On Thursday, October 19th, the day of Diwali for this year, the Hindu Students’ Association (HSA) of Western Ontario revealed their 2017 Diwali Show information.
      Photo provided by the HSA Facebook Page
Consisting of performances, photobooths, authentic Indian cuisine and traditional music, Diwali Show is one of the biggest events of the year for Western’s diverse community.
“We’ve planned the show to accommodate for 400 guests. In the past we’ve consistently sold out and since we dropped prices this year, we expect tickets to go even more rapidly,” says Raghav Srikanth, the president of the club.
The Diwali Show is known for its incredible student performances. Anyone from the Western student body can audition to be part of the show. In previous years, performances have ranged from Indian classical Bharatnatyam dances to singing acts covering songs from every genre, including hip-hop. Many cultural clubs on campus participate, including the Gujarati Students’ Association, Pakistani Students Association, Ismaili Students Association and Western-Indo Canadian Students’ Association. This event has no boundaries and is meant to be a fun night for all groups of people to come together and celebrate.
An extravagant show like the Kohinoor requires a lot of manpower to put together, which is Srikanth’s favourite part.
“As weird as it might sound, I love working behind the scenes… One of the moments of the show that I personally appreciate quite a bit is near the end, when we bring the Executive and Director teams of HSA on stage and recognize the work they put into the show. We take a lot of time out of our days, weeks, and months to deliver the best show we can to our guests, and it’s really great to be able to recognize the efforts of the people that put it all together!” He says. Â
This year, the theme of the show is Kohinoor. The Kohinoor is a large, colourless diamond whose history can go beyond 5,000 years. It originated from India and means “Mountain of Light” in Persian.
When asked about the theme of this year, Srikanth said, “The idea behind Kohinoor was born months ago, right when the current Executive team was elected. After the success of the Raja Rani theme last year, we wanted to bring something to Diwali Show that was fresh, but still glamorous and enticing. Kohinoor was the perfect blend of the two. The diamond-inspired theme represents the pristine quality we aim to deliver for the show. On a more metaphorical note, all the edges and faces of the diamond all branch out in different directions, but come back together into one cohesive unit, similar to the Western community. Kohinoor is a chance for people to really revel in the wealth of Hindu culture, while still enjoying an aesthetic appeal of the evening.”
When speaking to the president, he explained the activities planned for this year, “We have a great collection of activities and features lined up for this year! The first thing you’ll notice when you walk into the show is… you can bring your friends to take pictures at the photobooth that we have set up with a photographer. Once the show starts, we will hear a few words about the festival of Diwali… why it’s important to celebrate… After the second half of the show, we’ll open up the floor for a dance, specially hosted by a DJ of our selection.”
Along with the traditional activities that HSA provides, and the newly decreased prices of the show, many other new features have been implemented this year as well.
“We have also improved the quality of the food we offer our guests, and have refined details (like the dance floor playlist, for example) to fit the requests of our audience. This year, our brand-new theme and colour palette brings a revamped design to the show all the way from the ticket design to the centerpieces at the show,” says Srikanth.
From supporting members, dedicated performers and the help of USC, Diwali Show is continuously HSA’s biggest event.
Doors open at 5:00pm on Friday, November 10th at Centennial Hall. To learn more information on this event, you can visit the Facebook page or the club website.
Let us know what you feel about Western’s Kohinoor: Diwali Show 2017 in the comments below!
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