Aligarh (Uttar Pradesh) [India], October 17 : A Hindu student at Aligarh Muslim University, Akhil Kaushal, has written a letter to the Vice Chancellor seeking permission to celebrate Diwali on campus with Deepotsav, fireworks, and sweets.
While the administration does not prohibit celebrations, the event may be delayed due to cleaning requirements after a major programme on October 17.
Speaking to reporters, student Akhil Kaushal said, "I have written a letter to the vice chancellor of AMU requesting him to grant us permission to organize a program to celebrate Diwali. The program will include Deepotsav, fireworks, and sweets distribution. We needed permission because we are bona fide students of this university, and to organize any big event, we require the university's approval. That's why we took this decision. As of now, we haven't received any response from the vice chancellor."
"However, by not granting us permission during Holi celebrations, the AMU administration has already made a mistake. So I think if they are smart, they will not repeat such a mistake again. If we still don't get permission, the Hindu students of the university will celebrate Diwali with great pomp at AMU's Bab-e-Syed Gate," Akhil added.
Responding to the students' request, AMU Proctor Professor Wasim Ali clarified that celebrating Diwali on campus is not prohibited.

"Akhil is a student in our university's Department of Social Science and Mass Communication. Before this, he completed a BALLB. He wrote to us asking us to let them celebrate Diwali in the university's NRSC club... This is not an issue at all. People are still celebrating it both within and outside the university. I told him there is no restriction on organising the event, so there is no point in giving written permission," he said.
However, the professor noted a logistical concern regarding the timing. He said, "The only concern is that they want to celebrate on October 18, but due to a major event organised on October 17, it's not possible to clean the venue on October 18 as per the festival's sanctity and grandness... They requested 1-2 days to clean the place and asked to celebrate Diwali after that..."
Deepavali or Diwali is an Indian festival of lights. 'Deepa' means lamp or light, and 'Vali' means string or row, and Deepavali means rows of lights. It celebrates the victory of good over evil.
Diwali is a five-day festival that starts on Dhanteras. On Dhanteras, people buy jewellery or utensils and worship God. The second day is called Naraka Chaturdashi. It is also called Chhoti Diwali or Small Diwali.
The third day of Diwali is the main day of the celebrations. People worship Lord Ganesha and Goddess Lakshmi on this day and offer prayers to bless them with wealth and prosperity. The fourth day of Diwali is devoted to Govardhan Puja. The fifth day is called Bhai Dooj. On this day, sisters pray for their brothers to have long and happy lives by performing the Tika ceremony, and brothers give gifts to their sisters.