Students created a new club last month to showcase the traditions of Hinduism, Jainism and Sikhism to the entire community. The Hindu Club, which had not been active recently, was renamed Namaskar, which is an Indian greeting, by new club leadership. Co-presidents Kamolika Roy '09 and Nithya Setty '09 said they wanted to revive the Club to make it more accessible to all students.

"The aim [of Namaskar] is to be more involved in festivals and ceremonies that go on throughout the world," Roy said.

Since the club was recently only formally established, its leaders said they are still in the early stages of planning and coordinating events. Namaskar's first scheduled event is Holi, the Hindu festival of color, in the spring.

Roy said she hopes Holi will garner a lot of attention on campus and increase interest in the club. One does not have to be Hindu, Jain or Sikh to celebrate Holi, she said. The festival involves throwing colored powder mixed with water to symbolize the colors of spring.

"[Holi] is more eye-catching and hopefully it will conjure up questions [about these religious traditions]," Roy said.

Other plans for the club include monthly pujas, or ritual prayers, which involve offering fruit and flowers to the idols of the Hindu gods. The pujas will begin this semester or at the start of next year.

The Hindu, Sikh and Jain religions are practiced primarily in South Asia, but they also have practicing populations throughout the world.

Divya Vangala '09, the club's secretary, said a priority of the club is to spread awareness of not only South Asian religions, but other minority religions as well. She emphasized the importance of religious groups sharing their practices with other students.

Discussion about the different faiths is also an important aspect of the club. Roy said Brandeis students are very open-minded, and she intends to foster an active dialogue on religion.

Since the Jain and Sikh religions are especially underrepresented on campus, the discussions can help clear up confusion and sort out the differences between the two religions, the three leaders said.

The club also hopes to plan events with different groups on campus, such as the Muslim Student Association and Hillel, which are planning an inter-faith symposium in April.

"To have people from other faiths come would be that much better. They can learn something and take something from it," Roy said.