Duke Diya is the South Asian student association at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, in the United States. Duke University is a private Research University located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Durham is a city in the US state of North Carolina. It is the County seat of Durham County North Carolina ( is a state located on the Atlantic Seaboard in the southeastern United States The United States of America —commonly referred to as the It is arguably the largest student organization at the University. It states its mission as working to spread and preserve the culture of the nations of South Asia: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Afghanistan /æfˈgænɪstæn/ officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan ( Pashto: د افغانستان اسلامي جمهوریت, ( Bengali: বাংলাদেশ inc-Latn Bangladesh) officially The Kingdom of Bhutan (buːˈtɑːn is a Landlocked nation in South Asia. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country The Maldives ( or, or Maldive Islands) officially the Republic of Maldives, is an Island nation consisting of a group of atolls stretching Nepal (नेपाल) is a Landlocked country in South Asia. Pakistan () officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located in South Asia, Southwest Asia, Middle East and Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka ( Sinhalese:, இலங்கை known as Ceylon before 1972 is an Island
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Membership
Diya has a membership of around 200 undergraduate and graduate students, both American-born and international. Asian Americans are Americans of Asian ancestry. They include sub-ethnic groups such as Chinese Americans Filipino Americans Indian It envisions itself as a forum for cultural exchange, an idea stretching back to the early days of its existence:
"I have always been aware of my culture, but [Diya] gives me a chance to express my culture that I wouldn't be able to do without. [It also] allows me to share my culture with others. " --Adithya Cattamanchi, Trinity '97, in 1995. [1]
History of Diya
An organization named the Duke Indian Association, or DIA, was founded many years ago by a small group of Duke undergraduate students. In 1995, several Indian members decided to expand the scope of the organization to draw in all of the nations and cultures of South Asia. Thus, the club description was broadened, and DIA was renamed Diya, which is a Hindi word meaning "light. Hindi ( Devanāgarī: hi [[wiktहिन्दी हिन्दी]] or hi [[wiktहिंदी हिंदी]] IAST:, IPA:) is "
Hindi major controversy
In 1995, the proposal of a Hindi language major erupted into controversy when two undergraduates wrote letters [2] to The Chronicle, the student newspaper. Hindi ( Devanāgarī: hi [[wiktहिन्दी हिन्दी]] or hi [[wiktहिंदी हिंदी]] IAST:, IPA:) is The Chronicle is a student newspaper at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. They advised against the beginning of a Hindi major, "as it is a language spoken in a Third World country overwrought by disease and poverty," and claiming that, "The values of the West. . . are superior to the values of a primitive, impoverished country like India. One stated,
The British gave India more than just roads, medicine, science and all the values of the West. Perhaps their greatest gift of all was the English language itself. English, not Hindi, is the language of the best India has to offer in every field. Those who truly wish to enjoy the "richness" of Indian culture would do better to learn English than Hindi.
A broad range of students and faculty, both Diya-affiliated and not, wrote letters in response, defending the value of studying Hindi and India [3], decrying what they perceived as ethnocentrism, and began calls for discussion of a South Asian studies curriculum [4]. Ethnocentrism is the tendency to look at the world primarily from the perspective of one's own Culture. Others responded, calling for an examination of the facts and actual interest in a Hindi major, as well as defending the two students right to express an unpopular opinion [5].
For its part, Diya coordinated a letter-writing campaign from Duke and externally, held meetings, and surveyed students about the popularity of a Hindi major [6]. The proposed major was eventually approved in 2000, and Diya's role was recognized as instrumental [7]. 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. See article [8] for more details.
From the Slate. com:
"Last year, Duke University students and professors debated the value of studying Eastern cultures instead of Western ones when a call was made to establish a new curricular concentration in Hindi. Editors of the Duke Review, a conservative campus periodical, avowed that Western values are "superior to the values of a primitive, impoverished country like India. " Now that the academic concentration has been approved, Anand Shah, co-president of Diya, Duke's South Asian student organization, told the Raleigh News and Observer, "I don't foresee further debate about the issue. " But Jay Strader of the Duke Review complained, "This is another example of Duke administrators bowing to the interests of special-interest groups. "" [9]
Other Issues
Diya has also been a voice in the immense number of campus discussions over the years on multiculturalism, self-segregation [10], and equal opportunity. The term multiculturalism generally refers to a state of racial, cultural and ethnic diversity within the Demographics of a specified Particular issues include racially separated housing [11], an anti-reparations advertisement in the campus newspaper [12], campus hate crimes and police harassment [13], the scope of multicultural organizations like the now-passed group SPECTRUM, and fraternity parties that seemed to mock African-American and Latino students [14]. David Joel Horowitz (born January 10, 1939) is an American conservative writer and activist Hate crimes (also known as bias motivated crimes) occur when a perpetrator targets a victim because of his or her membership in a certain Social group, usually defined African Americans or Black Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have origins in any of the black populations of Africa It continues to grapple with its role and capacities on a diverse campus [15],[16]
Events
Diya divides its functions into four major categories of events: community service, cultural, political, and social.
