Celebrate Diwali

As the house lights lowered at Jackson Creek Middle School Saturday night, audience members cheered in excitement. Music swelled. Performers slowly drifted on stage. \nDiwali, an ancient Indian holiday, had begun.\nCommemorating the Indian New Year and fall harvest, Diwali is celebrated by about one billion people worldwide. The holiday represents the triumphs of ancient lords over evils. In India, it is celebrated during a period of five days, a time when citizens exchange gifts, hold dinners, shoot firecrackers and light candles. \nThe IU community came together to celebrate the event, which was organized by the Indian Student Association and sponsored through funds provided by the IU Student Association and its Commitment to Assist Student Initiatives. \nPromoted to provide "a kaleidoscope of Indian culture," the evening included performances ranging from traditional Rajasthani folk dances, with one dancer furiously swirling red powder while spinning in circles, to a 1980s Hindi dance medley and an Indo-Western fusion, which served as the finale. \nDuring the first act, a vocal duet showed the range of genres, with seniors Mallika Singh and Omar Khan shifting from \nChristina Aguilera's "Beautiful" to a classical Indian song and, later, to Destiny Child's "Soldier." The Indo-Western fusion, featuring up to 20 performers on stage at one time, included members from IU's Sequel hip-hop dance team, and took two months to plan.\n"It's like fast ballet to slow music and we never really moved like that before," said senior Melissa Gholston, a Sequel captain. "For me it was challenging because I've never done ballet before, I was strictly hip-hop."\nIntermixed between the dance and vocal acts were presentations from the ISA and related groups, including the Association for India's Development, and frequent skits between the emcees who portrayed Bollywood movies and their common plots where men chase after women. \n"It's different from other things I've gone to," said sophomore Faye Parmer, who attended Diwali for the first time during the weekend. "The music, the costumes are so colorful you can tell it comes from a rich cultural tradition." \nISA President Karan Chaudhri said this year's event was the largest in recent memory, with a diverse audience of an estimated 750 people, some of whom were forced to stand around the sides of the auditorium. \nFor Dr. Kupusamy Umapathy, a nephrologist from Munster, Ind., who attended IU's event for the first time with his son, freshman Arun Umapathy, Diwali is an event with deep sentimental value. \nAs a boy growing up in India, he remembers when his village would come together to pray and worship, prepare sweets and join for an evening meal following a day of fasting. Now, 23 years after moving to the United States, the event still holds similar meaning. \n"All of the effects combined kind of lift your spirit," he said. "It's kind of a nostalgic feel and everybody's happy, that's the bottom line"