Our Events
IGSA celebrates community, culture, and connection through events that bring together Indian graduate students, friends of Indian culture, and the broader CMU community. Our events fall into three broad categories: signature events, annual community events, and community-led cultural celebrations.
Signature Events
Independence Day Fence Painting
One of IGSA’s most meaningful traditions is celebrating Indian Independence Day by painting the CMU Fence. Every year, students gather on the night of August 14th around 11:30 PM, and after midnight, we begin painting the Fence in celebration of India’s Independence Day.
This tradition brings together students to celebrate India, share memories, and take part in one of CMU’s most iconic campus traditions. In accordance with CMU Fence rules, the Fence is painted by CMU-affiliated students, guarded by students, and hand-painted with brushes between midnight and sunrise.
Holi
Holi is one of IGSA’s biggest and most anticipated events of the year. Celebrated across India as a festival of colors, joy, and togetherness, Holi at CMU brings students together for an unforgettable afternoon of non-toxic colors, music, dancing, food, and memories.
For many students, Holi is not just an event — it is a reminder of home, friendship, and celebration. IGSA’s Holi celebration continues to be one of our most vibrant and well-loved traditions.
Other Events
Throughout the year, IGSA organizes a variety of cultural, social, and community-building events. These may include:
Some events depend on volunteer availability, venue access, budget, and student interest. IGSA is always open to new ideas and collaborations when there is enough community support to make the event successful.
Community-Led Events
India is a large and beautifully diverse country with many languages, regions, traditions, and festivals. Since IGSA board members are graduate students balancing academics, research, and work, it is not possible for one student board to independently organize every Indian regional or cultural celebration. A single event often takes at least a month to conceptualize, plan, obtain permissions, request vendor quotes, book venues, coordinate volunteers, arrange food, and process payments through CMU/SLICE systems. For this reason, IGSA has come up with a new model which strongly encourages community-led events.
How Community-Led Events Work
If a group of students wants to celebrate a regional festival or cultural event, they are encouraged to approach IGSA early with a clear plan. For example, if Tamil students want to celebrate Pongal, they should contact IGSA at least 1–2 months before the festival with:
IGSA may help with guidance, venue booking, university processes, publicity, and partial financial support depending on the budget available that year. However, IGSA cannot guarantee full funding for every community-led event, since support depends on the organization’s annual funding, existing commitments, and expenses for other major events.
In recent years, IGSA has supported community-led efforts such as Onam celebrations by Malayali students, Durga Puja celebrations by Bengali students, and a Marathi movie screening organized by the Marathi community.
If you have an idea for a community-led cultural event, we encourage you to reach out to IGSA early. Our goal is to help more students celebrate their traditions while making IGSA a platform for the full diversity of India.
