Media Credit: Michael Clements / NT Daily Aakriti Tandon and Vishnu Kanipa perform "Fusion Dance" during Diwali 2005 sponsored by India Student Association. The event was held Saturday evening at the Lyceum. [Click to enlarge]

Diwali, or "Festival of Lights," celebrates the victories of light over darkness and of good over evil and is based on Indian mythology. The Indian Student Association celebrated this holiday event Saturday night in the Lyceum.

Ashish Srivastava, Varanasi, India, graduate student, recalled celebrating the holiday in India. He described it as an "out of this world experience because of all the candles and fireworks."

Many other facets of Indian culture were showcased in front of hundreds of enthusiastic onlookers. Both the traditional and the modern dance were celebrated.

Sunaina Rao, a relative of an NT student, performed a dance called Kathak. It uses percussive ankle bells, subtle facial expressions and graceful hand gestures to tell a story of creation.

Later in the show, students performed dance routines and songs from Bollywood movies, India's modern musical scene.

A fashion show also reflected the diversity and history of India. Students modeled traditional clothing from all over India, followed by clothing representing modern times.

One of the more light-hearted parts of the night was a skit depicting a group of three young Indian students coming to the United States and some of the challenges and adjustments they had to make in their new country.

The characters found themselves overwhelmed with class, student life, the differences in American culture, and the frightening prospect of not finding work.

The event was not intended just for an Indian audience. The ISA wanted to help others gain understanding of their culture

In fact, as a symbol of a cross-cultural way of life, the ceremonies opened with the American national anthem and closed with the Indian national anthem.

"We welcome all people to come experience the culture," said Selva Ganesan, Chennai, India, graduate student and president of ISA.

Cynthia Correa, Austin alumna, came to witness the event. She has always had an appreciation for Indian culture, especially the dance.

Correa was impressed with the quality of the show.

"It just reminds you of how much diversity there is and perhaps how limited you are to only experience a single culture," she said.

ISA estimates that there are up to 175-200 Indian students at NT and over 120 are in the association. The group holds cultural events and tries to help new Indian students get acclimated to life in the United States. In the spring semester, ISA will hold a cricket tournament and the Holi festival of color.

Near the closing of the ceremony was "Discover India," a slide show that displayed dozens of photos of Indian cultural icons, ranging from ancient religious architecture to modern Bollywood stars.

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