Diya Jale was incredible!

It was the kind of event that made me proud of my fellow students. There were so many acts, and each one was more exciting than the next. But as a musician myself, two particularly stood out to me, and those were the classical Indian ensemble and the a capella pieces.

The a capella pieces stood out, firstly, because they were sung in two languages! I always love when songs are song in two languages because you can hear the differences not just in words, but in tone of the speaker. Pitch, timbre, and rhythm can become noticeably different when the singer transitions languages. If the singer starts singing from a different part of their throat, then their pitch and timbre can sound different; their rhythm sounds different to account for different syllable structure of the words they’re speaking.

The classical Indian ensemble did a great job. I don’t play any of the instruments that were on stage, so I couldn’t tell if they made any mistakes — but I think I would still have trouble guessing, because they had so much energy the whole time. They looked really proud to be there, and to be playing the music they love, which is something I think I can understand.

All in all, a wonderful night of excellent performances!

Going to Diya Jale was a ton of fun! I had initially been wary of committing to this event for my weekly Rose Scholar attendance due to the sheer length of the show (nearly three full hours), but I’m glad that I eventually did. With tickets costing $10 each, I know that I definitely wouldn’t have gone if this hadn’t been one of the Rose events, and getting free access definitely made it more accessible. Having not gone to any previous performances of the many groups participating, it was amazing to see all of the dancers, singers, and performers take the same stage. I’ve heard all about Cornell Bhangra in passing (especially during club fest and recruitment season at the start of the fall semester, but seeing them actually perform was entirely different. One of my favorites out of the many groups, their colorful costumes matched the high energy moves and made me wish I was graceful enough to join a dance troupe on campus. Overall the experience was a positive one, and getting to hear Omi Vaidya give a very comedic monologue was the icing on the cake! Hopefully I will get the chance to attend again next year.

After months and months of planning the day was finally here. I headed to Bailey Hall 8 hours ahead of the actual event time to ensure that everything was set up and realized there were lots of issues backstage, such as the fact there were only 2 dressing rooms and 9 teams performing that night. I had to be creative and find other spaces for the performers to get ready, as well as fit as many people as I possibly could into each room. The next hurdle to cross was that the dress rehearsal ran extremely late and we were worried that the show may not start on time. Then under short notice, we realized that the piano was not available for one of the teams to use, so we had to adapt and use a keyboard instead. As the show time approached I became more and more nervous, because so much had not gone according to plan. But I realized that I needed to be positive and encourage others to do so, as this was supposed to be a fun event. So we all went and sat in the audience and watched the show, and in the end it was a success. This whole experience taught me to stay levelheaded in a stressful situation and that the show must go on, despite things being in a frenzy backstage.

On Saturday, a group of Rose Scholars, GRF Sam, and I went out to Diya Jale, a showcase that celebrates Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights.

I was touched by GRF Sam’s willingness to give up his ticket for a Rose Scholar; his act of kindness ignited an appreciation for the people around me, and, for me, this appreciation set the mood for the rest of the show.

1Rose Scholar Diya Jale Video 2

Usually, in performance organizations, performers are told to smile all of the time, whether they meant it or not. However, I feel that some of the performers meant it. Members of organizations such as Cornell Bhangra beamed as they danced and jumped over and over and over again! Their energy made me smile; I’m so glad that they had fun.

1Rose Scholar Diya Jale Video1

As for the audience, there was a section of students who would not stop shouting at the performers the whole time! They, too, created an atmosphere of familiarity and a sense of belonging; I’m glad to have witnessed their camaraderie.

Lastly, I loved that the actor Omi Vaidya showed appreciation for the president of Cornell’s Society for India and that she, in turn, thanked some important people in her life. From that, I got this sense of a “I may not know you very well, but I got your back” type of sentiment. It was all very beautiful and worthwhile going to.

I was so impressed yesterday when I went to watch Diya Jale, the annual performance of dance, song, and comedy in celebration for Diwali. Two and half hours long, but time flew by! Everything was planned so well, down to scripted host segments that gave some good laughs. The dancing was interesting to me because of the large variety of types — some were graceful, others were energetic, and some used rods and clapping tools. The colorful silk outfits were on point as well. My favorite piece was Cornell Bhangra because of their energy and fantastic coordination. Bhangra dance involves significant amount of jumping, stomping, and spinning. Whoever designed the soundtrack deserves some credit for some intense beat drops.

Another act I loved was the acappella group that fused American music with Indian classics. California Dreamin’ was interwoven into an unrelated Indian song, but they complemented each other well. Toward the end, the actor for the IT Technician, Sadiq, from The Office came out and did some standup comedy! I grew up watching The Office, long before it was a common trend in my generation — so this was a big moment for me. I didn’t realize he is also a famous Bollywood actor named Omi Vaidya. He told stories and shared a funny music video parodying Old Town Road by Lil’ Nas X, only Indian-themed. You would have had to have an Indian culture background to understand some of the jokes, but I still laughed a lot.

