverse culture of the nation and focused on the aim of community service.
The mega event was organized by the National Service Scheme (NSS) wing of the Hindu College, said a press release by the college on Tuesday.
Around 8,000 students participated in multiple fun and enthralling events and upheld the virtues of community service.
All the colleges of Delhi University came together and shared innovative ideas for selfless service and nation-building during the event.
As per the release, the significance of the Diwali Mela was unparalleled in the eyes of not only Hinduites but also the entire Delhi University student fraternity. Suruchi has created a legacy over the years that is enduring and exceptional and is an event whose memories would endure for a long time.
This event provided spaces for College student-run organizations, such as various chapters of Enactus, and some Self-Help Groups to put up their innovative stalls and sell their handmade products. Differently abled students of Delhi University were also given a stage to perform and showcase their talent, the release said.
Hindu College principal Professor Anju Srivastava, while addressing the event, commended the students' efforts.
"'India is a nation of vivid cultures, traditions and festivals, and Hindu College admits students from all over the nation. It is through the organization of events like these that we successfully imbibe heterogenous cultural heritages and traditions in the students. It infuses solidarity among them, building a relationship of bonhomie and cultivating inclusivity," she said.
"Seeing the entrepreneurial enthusiasm of the students, the principal rendered some useful advice for marketing and more, spending enough time to converse with every stallholder personally. She also gave tips on balancing both academics and extracurricular activities which highly impressed the students. She further added, "Recovering from the depressive months of Covid, this event was an elixir for the students who lost their much cherished years of college to a fateful virus," she further said.
Vice Principal Dr Reena Jain said, "Suruchi was a spectacular blend of celebration, philanthropy and innovation which instilled a spirit of bonhomie and joviality after two years of social distancing and telescreens."
She added, "Even Hindu College Diwali Mela was not just a fun fair. It gave a platform for showcasing the craftsmanship and creativity of those who are unable to get visibility or marketability elsewhere," she said.
"Suruchi thus presented a mosaic of cultures and talent and a plethora of artistic expression. It enabled students from various colleges of Delhi University to come together as a family and represent themselves via the theme Sanskritik Sangam. This engendered a perfect experience of 'Mini India' for the audience that visited," she said.
Program officer of NSS Hindu College Dr Achla Tandon said, "NSS Hindu College has always had a unique approach to dealing with social issues. Our students are trained to be practitioners of an inclusive, empathetic and empowered world. So all those sections of society who have any challenges, whether they be physical, social, medical, or even age-related, were given necessary support as well as empowering skills by our NSS brigade."
The president of the NSS Hindu College Anjali Gupta, brimmed with delight and excitement seeing the enthusiasm of the visitors.
"I have never been happier in life since all the efforts that we made were totally worth it. There were many intricacies and technicalities that we had to figure out during the process of arranging for the Mela, which we weren't aware of, but organizing Surichi opened many windows of knowledge for us, and we are really thankful to the administration for bestowing us with the permission and opportunity," she said.
A volunteer from NSS, Shubhra Jyotsana Singh talked about the comprehensive nature of the event and commented, "I felt blessed to be a part of NSS and Hindu College which rendered me this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, as I got to organize and experience such a spectacle, composing of an inordinately large number of elements, be it its cultural essence or the philanthropic angle or of course the entertaining components."
Sunit Tandon, the Director of India Habitat Centre and Yuvraj Dua, a prominent social media influencer and alumnus of Hindu College, enthusiastically inspected the variety of stalls while uplifting the confidence of the students.