Frary dining hall was stormed last Friday night by a horde of ravenous students, all hoping for a taste of Indian deliciousness. The cause was the South Asian Students Association’s Diwali festival, or Indian New Year’s festival. A celebration of Indian culture, the event was also considered by many students the best food event on Pomona’s campus this year. "The dinner was amazing. The food was so good. I think they should have an Indian meal every week," said Janelle Treibitz '03. Although the meal was technically buffet style, lines were so long that few students managed to get a second helping. Many resorted to filling multiple plates on their first pass through the line. At the height of attendance, the line for food snaked across the dining hall, past the entrance, and along the back wall.

Dan May Shakin' it for the people... awww yeahhh...

After an hour devoted solely to the consumption and digestion of such Indian delicacies as Aloo ( curried potatoes and cauliflower), Naan (soft Indian bread), spicy buttery chicken, and lentils, the cultural events began. The traditional and contemporary Indian dance exhibitions received very enthusiastic cheers and applause, and the audience seemed quite engaged in every event.

The displays of Indian fashions were accompanied by catwalk-esque strutting and even more exotic movement of arms and body to emphasize the grace of the styles, and both the male and female models were heartily encouraged to get down by the large and noisy audience. Skits performed by members of SASA portraying the difficulties of cross-cultural relationships were also well received by the audience, although the cavernous architecture of Frary made it somewhat difficult to understand what the performers were saying.

"I thought the skit was funny," said Keith Kwan ’03, "The entertainment was great. I also enjoyed the mix of traditional Indian music and heavy thumping bass. It rocked my world."

This combination of the traditional with the modern well characterized the outlook of the event as a whole, and the lively and danceable music established the atmosphere as students wolfed down their full plates of curried goodness. The wizardly Indian DJ could not be reached for comment.

Diwali constituted the first high profile event produced by SASA, and student response was overwhelmingly positive. "They should definitely do this again," said Treibitz ’03. It remains to be seen whether the success of Diwali will inspire other cultural organizations to combine stellar catering with cultural outreach, but hope is alive. "It was fascinating to be exposed to a culture I knew nothing about," said Sarah Trefethen ’03. Some student expressed hope that Diwali would be celebrated again quite soon, but as the actual festival day occurs only once a year it is not likely that their wishes will be fulfilled.