Ushering in the Indian New Year

Darshanakumari gives sitar recital

The celebrations started with a welcome speech by the ISA-UT president, Kavitha Muthukrishnan. She highlighted the ISA-UT's role in sharing the rich culture and heritage of India with the UT academic community. As per Indian tradition, Rector Magnificus Henk Zijm and the minister from the Indian Embassy, Riva Ganguly Das, were invited to inaugurate the event by lighting the ceremonial lamp. As different regions in India follow different cultures, the New Year traditions and days vary from region to region. This diversity was explained through a presentation at the beginning of the ceremony.

The Rector started his speech by congratulating the ISA-UT for providing a platform for Indian students, far from their families, to celebrate Indian festivals with peers from 44 different countries who form a part of the UT family. He gave interesting insights into how India was popularized during his student life by the Beatles, whose music was influenced by the world-renowned Indian musician, Ravi Shankar. He said it was a privilege to have Indian students here at the UT and he hoped that both India and the Netherlands would benefit from their mutual exchange of ideas. `Enjoy your stay, learn and never forget your cultural roots' - was the message he conveyed through his insightful speech. He then concluded by saying `Navavarsh ki Shubhkamnayein' in true Indian style to an appreciative applause from the audience.

Then Riva Ganguly Das, the minister from the Indian Embassy gave a short speech through which she congratulated the Indian students, whom she called the cultural ambassadors of India. She said that the UT is one of the few universities in the Netherlands which has such student organizations. She felt that the UT deserves a lot of credit for providing support and encouraging the growth of such student organizations. She expressed her desire to visit the UT again to have an in-depth discussion with students about various issues that form a part of their student life. She too concluded by wishing the students a happy and prosperous Indian New Year.

The speeches were followed by traditional Indian performances. Shital Dixit from the Wageningen University enthralled the audience with her Kathak Dance recital. Kathak is an Indian classical dance form which initially was confined to the temples but, with the patronage of the Mughal emperors, shifted from a purely religious art form to a source of entertainment. Shital started her performance with `Guru Vandana' to seek the blessings of her teacher. She then went on to tell the story about the childhood antics of a popular Hindu god, Lord Krishna, with rhythm and graceful swirling movements.

The next performance was a Sitar recital by Darshanakumari, from the Ripa School of Indian Arts in Amsterdam. She performed three short pieces ranging from semi-classical to folk. During the course of her performance, she spoke about the intricacies of playing the sitar. The soothing music emanating from her sitar enchanted the audience for nearly an hour.

The evening ended on a high note with a spread of Indian delicacies at the Faculty Club. The guests were welcomed with small key chains from India, courtesy of the Indian Embassy. The perfect weather complimented the spread of mouth-watering delicacies from various states, spanning the entire country. Some items on offer were Punjabi Chole, butter chicken, kashmiri pulao, Maharashtrian lamb curry and south Indian sambar. The meal was enjoyed by the Indians and the international students alike and provided a grand finale to the festive evening.