Cheers and shouts filled Zoellner Arts Center as students performed songs, dances and comedy skits on Friday to celebrate Diwali, the Hindu Festival of Lights.
Diwali, which marks the start of the Hindu New Year, honors the defeat of good over evil marked by fireworks, the lighting of lamps called diyas, worship ceremonies known as pujas and time spent with loved ones.
Hosted by the South Asian Student Association, the celebration featured performances from Lehigh organizations including Leela India Fusion Dance, Bhangra and India Club, as well as the Vedanta Dance Academy from Allentown.
Simran Rao, ‘29, opened the show with “Mein Kaun Hoon,” which translates to “Who am I?” in Hindi. She said the song, which she knows by heart, captures themes of identity and following one’s ambitions.
As an international student from India, Rao said this event was her first Diwali away from home.
“SASA has given me an opportunity to get that feeling of hope and home here in the U.S.,” she said. “I feel like I was at home.”
Rao said the event allowed her to share her heritage through her love of Hindi music, though performing the song in front of a large audience was still nerve-wracking.
Rao said she hopes her performance encourages more people to explore Hindi music.
Diya Narayan, ‘27, who served as an emcee, performed with the Tamil dance group and choreographed a comedy skit parodying romantic Bollywood interviews.
Narayan said Diwali holds special meaning for her because she was born on the holiday and named after the lamp “diya,” which is commonly lit throughout the festival.
As part of the skit, Narayan and her friends danced to the popular song “Naatu Naatu” from the movie “RRR.” The dance, performed in the energetic Kuthu style, became her favorite.
“Growing up I wasn’t as proud to be Indian, and now I’m so happy to express it,” Narayan said. “I feel so validated in who I am as a person. The dance group for me was so significant to convey the energy and power of being Indian.”
Deshan Kawatra, ‘29, performed both as Bollywood actor Ranbir Kapoor in the skit and as a Bhangra dancer.
He said the performance highlighted the diversity of Indian culture, with traditional South Indian styles like Bharatanatyam contrasting the high-energy Punjabi Bhangra.
He said his favorite part of the night was performing with his peers who shared his passion for expressing their heritage.
“There are many people out here who are Indian and are afraid to get up on stage and express who they are and their identity through dance, but others are willing to do that,” he said. “It’s really exciting to get together with one another and be able to express that.”
Samir Hassan, ‘25, and Faysal Kalam, ‘25, heard about the event from friends and said they especially enjoyed Leela and Bhangra’s performances because of their energy.
Kalam said he’s seen the hard work that goes into putting on the show, so he’ll always be willing to come back as an attendee even after he graduated.
Both said the event inspired them — Hassan to dance more and Kalam to discover new music.
“I enjoy seeing how people have brought their culture from back home to the U.S. and seeing how we can show it to other people,” Hassan said.
For Rao, Diwali’s meaning goes beyond performance.
“It’s like an Indian fairy tale,” she said. “There’s hope at the end even though it could be dark.”
Comment Policy
Comments posted to The Brown and White website are reviewed by a moderator before being approved. Incendiary speech or harassing language, including comments targeted at individuals, may be deemed unacceptable and not published. Spam and other soliciting will also be declined.
The Brown and White also reserves the right to refuse the publication of entirely anonymous comments.