Awaaz
The most famous of Diya's signature events is Awaaz, the fall cultural show. Awaaz began in 1984, though it was then named Diwali, after the Hindu festival of light. Diwali, or Deepavali, (also called Tihar and Swanti in Nepal (Markiscarali is a major Indian and Nepalese festival and a significant A Hindu ( Devanagari: हिन्दू is an adherent of the philosophies and scriptures of Hinduism, a set of religious, Philosophical In its first year, it was relegated to the commons room in Giles Dormitory on East Campus. However, as it grew in size and popularity, it moved to the Old IM Building and then in 1998 to Page Auditorium, where it currently resides. Year 1998 ( MCMXCVIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar) In spring 2001, Diya members decided to change the name of the show to Awaaz, meaning "voice" in Hindi, in an attempt to broaden the participation and appeal of the event. Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar.
Today, Awaaz is the largest student-run event on campus, with over two hundred performers and over two thousand attendees. The two-night extravaganza sells out the 1200-seat Page Auditorium every year. Diya serves guests a catered dinner in Duke's Great Hall before the show, then directs them to the auditorium to see a three-hour performance of dancing, singing, skits and videos. The emcees and performers of Awaaz are selected from the student body via tryout.
Recent Awaaz Coordinators and Emcees
| Year | Coordinator | Coordinator | Emcee | Emcee | Emcee |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Sumesh Chopra | Naim Rashid | Shivum Agarwal | Bob Pan | Chaya Babu |
| 2005 | Sekhar Padmanabhan | Sayed Zaman | Shivum Agarwal | Bob Pan | Sweta Patel |
| 2006 | Aashna Kircher | Tariq Mohideen | Nader Mohyuddin | Sayed Zaman | |
| 2007 | Baldeep Pabla | Ami Saheba | Shaan Puri | Alok Sharda |
Community Service
Diya plans monthly community service activities in the Triangle area for its membership, occasionally collaborating with the South Asian student associations at UNC and NC State. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill ( UNC, North Carolina, or simply Carolina) is a public, Coeducational Research North Carolina State University at Raleigh is a public, Coeducational extensive Research University located in Raleigh North Carolina In October, Diya participates in Be The Change Day, a national day of service to honor the life of Mahatma Gandhi. Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi ( Gujarati: મોહનદાસ કરમચંદ ગાંધી moɦən̪d̪äs kəɾəmʧən̪d̪ gän̪d̪ʱi (2 October 1869 – 30 January In the past, Diya has worked at Ronald McDonald House, SEEDS, and the Durham Crisis Response Center.
As part of national coordinated campaigns, Diya occasionally holds charitable events, such as a bone marrow drive, for South Asian Americans [17]. It has also fundraised and promoted awareness for tragedies affecting South Asians or the South Asian region, such as the Indian earthquake of 2001 [18], the South Asian tsunami of 2004 [19], and the Pakistan earthquake of 2005. The 2001 Gujarat earthquake occurred on January 26, 2001, which coincided with the 51st celebration of Republic Day (India at 0317 hrs GMT The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake was an undersea Earthquake that occurred at 005853 UTC on December 26 2004 with an Epicentre off the west coast of The 2005 Kashmir Earthquake (also known as the South Asian earthquake or the Great Pakistan earthquake) was a major earthquake centred in Azad Kashmir In the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Diya organized forums to discuss potential racial discrimination [20]. List of racism-related topics|Racism by country Racism, by its simplest definition is the belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that
Cultural
Diya holds South Asian Awareness Week in the spring, an annual event that began in 1997 [21]. SAAW brings exhibitions of culture like mehndi decoration, cooking demonstrations, movies, dinners, and performances to campus in an attempt to engage the broader Duke community in South Asian culture. Mehndi is the application of Henna as a temporary form of Skin decoration, in South Asia, the Middle East, North Africa and Somalia Diya has also brought a variety of cultural speakers and performers to Duke, ranging from social activist Arun Gandhi to author Chitra Divakaruni. Arun Manilal Gandhi (born April 14 1934, Durban, South Africa) is the fifth grandson of Mohandas Gandhi through his second son
Diya collaborates with campus religious organizations to produce the successful Triangle Garba and celebrations for Holi and Campus-Wide Fast. Garba ( Gujarati: ગરબા Garbā) is an Indian form of Dance that originated in the Gujarat region Holi ( or language|Bhojpuri]] also called the Festival of Colours, is a popular Hindu spring Festival observed in India, Eid ul-Fitr or Id-ul-Fitr (عيد الفطر ‘Īdu l-Fiṭr) often abbreviated to Eid, is a Muslim Holiday that marks the end of It also coordinates closely with Duke Dhamaka, the campus bhangra team, helping to support the team's activities and travels [22]. Bhangra (ਭੰਗੜਾ pa-PK بھنگڑا pə̀ŋgɽäː is a lively form of music and dance that originated in the Punjab region of Pakistan and India Occasionally, it has worked with the Triangle South Asia Consortium, a federally funded center for South Asian studies.
