2023-11-11 Diwali Celebration

Diwali – the Festival of Lights – was celebrated on November 11, 2023, at the Medway High School.  Hundreds of people were attended, the evening was a success! 

Everyone enjoyed the night of vibrant music, dance, henna, a bazaar and a spread of Indian delicacies in celebration of the triumph of light over darkness!  Read More about the Medway Diwali event!

Volunteers

Thank you to everyone who worked so hard to make this event such a success!

Leadership: Stuthi Balaji,Jyoti Ranjan, Angelica Crosby, and Amna Saeed-Kothe

Team Leads:  Prem Ranjan, Sibbi Maruthu, Pragnya Tangutoori, Marques Crosby, Martin Dietrich, Vasu Bala, Kumar Aakash, and Amitesh Kumar

And More! Bhuvana Maruthu, Punam Kumar, Shraddha Surve, Rapali Gupta, Ravi Gupta, Gail Hachenburg, Thiru Munisamy, Jyoti Amudala, Divya Srinivasan, Nutan Mathew, Sanjitha Satish, and Varsha Prapagar!

    What is Diwali?

    Diwali is India’s biggest annual festival, deriving its name from the row (avali) of clay lamps (deepa) that Indians light outside their homes to symbolize the triumph of light over darkness.

    Learn more about Diwali.

    The event had 3 main pieces – the Cultural Showcase with several dance and music performances, the excellent Dinner, and the Bazaar with local vendors, Henna painting, and a Photo Booth.

    Mitthai Exchange

    The exchange of sweets is an important Diwali tradition symbolizing the triumph of hope over despair. In honor of this tradition, many attendees to brought homemade sweet treats for the Dessert Potluck/Mitthai exchange!

    Hosted by

    Medway Cultural Council and Medway Marches

    On-Stage

    Anubhava School of Music

    Vocalists:  Medha Jayendran, Janini Sriram and Sahana Miduturu

    Mridangist (percussion): Tarun Bangalore

    Anubhava School of Music presents a Carnatic composition by Saint Thyagaraja, one of the most esteemed and prolific composers in the history of Carnatic music. The first piece is an ode to Lord Rama and depicts various episodes and characters from the epic Ramayana. The second piece is a bandish (a fixed melodic composition) in Raag Durga. This piece serves as an ode to the Goddesses, whose veneration is of great significance during Diwali and celebrated with great pomp and splendor throughout India.

    Aangikam Dance Academy

    Dancers:  Anjani Patel, Deeta Patel, Meeta Patel, Raina Nair, Tanisha Patel, Dhyani Patel, Surina Patel and Nishka Parikh

    In this semi-classical fusion piece set to the song Namami Namami, Aangikam Dancers convey their devotion to Lord Natraja, the divine cosmic dancer and destroyer of evil. With a mix of Bharatanatyam, Kathak and Manipuri steps, the dancers say “the rhythm of my anklets and fleeing of my feet are the cymbals, the musical notes of my beauty are the vocals, I bow down to you Lord Shankara!”

    Desi 2 Step

    Dancers: Simran Johnputra and Enju Pak

    Dholi (percussion): Hans Kumar

    Desi2Step performed a Bollywood and Bhangra duet to celebrate the festive season.

    Chaandika

    Chaandam Institute of Kathak Dance presents Kathak, a North Indian classical dance characterized by percussive footwork, intricate rhythms, and poetry.

    Composition and choreography: Pandit Chitresh Das, arranged by Gretchen Hayden and Shefali Jain

    Rang Manch (dancers in red)
    Literally translating to “coloring of the stage”, this invocation has the symbolic offerings of a puja to awaken the five senses and pay respect to the Hindu trinity – Brahma, Vishnu, and Maheshvara.
    Artists: Sujatha Kumar, Purvi Patel, Megan Mishra

    Ghoomar (dancers in green and orange)
    Inspired by the traditional Rajasthani folk song, Ghoomar seamlessly blends folk dance movements with the compositions, footwork, and pirouettes of kathak dance, highlighting the dynamic, raw energy of the Jaipur gharana.
    Artists: Aparjita Srivastava, Leela Ahn, Mihika Kumar, Saloni Parikh, Kanchan Mishra Pothireddy

    DFD Dance Academy

    Dancers: Performed by DFD Academy’s Staff and Travel Team Members

    And more people on stage!

    Celebrants

    Did you enjoy the Photobooth sponsored by Amna Saeed-Kothe? You can click to View the Photobooth photos! (PW: 2023)

    Bazaar and Food

    Sponsors