Going to university made me more religious

When we dropped my brother off at his luxurious, large-windowed dorm his freshman year, he brought only three decorations. One, his senior class photo; two, a photo of our grandparents; and three, a small Hindu deity.

When I was dropped off five years later at my much smaller, yet personality filled dorm room, there was barely any white to be seen on the walls. Move in day was as hectic as I imagined; we set up our mini fridge, folded clothes into the miniscule closet, cut out pictures from high school memories, and lastly, found a quiet spot on my desk for a mini Ganesha statue.

Of course, with the piles of paper clips, sticky notes, and orientation papers, the deity was enveloped by haphazardness and clutter.

Fast forward 6 months to a room just as cluttered, but more of a home. Ganesha moved from the side of my desk, hidden from the outside, to the middle of my desk, overseeing my entire living space. While I never paid much attention to the importance of religion throughout my years living at home in high school, after such a change in environment, it has increasingly and unexpectedly become a point of solace in the trying times of college life.

Amidst the painstakingly early classes and late nights trudging through assignments, my Thursday nights have changed the way I function despite all of that. My involvement in the Hindu Student Association (HSA) on campus has brought about this change.

Photo courtesy of Jonathan Wei

My first aarti, or prayer session, went something like this: I didn’t know anyone attending, so I asked anyone and everyone in my ability that I had met during orientation to come with me so I wouldn’t be the lone freshman in a room full of old friends. After successfully recruiting a few friends, I realized aarti was far from a social event.

Instead, the short yet sweet meeting effortlessly transported me back to times of prayer with my family at home. Although I was thousands of miles away, I felt a sense of comfort and belonging there. This feeling stayed with me and became more real each time I felt myself spiral into a wave of depression from the inescapable heavy course loads.

Photo courtesy of Jonathan Wei

After a few long months, I found myself in the midst of all the activity which I felt an outsider to so many months ago. The purpose of aarti was never very prevalent in my life at home, but after joining HSA, it became a point of excitement each week. Even better were our discussions after aarti; a club member would pose a question to the group and we would share our thoughts, answering freely without judgement.

Not only was I able to release my tension and stress from that, but I also was able to become more connected to those around me in the club.   Becoming a part of a religious club on campus has allowed me to explore what religion means to me. HSA has made me, along with the members of the club, feel more deeply connected to our faith, something I never anticipated to happen when first coming to college.

The Ganesha that now sits on my desk doesn’t hide behind anything. Instead my Ganesha is looked upon thoughtfully each morning and night, a simple yet sure reminder of where I come from and where I’m going.