November 14th is the Hindu holiday Diwali, and a day later, on November 15th, the Indian Cultural Association at UAB will be holding their Diwali celebration, but will look a little bit different than past years.
Diwali, also called the Festival of Lights, is a Hindu holiday to celebrate the defeat of the demon Ravana by the god Rama. His return from battle is met with lights guiding him back to his village hence the importance of light during this holiday. People decorate their homes with diyas (lights) and rangolis, have big feasts, dress up, dance and sing.
One of UAB’s favorite ways of celebrating the festival is through ICA’s Diwali typically held at the Alys Stephens Center. The program usually consists of a mix of community dance performances and UAB dance teams. However, due to COVID-19 and safety precautions, ICA has moved the event entirely virtual.
Diwali means a time for family and friends, and due to the major events these past few months and the uncertain times we are in, Sristi Das and Manraj Singh, ICA co-presidents, wanted to have the Diwali celebration to “lift everyone’s spirits during this time.”
Diwali is not only for the Indian community, but people from all over are involved in these celebrations, making it important to continue the festivities. The biggest concern for them was how to have the big event while making it worth it for the audience and those in charge.
Diwali this year is taking place on Twitch. Performers have sent in pre-recorded videos as opposed to the typical show on stage at the Alys Stephens Center in front of an audience of almost 1000 people. There are the usual skits and jokes made throughout the show but most of the live commentary will be coming from Singh and Jeetesh Kunche. People watching at home can tune in and send comments that will pop up during the show.
Diwali has always been an exciting event to look forward to for not only those who come and watch the show, but also for those who are on one of the multiple Indian dance teams at UAB and community groups. Kashmal Rupani, captain of the Birmingham Blazin’ Bhangra team, is upset that her team cannot perform in front of her home crowd like her past three years at UAB but is still glad to take part.
“I am still grateful that ICA has given [them]a platform to express [their]love for dance and be able to celebrate the Festival of Lights,” Rupani said.
Even Suma Gadde, a freshman on BBB, is upset that her performance was not able to happen in the typical extravagant fashion, but is still happy to have gotten the opportunity to dance in front of a virtual crowd with the vardi (outfits) and classic bhangra music.
The biggest challenge ICA approaches is the viewership. Das and Singh said they were concerned on how willing people will be to watch this event.
“It’s one thing to dress up and go to the event,” Singh said, “and it is another to sit at home on Sunday and pull out your laptop.”
Singh says he will be watching the number of people intently throughout the show just hoping it will be a great number. However, with the stress and difficulties that the past three weeks of planning have brought, they still want to give the people of UAB a chance to express themselves. Das said it is more than a festival, but instead is a time of respect for one another and to support one another
“It is both happy and hopeful,” Das said. “Why wouldn’t you want to be a part of that?”
Das and Singh are grateful for the help from UAB and the Birmingham community and are happy to be on a campus that is involved in multicultural events and holidays.
“Diwali 2020: Pandemic Edition” can be streamed on Twitch on November 15th, 2020. It is free to set up an account on Twitch.
