Delhi University is revelling in the colours of Navratri this season, and how! Unlike the usual one-off event on campus, this year colleges across the varsity are witnessing multiple evenings as dandiya and garba circles become bigger and more mainstream. Here’s a look at how and why students are keeping it festive.
Fomo brings in large crowds
Kick-starting the season, Indraprastha College for Women (IPCW) invited DJ Sumit Sethi for a performance last week, with videos extending the excitement beyond the college gates. Rehan Malik, a first-year student at Ramjas, says, “When Reels of DJ Sumit Sethi started going viral online, interest blew up on campus and showed the need for more such events. No one can resist the FOMO!”
Then, there was Daulat Ram College’s Dandiya Night 2026 on October 10. That day saw the city struggle with mobility due to the ongoing protests. However, even the heavy barricading could not dampen students’ spirits, who turned up ready to twirl. DRC’s student president Pranjal Rana adds, “Several metro stations were closed on the day of our event, yet nearly 600 students made it.”
A circle of new friends
The domino effect for Navratri events has reached Ramjas College, hosting Raas Rang ’26 today. Tanisha, a second-year student and organising team member, shares that it all started after the IWPC Reels: “First-year students started reaching out to their respective college’s students’ union, across the campus, urging them to organise dandiya-garba nights for them, too!” For Tanisha Bhardwaj, a first-year student at Ramjas, the appeal goes beyond dancing: “When you are new to college life, you are nervous; an evening like this gives you the perfect setting to meet new batchmates and seniors and overcome the nerves.” Fashion shows, shopping at stalls, and competitions offer another reason to join in, Bhardwaj adds.
Dilli waali vibe
{{/usCountry}}The domino effect for Navratri events has reached Ramjas College, hosting Raas Rang ’26 today. Tanisha, a second-year student and organising team member, shares that it all started after the IWPC Reels: “First-year students started reaching out to their respective college’s students’ union, across the campus, urging them to organise dandiya-garba nights for them, too!” For Tanisha Bhardwaj, a first-year student at Ramjas, the appeal goes beyond dancing: “When you are new to college life, you are nervous; an evening like this gives you the perfect setting to meet new batchmates and seniors and overcome the nerves.” Fashion shows, shopping at stalls, and competitions offer another reason to join in, Bhardwaj adds.
Dilli waali vibe
{{/usCountry}}Deshbandhu College student president Kartik says that freshers from other states want to explore the Capital’s celebrations, especially after the Satya Niketan incident that made their mood sombre. “Moving to a multicultural city like Delhi, many freshers are eager to explore how festivals are celebrated here. They feel these gatherings offer a welcoming change and an easy-breezy entry point into college life,” he says, adding they hosted theirs, titled Dhanak, on Tuesday.
Freshers’ festive welcome
Colleges such as Sri Venkateswara College and Shri Ram College of Commerce doubled up their Navratri celebrations with freshers’ parties. SRCC paired the freshers’, IGNITE with the dandiya night, DHOLIDA on Tuesday. Agrima Arya, maintenance secretary of its students’ union, says students already attend such events across the city: “Thus we thought our peers would want to have one such evening in their own college, and what better way to have it than with the freshers.”