The center of the ballroom at the Marcus Welcome Center resembled a whirlwind Saturday, as attendees danced around the photograph of a goddess while commemorating the triumph of good against evil.

It was Garba Night, a Hindu celebration, organized by Wichita State’s Association of Hindu Students in America.

“Garba is a religious dance form,” said Anusha Powaku, president of the organization. “One of our goddesses, she likes this dance form. We offer a prayer, and we dance around her to show her enthusiasm and happiness.”

Durga, the deity Powaku was referring to, served as the focus of the celebration Saturday. The event was part of a larger festival known as Navratri, which lasts nine days — the last of which is referred to as Dussehra.

“For nine days, people dance,” Powaku said. “Because it’s a university and we cannot dance for nine days, we have it on one day. It’s a free event, anyone can come, and many families are here.”

Vivek Abhilash, former publicity coordinator at AHINSA, emphasized the unexpected turnout and said he believes the event warrants a greater location.

“This is a huge success,” he said. “I’ve never seen such a crowd. They need to find a bigger place for next time. I think the advertising this time is too good. They’ve done a very good job.

“I’ve seen it. Everywhere you go you see the poster. Every Asian or Indian store you go, there’s a poster there … This is real good stuff what these guys are doing.”

The group’s vice president, Pratik Bhardwaj, commented on the importance of similar festivities across campus, as they often help international students overcome homesickness.

“It’s really amazing to organize something this big and have so many people come and live their culture that they’ve been missing back home,”

Bhardwaj said. “It’s really great to have everybody here. Staying away from home can be kind of hard sometimes, you do miss it a lot, especially when there’s festivals going on.”