Photo by Jesse Yelin | The Indian Student Association, pictured above, organized the Diwali event.
On Saturday, Nov. 10, the Indian Student Association (ISA) held their annual Diwali celebration in the Memorial Union Ballroom.
The ISA is a group on campus that serves to promote awareness of the cultural diversity on campus. They hold many social events throughout the year to bring together Indian students and people of other races together to celebrate their heritage and enjoy their culture.
The event began with free appetizers and drinks for everyone, which included traditional Indian cuisine such as samosas and chaats. The atmosphere was bright and lively with the audience eating, chatting and enjoying one another’s company. Around 6:30 p.m. everyone took their seats or stood against the walls as the ceremony began.
The event had two main hosts, Ayman Usmani and Devanshi Ved who introduced each group of performers. They also gave a short synopsis of what Diwali is- a Hindu festival of lights which celebrates the spiritual victory of goodness over evil and the celebration of life and goodness in humans. In addition, the two spoke about why it is important to them and their Indian culture, saying that the meaning surrounding it embodies their Indian culture and how they were raised, and having a celebration for it here at URI makes them feel closer to their families and heritage.
Eight groups performed in total, including Deewani Mastani, eXposure, ISA, PGA, Johnson and Wales University Namaste Nepal, Closer and Kabira fusion by Vidya Vox, Rhythm of the Soul and dance BFF.
Performing twice throughout the program, the ISA performed for the grand finale, leaving the audience in awe with their lively and modern Bollywood dance. “We started practicing for this in September and we practiced every day for two hours,” said Sanokia Tahiliani, a sophomore who is part of the ISA and danced on stage.
Tahiliani also sang the national anthem at the beginning of the program. “There was a great turnout and I love seeing so many non-Indian people come to the event and see and learn what our celebration is all about.”
Aneri Desai, the president of the ISA was in charge of holding the event. Beginning when she was a freshman, Desai has helped hold the event for the past three years. She said being part of the ISA is great because she is able to embrace her heritage and promote her culture to others who are either also a part of it or just want to learn about it.
Many hours of dedication were put into preparing for this years’ Diwali celebration and Desai said that she was happy with how many people came and enjoyed the event. “It’s a really good event to showcase our culture, and it’s been going on for over ten years,” Desai said.
Following the dances, audience members were encouraged to stay for the dinner which offered a $5 coupon for the buffet. The event was catered by Bombay Flame, an Indian restaurant from Wakefield, Rhode Island. The dinner was a huge success, so much so that they ended up running out and ordering more for the audience. Along with food and dancing, henna booths were provided by artists Reena Mistry and Zeel Desai.