Students donned bright colored saris and traditional sherwanis, performing traditional dances and religious prayers during the 17th annual Indo-Pak Diwali-Eid show. The show was performed in order to celebrate two important religious holidays, the Muslim holiday of Eid, which marks the end of Ramadan, the Muslim holy month of fasting and the Hindu “festival of light,” Diwali, a celebration of the triumph of good over evil. Prior to the start of the show, students, faculty and parents were treated to a range of home-cooked South Asian dishes that included Chicken Tikka Masala, spiced rice and Raita, a refreshing yogurt-based condiment. After the audience started to stream into Kemper Auditorium, MCs John Henry Fitzgerald ’14 and Cam Morose ’13 kicked off an evening of festivities with a humorous skit. As a prelude to a solemn demonstration of the Muslim call to prayer read by Tasmiah Ahmad ’14, Ahmad and Iman Masmoudi ’14 provided a brief explanation about the traditions of Eid. “[The Diwali-Eid show] is special to me because not only do I get to celebrate such important holidays with fellow Indo-Pak members and because I got to show my South Asian pride! I was excited to do the [introduction to Eid] because I had the opportunity to share my religion and my culture,” said Ahmad. Indo-Pak raised more cultural awareness on campus by not only featuring the Muslim call to prayer but also the Diwali prayer. The night took a more light-hearted turn as Morose, Sid Palaniappan ’13, Nick Nabar ’13, Armaan Singh ’14, Sahil Bhaiwala ’13, Brendan O’Connell ’13 and Aneesh Ashutosh ’14 entertained the audience with a comical rendition of traditional Indian dances. “I had the privilege to participate in a dance with the boys, who are known as Dalai Swagga. The dance was definitely the highlight of my night because I do not consider myself a dancer in any respect and had to go a little out of my comfort zone,” said Morose, in an email to The Phillipian. Ahmad captivated the audience with her vocal performance of “Ay Neel Monihar.” The song’s romantic Bollywood melody brought a feel of South Asia to the audience. In a combination of rhythmic hip hop and classic Bollywood moves, members of Indo-Pak and Hypnotiq presented a memorable and inventive performance to English-born Sri Lankan singer M.I.A’s ”Bad Girls.” As the last act of the night, the fashion show featured all the student performers in vibrant Indian and Pakistani traditional clothing. The colors and shimmers of the colorful clothing reflected the evening’s joy of the festivals. According to Indo-Pak’s club description page on the Andover website, Indo-Pak is a cultural club on campus that seeks to raise awareness regarding issues in the Indian subcontinent.
