Performers lit up the Mandela Room Sunday evening in celebration of Diwali, the Indian Festival of Lights.
Over 200 guests gathered to sing, dance and watch performances by fellow students at the Indian Graduate Student Organization’s (IGSO) second annual Diwali Festival.
According to Gurvinder Singh, a first-year graduate student studying electrical engineering, Diwali spiritually signifies the triumph of good over evil and is observed by Indians all around the world. It is celebrated in a variety of ways such as family gathering, performing traditional Indian dances and songs, and covering homes with lights.
“We all come from different backgrounds and different parts of India,” Singh said. “So the different performances really showed a mix of all the cultures together.”
A regional mash-up song of four Indian languages, Hindi, Punjabi, Kannada and Tamil, underscored the diversity of those celebrating Diwali.
With a number of different performances, students revved up the crowd. Attendees sang along as students performed a rock-fusion song with a lead guitarist and a bass guitarist mixing a Hindi song and the English pop song, “Counting Stars” by OneRepublic.
According to Abhishek Sharma, a first-year graduate student studying electrical engineering and a performer in the festival, participants had been preparing over three weeks for the event.
“We put up a lot of hard work and it was all well paid for,” Sharma said. “It’s commendable and I really appreciate everyone’s efforts. Tonight turned out to be a huge success.”
More students and faculty than expected came out to celebrate one of India’s biggest festivals, according to Anand Balashanmugam, a first-year graduate student studying computer science and the secretary of the IGSO.
“It’s a huge event, and the turnout for this year was really great compared to last year,” Balashanmugam said.
Many groups performed dance numbers, including the E-Board of IGSO, which performed a classic Indian song, and a group of Indian students performed a Bollywood routine. The crowd clapped and cheered along as BU’s Bhangra team performed a high-energy dance number. Bhangra is a cultural dance from the northwestern region of India.
Another performance was the fashion show, “East Meets West,” showing both contemporary and traditional fashion from all throughout India. Indian students throughout the University came to the event wearing traditional Indian clothing, such as saris worn by the women, and dhotis worn by the men.
The night culminated in a feast of Indian food and desserts such as chicken tikka masala, naan, chana dal and mango lassi.
According to Gautam Srinivasan, a model in the fashion show and a first-year graduate student studying industrial and systems engineering, the event was an opportunity for Indians to gather together when they could not be home with their families.
“Diwali is one festival where all the Indians in Binghamton University celebrate and gather together as a Binghamton family, because we’re not with our parents,” Srinivasan said. “IGSO did a good job of making this event for us.”