Diwali

(Photo: Hans Stakelbeek/FMAX)

Come the October monsoons and all of India goes into a frenzy of festive activity. Queen of the Indian festivals is Diwali – the Festival of Light. It’s the time of home renovations, new clothes, colour, fire-crackers and infinitely indulgent sweets with family and friends. The whole country becomes one humongous party!
In celebration of this festival, last Sunday TU Delft’s Indian Student Association (ISADelft) hosted a full-blown Diwali Party of its own at the Cultural Centre. The program began with Vande Maatram, an Indian national song, followed by a variety of performances by TU Delft students, alumni and friends, including a mini-musical about ‘unity in diversity’. Given India’s many languages, religions and cultures, this democratic maxim is an integral part of the Indian social mindset.
The musical was followed by three TU Delft Desi boys rocking out to a super Bollywood hit number. Keeping the heat going, this dance was followed by a presentation about the Festival of Light and a break for spicy ethnic snacks and tangy sauces.
Next came a performance by TU Delft student and magician, Aravind Jayashankar, who showed off his mind-reading prowess to a crowd already under the influence of all the heady colours and rhythms. His trick that took the audience’s breath away involved two volunteers from the crowd: one sat on a stool with his eyes closed, while the other stood next to Aravind across the room. Aravind patted the shoulder of the volunteer standing next to him, and this was felt by the volunteer sitting far away on the stool, who was truly dumbfounded when Aravind told him that nobody had actually touched him, as witnessed by the audience.
Then came another scintillating Bollywood dance performance, this time by six couples dressed in ethnic Kashmiri outfits. The only cultural performance of the night was up next – a traditional east Indian dance performance to Desi beats. Finally, a fashion show saw couples on the catwalk flaunting styles and outfits from different parts of India.  
The performances ended with the playing of the Indian National Anthem, followed by a dance party, with a DJ playing rhythms that brought out the true Indian spirit of celebration. An unforgettable festival for those in attendance, and for those who were not, we hope to see you next year at Diwali ‘10!