Political
An evolving focus of Diya's energies, the organization attempts to hold political discussions and host speakers to engage its membership on South Asian and South Asian American topics. Topics range from international political relations in Kashmir to interracial dating and gender roles. This article is about the geographical region of greater Kashmir Interracial marriage occurs when two people of differing racial groups marry, often creating Multiracial children During the 2004 election, when outsourcing became a hot topic, Diya held a panel [23] to discuss the impact on India and the United States. Outsourcing is Subcontracting a process such as product design or Manufacturing, to a Third-party company The United States of America —commonly referred to as the
Social
Diya frequently holds social events like mixers and semiformals at area clubs, as well as events like bowling and paintball. Bowling is a Game / Sport in which players attempt to score points by rolling a Bowling ball along a flat surface either into objects called pins Paintball is a sport in which players eliminate opponents from play by hitting them with dye-filled breakable oil and gelatin paintballs usually shot from a carbon dioxide or compressed-gas
On-campus movie screenings are a popular aspect of Diya's social programming. Some movies like Bend It Like Beckham and Bride and Prejudice are shown before they even reach theaters in the United States. Bend It Like Beckham Bride and Prejudice is a 2004 Indian British / American romantic Musical film directed by Gurinder Chadha It has also shown other hit Bollywood films like Veer-Zaara, Pinjar, Kal Ho Naa Ho, Kaante, and Ek Hasina Thi. Bollywood (बॉलीवूड بالی وڈ is the informal term popularly used for the Mumbai -based Hindi-language Film industry in India Veer-Zaara ( Hindi: वीर-ज़ारा Urdu: ویر زارا) is a 2004 Indian Hindi film directed Pinjar ( Hindi: पिंजर Urdu: پنجر is a 2003 film about Hindu - Muslim problems during the time around Kal Ho Naa Ho ( Devanagari कल हो ना हो Nastaliq: کل ہو نہ ہو English: Tomorrow May or May Not Be is a 2003 Kaante ( Hindi: कांटे Urdu: کانٹے English: Thorns) is a 2002 Bollywood Film directed by Ek Hasina Thi ( Devnagari: एक हसीना थी English: There Was Once A Beautiful Woman) is a 2003 Bollywood
Diya also purchases subscriptions to important cricket matches for the benefit of its members. Cricket is a bat-and-ball team Sport that originated in England and is now played in more than 100 countries In 2004, the important India-Pakistan series was watched intensely by Diya's most ardent cricket fans.
List of Co-Presidents of Duke Diya
| School Year | Co-President | Home Town/State | Co-President | Home Town/State |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991-92 | Dewesh Agrawal | Sylvania, Ohio | Anne George | ? |
| 1992-93 | Rahul Deshmukh | Jacksonville, Florida | Anjali Kataria | Greenville, North Carolina |
| 1993-94 | Amit Patel | Bridgewater, New Jersey | Susan Philip | Lakeland, Florida |
| 1994-95 | Rohit Mehta | Pine Bluff, Arkansas | Padma Pavuluri | ? |
| 1995-96 | Vikram "Vik" Chiruvolu | New Jersey | Jayant Uberoi | Baltimore, Maryland |
| 1996-97 | Vimal Derebail | Georgia | Puneet Sapra | Virginia |
| 1997-98 | Abhijeet Koli | San Antonio, Texas | Johnny Rao | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| 1998-99 | Yogin Patel | New York, New York | Mihir Gandhi | San Antonio, Texas |
| 1999-00 | Ameet Shah | North Carolina | Anand Shah | South Carolina |
| 2000-01 | Shruti Haldea | Chapel Hill, North Carolina | Tejas Shah | Lisle, Illinois |
| 2002-03 | Reechik Chatterjee | Orlando, Florida | Pratap Raya | Duluth, Georgia |
| 2003-04 | Devon Patel | Dalton, Georgia | Mrinali Patel | Richlands, Virginia |
| 2004-05 | Sundhar Ramalingam | Cary, North Carolina | Hirsh Sandesara | Glenview, Illinois |
| 2005-06 | Vikas Agrawal | Sylvania, Ohio | Rashmi Vyas | Asheboro, North Carolina |
| 2006-07 | Sekhar Padmanabhan | Columbus, Ohio | Sweta Patel | Charlotte, North Carolina |
| 2007-08 | Shawn Kwatra | Durham, North Carolina | Aashna Kircher | North Potomac, Maryland |