Diya Jale was a fun way to spend my Saturday evening, especially after a long week of studying!

Saturday marked the first time I had ever seen a show like Diya Jale.  I had no idea what to expect, but I was not disappointed!  Although I admit that some of the Hindi jokes flew over my head, since I do not speak the language, I still very much appreciated Omi Vaidya’s set and the marriage of traditional style and contemporary flair in the various Indian dance performances throughout the night.  Most of all, however, I enjoyed Cornell Tarana’s performance!  This is was my first experience hearing an a cappella group sing live; the only previous exposure I had was through Anna Kendrick’s Barden Bellas in the Pitch Perfect film series.  It still amazes me to think that the students could produce such beautiful harmonies and unique sounds using only their voices.  Every singer—especially the soloists—seemed wonderfully talented, and the beatboxing in the background was the cherry on top!  Overall, after a stressful couple of weeks consisting of endless studying and countless prelims, Diya Jale was a great way for me to wind down, meet new people, and learn more about a new culture.  Cornell’s Society for India did an excellent job arranging this event, and I am very thankful and grateful that the Rose Scholars program provided me the opportunity to attend.  I am definitely already looking forward to next fall’s edition!

As a former dancer, I must begin by declaring my utmost respect to the dance groups that performed tonight at Diya Jale, particularly Cornell Bhangra and Big Red Raas. The endurance required to perform those art forms is not only immense, but herculean in amount. My quads are just screaming after watching Bhangra—the fact that the danced a solid two minutes with huge smiles on their faces is admirable.

Aside from the dancing, Diya Jale was an absolute blast. As my roommate/best friend is not only an active E-Board member of Society for India, but one of the coordinators for Diya Jale, I have been anticipating the event for some time now. I attended the event last year and this year was just as vibrant, just as energetic, just as funny, just as enjoyable. Diya Jale exhibits the beautiful South Asian culture here at Cornell; from traditional music and dance to modern acappella and comedy acts, Cornellians shined tonight. It was a true joy to witness.

Diya Jale was an incredible experience. I would recommend the event to any and every one.

I’m not a particularly loud person. Before coming to college, the type of concert I attended most often were orchestral performances. Though those may sometimes become the occasion for a bit of cheering, there is very rarely any screaming. But every time I go to Diya Jale, I come back with a few fewer functioning vocal chords than I had when I walked in through Bailey’s doors.

Diya Jale is a celebration of Diwali (the Hindu festival of lights) and an Indian-American cultural showcase. The show tonight included performances from the a cappella group Tarana, music group SPIC MACAY, and dance groups Nazaqat, Tarana, Cornell Sitara, Cornell Anjali, Big Red Raas, Break Free, and Cornell Bhangra. (I have a personal soft spot for the last one, as my wonderfully talented roommate Isha is on the team.) Actor and comedian Omi Vaidya (of Hollywood and Bollywood fame) also featured, which was awesome.

What strikes me about all the groups that performed at Diya Jale was their combination of precision and intensity. Some groups exhibited one characteristic more heavily than the other. For example, SPIC MACAY’s singers and instrumentalists had to be extremely precise in their intonation and annunciation. I have no idea how the vocalists got all of the words out so fast. The Nazaqat dancers’ synchronization of hand gestures was mesmerizing. On the other hand, the performances by Big Red Raas and Cornell Bhangra were about eight minutes of pure concentrated energy. Even so, it was clear that all the groups paid great attention to all the little details (facial expression, for example) and brought an incredible amount of concentration to their art. After (and usually during) every performance, the audience would scream and applaud. With so much energy up on stage, it would have been hard for the audience not to reflect it.

I think it’s amazing that I have the opportunity to go to performances like these. There are few other places that bring together so many different groups. Each one brought out a different element of Indian-American culture; some were more traditional, others were more of a fusion, and some were not technically Indian-associated. Even within the groups, there were fusion elements. Nazaqat, which seemed generally more traditional, danced a segment to Shakira’s Cheap Thrills. And although it didn’t feature tonight, I have seen my roommate choreograph a bhangra segment to Old Town Road. And it looked amazing. This specific mixture of styles and cultures is replicable in few other places, and I’m so glad I got to see it tonight. And if I have to drink honey and lemon for the rest of this week, I guess that’s just what I’ll do.

Tonight, I watched the Diwali show organized by the Society of India, and I was just blown away by every single persons’ talent. This is the largest cultural show of the fall semester and the Diwali show has been happening for 57 years at Cornell already!

It was so nice being able to see all of the performances and the students showcase their amazing talents and represent their cultures. I can’t even begin to imagine the amount of effort and time they spent rehearsing all of the acts and making sure everything is amazing. There was this air of unity, friendship, and compassion that filled the entire auditorium. The performers put so much energy and life into each and every act, and the crowd reciprocated and amplified that energy by cheering, clapping, and laughing. I definitely enjoyed the performances very much, and it definitely gave me this new insight into the different expressions of art and beauty within Indian culture.