Twinkling lights, upbeat music, and authentic food were just a few staples of WA South Asian Student Association (SASA)’s fourth annual Darba celebration. Darba, one of the club’s most popular events, attracted guests of all ages, regardless of race or religion, to celebrate this year’s theme: Darba After Dark.
On Friday, Oct. 17, SASA hosted its fourth-ever Darba to celebrate the Hindu festival of Diwali. The name “Darba” comes from a combination of two words, Diwali and garba. A portion of the money collected from Darba will go towards funding the education of several underprivileged students in India through the BigHelp organization.
“Our fourth annual Darba […] was, once again, a phenomenal success. We were extremely pleased with the turnout, [with] over 300 people in attendance,” SASA adviser and English teacher Rashmi Kumar said.
The guests were greeted by parent volunteers and junior SASA treasurers Amruta Jidge and Adarsh Sivaprakash in the senior lobby to check in and receive their pre-paid food tickets and wristbands. In the lower cafeteria, a photo booth decorated with flowers and lights was available to the guests.
The event started off with speeches given by Kumar and senior SASA co-presidents Shaivi Shah and Nitya Kaza. The speeches were followed by two dance performances to Bollywood songs, one by the SASA cabinet and one by WA’s Bollywood Dance Club.
As a feature of the event, a freshman volunteer from Acton-Boxborough, Riya Bhardwaj, offered her henna services for attending guests. Lines kept building for the henna as the event progressed.
“The henna was such a nice addition to the dance,” sophomore Apollo Berlinski said. “The artist’s work was neat, detailed, and exactly what I wanted. I definitely think it was a great idea.”
Priya, a restaurant in Lowell, catered for this year’s Darba menu, spreading South Asian culture through popular foods like gulab jamun, samosa, pakora, and veggie biryani. Kumar’s husband, Gulshan Kumar – who is also the Town Business Manager and Westford Rotary Club member – served and distributed food to attendees with the help of staff volunteers.
The event progressed with a garba lesson taught by a parent volunteer, Viral Dave. Garba is a type of traditional folk dance originating primarily from the Indian state of Gujarat. Dave has been instructing garba for the last three years, and, according to English teacher Molly Callaghan, several guests loved learning from her.
“She was so good, she made us feel like we’re professionals,” Callaghan said.
The garba session concluded with Dave showing attendees how to dance to a popular Indian song called “Sanedo.”
As Darba’s events concluded, the cafeteria transformed into an open dance floor for guests to dance to South Asian music courtesy of Kamal Hans, who used the pseudonym “DJ Raunak” for the night. The flashing lights revealed guests forming circles with their friends to dance to the beat of the music.
