by Carilyn Rome
Daily Lobo
The East Indian community in New Mexico offers the public chances to take part in their rich culture.
This past Saturday, the Indian Association of New Mexico put on the annual Diwali Celebration at the Kiva Auditorium in the Albuquerque Convention Center.
Diwali means "array of lamps," and it is sometimes called the Festival of Lights. The festival associates light as the symbol of joy, splendor and happiness. It can also signify the victory of light over darkness and truth over falsehood.
Amidst a blaze of tiny, twinkling lights, members of the East Indian community took the audience through the mystical rhythmic nuances of Indian tradition, dance and music. The program was broken into sections that highlighted various performers.
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This show had everything from dance, poetry and live musicians to mystical music and film. It even had a presentation on the tradition of marriage in India, which came complete with a fashion show featuring Indian children dressed in traditional wedding wear.
The dancers really gave the program a more spiritual feel, mostly because it was intended to depict the interaction between mortals and the gods.
The Temple dance was done in the Bharatanatyam style, which showed Lord Krishna saving a queen from public humiliation. They seemed to exude the auras of the colors they were wearing. You could almost feel them glowing blue, green, red and purple in the warm light.
The music was also intriguing. One piece was particularly unique and used a special drum styled from the 6th and 7th centuries. The drum was accompanied by a harmynum, which is an instrument similar to an organ or a piano that has 42 black and white keys. The sound of the two instruments was rhythmic and made the audience want to dance.
Joey Swoboda teaches Family Practice at UNM Medical School and recently visited India.
He said he likes to support the Indian community.
"It feels good to celebrate diversity of our world and community," Swoboda said. "This is more important now than ever."
Sarika Bhakta is an UNM alumnus. She said there is no outlet for Indian talent here and Diwali is a rare event.
