In India, the observance of Diwali means many different things. In Rapid City on Saturday night, the celebration meant an opportunity to learn about the culture of India.

The Diwali festival is one of the largest and most popular festivals in India, similar to Christmas or Thanksgiving here.

P.V. Sundareshwar, associate professor at the school’s Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and advisor for the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology’s India Club, said the actual Diwali festival was in October -- when the school was in the middle of mid-term exams.

“We held it today to make sure the students had the time to prepare.”

About 500 people -- students, faculty and community members -- filled the Surbeck Center ballroom and south lounge for a lively two-hour presentation of traditional and modern Indian dance and narratives about the culture. After a fireworks display at 7 p.m. in the parking lot, attendees sampled a variety of authentic Indian food that included chicken curry, lemon rice, vegetable, desserts and a delicacy called gulab jamun -- made from milk dough, fried golden brown and served with a honey-saffron syrup.

Diwali is called the festival of lights. Sundareshwar said the celebration is about celebrating the victory of good over evil. It is a common practice to light small oil lamps, called diyas, to drive away the darkness and ignorance in one’s life. Visitors to the Surbeck Center were greeted by a roped-off arrangement of small red candles on the floor on a Rangoli art design.

Teri Dupont of Rapid City said she has always had an interest in the culture and has attended the school’s celebration for several years. She even visited India a year ago. Even though she is not Indian, she dressed in a sari -- a long, colorful garment women wear wrapped around the waist and draped over the shoulder -- and bindi,  a small decoration worn on the center of the forehead close to the eyebrows.

“This is one time of year I get to wear a sari,” she said.

Several of the men wore salwar kameez, a long tunic worn over baggy pants, which can be worn by men and women alike.

Aditya Bhalla, a doctoral student studying chemical and biological engineering, choreographed a Bhangra, a traditional folk dance that originated India’s Punjab region. Six men moved in unison and wore matching colorful Bhangra dance costumes and turbans. This is Bhalla’s first year at the School of Mines and his first time participating in the festival, which he said made him feel at home.

Geetha Muppidi, who recently graduated from Mines, said club members decorated the night before and started cooking very early Saturday morning to prepare the 13 Indian dishes served. Suzy Aadland, director of the Ivanhoe International Center, said India Club members put a lot of work into the event.

“They put weeks and weeks of work into this in practicing for dancing and in the kitchen working on the food. It’s amazing. The students are the ones who put this on, and they do a fantastic job.”

Sundareshwar said inviting the public puts the India Club in a good light and lets people know there is a club like this that is from a different country.

“This is especially important in a community like Rapid City, which is not very diverse. It helps inform people about different cultures.”