Girls dressed in pale pink, green and purple silky clothes danced to sitar music around a chair where an Indian god is believed to be sitting.

Members of the Indian Student Association (ISA) held the first Annual Raas Garba cultural event on Oct. 1 in the SF State gym room 100.

Raas Garba is an Indian folk dance that originated in the region of Gujarat. People in India dance Raas Garba for nine nights to celebrate Nevratri, the holiday in praise of lord Rama. The celebration is in worship of the god Durga, according to Neha Shah, president of ISA.

Members of ISA and guests put on traditional clothes, danced the Garba, a women’s dance, and the Dandia, a dance with sticks. They also worshipped and sang a song for Durga.

The celebration means a lot to Indian people living in the United States.

“Since we are away from our family and culture in India, it gives us a sense of togetherness and brings the Indian community together,” said Anuj Chatterjee, a computer science major.

This kind of cultural event ties the community together and also passes traditions to the next generation, said Anila Prasad, a participant.

“Our new generation and new coming-up children should know more about their religion and their customs and culture,” said Prasad. “It (the cultural event) is good to continue.”

The event helps people understand other cultures because anyone can actually participate and experience different customs, according to Cara Farris, a non-Indian participant.

“I think it is good that people can come out and learn about different things about each other because SF State is so diverse,” said Farris, a BECA major. “It is good for people to learn about other cultures instead of going from stereotypes they might know. This is a good way to do that.”

About 30 members and participants danced until midnight. The SF State gym on the night of the event was full of Indian energy.