The audience silenced as India”s national anthem began to play. The piece was purely instrumental, but up on stage, host and University of Idaho graduate student Asad Iqbal mouthed the words to the song he had learned many years ago.
“It reminded me of home. It reminded me of school days,” Iqbal said. “On our two national holidays, we would have the flag hoisted and we would sing for it.”
Joleen Evans | Argonaut
High school student Vibha Kumar performs during India Night on Sunday in the Bruce Pitman Center.
India Night brings back such memories for UI”s international students from India. With spicy food and elaborate performances, India Night celebrated Indian culture and cuisine based on the idea of the “removal of sorrows.”
This positive spirit radiated throughout the International Ballroom Sunday evening. The hosts joked with the audience, who cheered and applauded for the smiling performers.
One such performer was Bollywood dancer Adrija Sudheesh. Sudheesh began performing for India Night two years ago when she was just six years old. Now eight, she said she”s used to performing on stage.
“I say to myself, “Be better,”” Sudheesh said, explaining how she overcomes any stage fright she may face before performing.
Sudheesh performed two dances this year. She said her favorite was her surprise performance, a dance set to Michael Jackson”s “Thriller.”
The performances were mostly dances, with one singing piece. There were two dances solely made up of UI students, one that was all female and the Mass Dance that was all male. The evening also featured performances from Washington State University students.
Pavan Penkey, president of the UI Indian Students” Association, said there were between 50 and 60 UI students who helped with India Night this year. He said students and alumni prepared everything, from the food to the decorations.
This year, almost every seat in the ballroom was taken, and Penkey said he was very happy with the turnout.
“We got a tremendous response,” he said.
Audience member Vikram Yadama said and his wife drive over from Pullman to attend India Night almost every year.
Yadama, who is originally from southern India, said he enjoyed discussing the different traditions between northern and southern India with those he sat with.
“We”re really not that different,” Yadama said. “We all like good food, we all like kind people, we all like to dance and sing.”
Yadama said he encourages everyone to attend events like India Night.
“If you took a person and sent them around the world and had them end back where they started, the world we be a better place,” Yadama said. “It opens your eyes so much.”
Marisa Casella can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter at @marisacasella1