The annual Diwali Show, hosted by the Indian Student Association, featured a variety of Indian culture as about 500 people looked on. The Diwali Show was presented with a variety of cultural expressions and brilliant integration of modern and old-age traditions.
Diwali, celebrated annually in India, is when people rejoice in an upbeat and festive time. Diwali marks one of the most glamorous and important festivals celebrated in India, bringing with it rich culture and tradition. Diwali stems from the Sanskrit word “Deepavali” meaning light and row, possessing in it the magnificent illumination of lights and a marking of the New Year.
“Diwali symbolizes the age-old culture of our country, India, which teaches us to vanquish the ignorance that subdues humanity, and to drive away the darkness that engulfs our light of knowledge,” said Shazneen Hushmendy ’07.
Flawlessness was attained on almost every level with presentations in the form of numerous dances, elegant fashion, traditional music, humorous skits, and witty speech. As the curtains opened, the spread of candles and decoration of the drapes were pleasant.
This year’s theme, The Light of Knowledge, Vidhya, was set up in a classroom setting, with two professors guiding the class (the audience) through the academic year. With some delay, the first semester started with an elegant dance by Seena Alex, Anupa George, and Dhanishry Narine dressed in blue, white, bright orange, and dark green, welcoming the audience gracefully to Vidhya.
The American national anthem, as well as the Indian national anthem, were both performed, followed by an exuberant dance by Shankar Kar and Farah Monzur. Shankar was a favorite among the audience, demonstrating a masterful variety of club and modern freestyle dance to a mix of music.
The Rensselaer Nigerian Student Association also participated in a variety of dances displaying Nigeria’s culture with tremendous exuberance, bringing refreshing energy to the crowd. The Siena Bhangra Team was also similar in flawless talent but portrayed a more Indian dance tradition. Rensselaer’s Raas Team, RaasPI, was heavily decorated and jubilant. A magnificent performance was exhibited as the team had almost no rest after coming back from the national competition in Washington D.C.
Four skits were cleverly performed and timed. The first proved to be humorous and much needed in a global community, a stereotype session where Rahul Gupta and Uzair Memon, two ethnically connected teens, “rip” on their victims as they vary in fashion sense. A skit about desperate house-guys humored the crowd as Rahul, the youngest in the group, realized he was sitting amongst drama and problem infested friends.
A medley of new Bollywood hits was performed by Shazneen, Ajay, Vishnu Kannabiran, and Teema Thomas featuring such songs as Salaam Namaste and Tere Bato Mai. The mixture of classical and modern Indian music was redefined by the exciting performances of Kevin Itwaru playing the sitar, Aparajit Naram playing the Tabla, Samuel John rocking the drum set, and Aashish Kabra playing the piano. This beautiful weave of instrumentation of westernized Hindustani music was truly exuberant.
A representation of Indian culture was represented excellently, with exemplary dance fashion portrayed by the traditional folk dance of Sonia Brar, Shazneen, and Arati Patel. Authentic dress was truly represented in the precision of overlapping color and fabric; Ranjeet Minocha especially stood out, appearing in an outstanding blue turban.
This year’s Diwali show was also marked with good-byes as Nivi and DaFang charmed the crowd with a last duet, followed later by a last dance honoring an unforgettable graduating class of ISA members. The Diwali show most importantly represents a sense of unity among all South-Asians, “No matter how humorous we can be, we all love each other, and if we don’t support each other, who will?” said Rahul Gupta ’08.
