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Duke Diya is the South Asian student association at , Bangladesh , Bhutan , India , the Maldives , Nepal , Pakistan , and Sri Lanka . MEMBERSHIP Diya has a membership of around 200 undergraduate and graduate students, both American-born and international. It envisions itself as a forum for cultural exchange, an idea stretching back to the early days of its existence:
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. The Indian members eventually 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 major controversy In 1995, the proposal of a , the student newspaper. 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 decrying what they perceived as Ethnocentrism , and began calls for discussion of a South Asian studies curriculum [http://www.chronicle.duke.edu/vnews/display.v/ART/2000/02/04/3d7684b06b118?in_archive=1 . 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 [http://www.chronicle.duke.edu/vnews/display.v/ART/1999/09/10/3d7682b8a9a91?in_archive=1]. 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 [http://www.chronicle.duke.edu/vnews/display.v/ART/1999/04/06/3d7681d2805c6?in_archive=1]. The proposed major was eventually approved in 2000 , and Diya's role was recognized as instrumental [http://www.chronicle.duke.edu/vnews/display.v/ART/1999/12/03/3d768431f39c0?in_archive=1]. See article [http://www.chronicle.duke.edu/vnews/display.v/ART/1999/05/20/3d76822e32278?in_archive=1] for more details. Other Issues Diya has also been a voice in the immense number of campus discussions over the years on and Latino students [http://www.chronicle.duke.edu/vnews/display.v/ART/2003/10/23/3f97bb0fc7b9b?in_archive=1]. It continues to grapple with its role and capacities on a diverse campus [http://www.chronicle.duke.edu/vnews/display.v/ART/1999/10/06/3d768327718b0?in_archive=1],[http://www.chronicle.duke.edu/vnews/display.v/ART/2000/04/18/3d7685ec1a4ca?in_archive=1] 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 [http://www.chronicle.duke.edu/vnews/display.v/ART/2000/11/06/3d7687752acfe?in_archive=1], though it was then named Diwali , after the Hindu festival of light. 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 Baldwin Auditorium and then in 1998 to Page Auditorium, where it currently resides. In 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. 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. See articles [http://www.chronicle.duke.edu/vnews/display.v/ART/2002/04/11/3d768d179b614?in_archive=1 , {Link without Title} for more details. Year after year, the emcees and performers of AWAAZ are selected from the student body in a traditional tryout. The longest record for consecutive years as emcees of AWAAZ is held by Bob Pan and Shiv Agarwal who hosted the show two years in a row in 2004 and again in 2005. With the help of producers Sumesh Chopra and Naim Rashid, Pan and Agarwal revolutionized the style of the show with unique skits and overarching themes and have been instrumental is shaping AWAAZ into the best student run production on campus. This years show will be held on November 10th and 11th. Community Service Diya plans monthly community service activities in the . 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 . In the wake of the 9/11 Terrorist Attacks , Diya organized forums to discuss potential Racial Discrimination {Link without Title} . Cultural Diya holds South Asian Awareness Week in the spring, an annual event that began in 1997 [http://www.chronicle.duke.edu/vnews/display.v/ART/1997/04/07/3d767d6229840?in_archive=1]. 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. Diya has also brought a variety of cultural speakers and performers to Duke, ranging from social activist Arun Gandhi to author [http://www.chronicle.duke.edu/vnews/display.v/ART/2000/10/27/3d76875a4f6df?in_archive=1 Chitra Divakaruni]. Diya collaborates with campus religious organizations to produce the successful Triangle Garba and celebrations for Holi and Campus-Wide Fast . It also coordinates closely with Duke Dhamaka, the campus Bhangra team, helping to support the team's activities and travels [http://www.chronicle.duke.edu/vnews/display.v/ART/2004/04/09/40768b4f4347c?in_archive=1]. Occasionally, it has worked with the [http://www.jhfc.duke.edu/csas/about_tsac.html 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 . Social Diya frequently holds social events like mixers and semiformals at area clubs, as well as events like Bowling and Paintball . 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. It has also shown other hit Bollywood films like " Veer-Zaara ," " Pinjar ," “ Kal Ho Naa Ho ,” “ Kaante ,” and “ Ek Hasina Thi .” Diya also purchases subscriptions to important Cricket matches for the benefit of its members. In 2004, the important India-Pakistan series was watched intensely by Diya's most ardent cricket fans. LIST OF CO-PRESIDENTS OF DUKE DIYA EXTERNAL LINKS |
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