Midland resident Sangeeta Kar performs and leads an Odissi dance during India Night Saturday in Plachta Auditorium. Odissi is the oldest classical dance form of India, characterized by its sculpturesque postures and rounded, liquid movements. (Jeff Smith/Staff Photographer)

Community members entering Warriner Hall’s Plachta Auditorium Saturday night were greeted by the smiling elephant-headed Hindu deity, Ganesha.

Religious symbols were just a small part of Indian Night, which included a brief history of India, song and dance.

Members of the Indian Student Association (ISA) put on the event to the educate the Central Michigan University and Mount Pleasant community about the traditions, fashions, dance styles, languages, history and overall culture of India.

Ashita Goswami, India graduate student and ISA president, said more than 500 people attended.

“From 6 to 8 p.m., it was jam-packed; we actually had to open up the balcony,” she said. “I am still receiving compliments on how organized and well the night went.”

The night started out with the national anthems of the United States and India. There was a brief slideshow that gave an overview of the history and background of India.

Mount Pleasant resident Shylesh Valiyaveettil laughs Saturday afternoon during rehearsal for Indian Night at Plachta Auditorium. “I like the Indian spirit and can’t wait to share it,” Valiyaveettil said. (Jeff Smith/Staff Photographer)

“I didn’t know much about Indian culture. I learned that every state is like its own country,” said Germany freshman Sarah Einwag. “Each state has its own culture, food, gods and fashion. That was overwhelming to me.”

The audience was told the event coincided with an Indian national holiday, India’s Republic Day, which celebrates the creation of the Indian constitution. There were performances given; two dance groups brought to CMU for the night as well as a group of students.

Traditional dances with ghoonghroos (foot bells) told the story of the gods and their powers, as the crowd clapped and whistled along to the music. The night’s events in the auditorium ended with a fashion show displaying the style of western India.

After the dancing, singing and fashion, the event moved to Powers Hall for a meal of traditional Indian food from Lansing’s Swagath Indian Cuisine.

The meal included dishes such as chicken biryani, chicken tikka masala, dal makhani, aloo gobi and basmati rice, said East Lansing resident Sid Reddy, the restaurant’s owner.

“I think the night went extremely well. It went beyond my expectations,” Goswami said. “It was a definite success.”

(Jeff Smith/Staff Photographer)

The culture, food and fashion of every region of India will be on display Saturday.

The culture will be celebrated from 6 to 9 p.m. in Warriner Hall’s Plachta Auditorium. The event will be hosted by the Indian Student Association, a registered student organization at Central Michigan University.

While it will be the first Indian Night, for the past four years, ISA held Diwali Night, which largely focused on only one region. Indian Night will put the spotlight on each region of India.

“There are a lot of different cultures in India. Every region has it’s own cultures, different languages (and) foods,” said India graduate assistant Naveen Jayaprakash.

After the meal, traditional foods from India made with real Indian spices, the celebration will begin. Students will perform dances from Western India.

The students will be followed by a group of traditional Indian dancers who will be performing dances from across India. Two of the dances that will be performed are the Bharatnatyam, a classical Indian dance of Southern India, and the Bhangra, which is a fold dance usually performed at the time of the harvest in India from Eastern India.

“Every state has a unique style of clothing. It varies from each region and within each region, (so) the styles slightly vary from state to state,” said ISA President and India graduate student Ashita Goswami.

The event is open to the public and attendance is free, said ISA event coordinator and India graduate student Soumya Ganti.

“It’s just for people to come in and have a good time and to know the Indian traditional dress and to know the culture through the dances from each side of the Indian cultures,” she said. “Also it’s good for the people to know the taste of India.”

At the Ward Theatre, 218 South Main Street, Central Michigan University’s Indian Student Association celebrated Diwali Night with about 400 attendees who immersed themselves in Indian culture with music, dance and authentic Indian food.

The music was like a heartbeat, pumping movement through the veins of Jessica Rorai, Office of International Affairs admissions officer, who said she was excited to be there.

“The music (there) makes me want to dance, you just can’t sit there. You gotta move,“ she said.

The start of Diwali night was honored by the breaking of a coconut, a tradition that represents Jesus Christ’s sacrifice during the crucifixion. His blood is shown through the spilling of the coconut’s milk.

“The coconut is something traditionally done at auspicious events with Hindu followers of Jesus, I’m a follower of Jesus,” said Mike List, CMU alumni and Mount Pleasant resident.

Afterward, Shanthakumar Palaniswami, ISA adviser and management professor, reflected on how 24 years ago there were only a few members and now, the group has grown.

“We’ve been doing this for many years, I think international students being part of CMU bring many cultures, languages and religions that can be appreciated and shared by all,” he said.

Palaniswami also gave advice to the audience, reminding them they are always an ambassador from their country.

“What you do and how well you project your culture is very important,” he said.

Throughout the show, there were skits acted out by the ISA members that essentially told a story about how difficult it can be at first for some Indian students to learn about American culture, such as adapting social skills in a classroom and learning how to use Facebook.

ISA president and India senior Vinaya Adusumilli said Indian people are not as different as they may seem.

“I hope people may be very patient and they understand how Indians get adjusted into American life,” she said.

A fashion show and several dance numbers took place with colorful saris, traditional cotton or silk female India outer garment, that ranged in deep golds, blues and pinks.

During the fashion show, 21 models wore outfits that varied from casual dress to an upscale celebration.

India graduate student Venubabu Nallamothu said he loved the fashion show and felt that he was home.

“It was very good, I would like people to know about our traditions within each other,“ he said.

At the end of the show, more dance numbers were performed from international student groups and Indian students and the Indian national anthem was played on a projector for students.

Adusumilli was excited for the show.

“It feels great when people are coming and saying ‘the show was good.’ I feel the effort was worth it,” she said. “This was a great experience and I hope this celebration goes on because it is very powerful.”