About 200 students stood silently at the Reitz Union Amphitheater on Wednesday night in the midst of flickering candlelight.
The crowd stood in remembrance of those who died in the Mumbai, India, terrorist attacks last week.
The candlelight vigil, which was organized by the Indian Graduate Students Association, offered a place for UF's Indian students to grieve together in a time of tragedy.
During the memorial, students lit candles that formed a peace sign silhouette with the word "Mumbai" in the middle. One student read a poem written in Hindi, which is spoken by many Indians.
"India has been tolerant," said Navin Goyal, president of the association. "But now it is time to take action."
Indian students make up the largest number of UF's international students, according to UF records.
"This is like someone entering through my front door," said Vijay Jagdale, a graduate student from Mumbai. "They tried to create fear, but India is a growing power."
Like Jagdale, Ameya Ganchha is also from Mumbai, and his parents work near the area that has seen the most destruction.
Ganchha said he did not initially realize the magnitude of the attacks.
"It hit me a few hours later," he said. "I was really worried."
He said it is too early to blame or hate a particular group.
"If we give into hatred, then the terrorists have already won," he said.
"It'll take more than this to scare us."
Students had the opportunity to speak out about the attacks during the ceremony.
Ajoy Saha, a UF graduate student, said it is necessary for the Indian community to come together.
"We should stand up and not cower to these terrorists," Saha said.
The service ended with hope as the students sang India's national anthem proudly into the night.
