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Next Event

Spring Semester is Here!

We have exciting events lined up for Spring 2012.

Geet Purvai

Talvin Singh and Niladri Kumar in Concert

As always, keep an eye on our website, Facebook and Twitter pages for all the latest updates!



**News about Diwali Night 2011 in Hindustan Times (a leading English daily in India) — Click here to read now!**

Looking Back: Music of India Series

heARTbeat Ensemble

The Indian Graduate Students' Association hosted the heARTbeat Ensemble as part of the Music of India series of concerts. The event was held in the Union Theater on September 25th starting at 5:00 P.M.

The concert began with a short North Indian (Hindustani) classical music performance by Madhumanti Sardar (sitar) and Milind Gadre (tabla) - both UW graduate students and wonderful musicians. A light evening raga (set of melodic notes) - Mishra Piloo was played on the sitar, and the melody was set to three different rhythmic cycles on the tabla. This composition was followed by a popular number from an old Hindi movie set to the same raga. This short performance set the tone of the evening, and the audience loved it.

Next, the heARTbeat Ensemble was welcomed with a thunderous applause. Consisting of six musicians and spanning a diverse range of instruments and genres of music, this band truly epitomizes fusion of Indian and western music. Heavily loaded by percussionists - Mridangam (P Subramaniam), Kanjira or Frame Drum (Shree Sundar), Rhythm Pads (B. S. Arun Kumar), Ghatam or Claypot (Karthick); the Ensemble also includes a violinist (Embar Kannan) and a keyboard player (Sathya). The artists serenaded the audience for the next two hours with compositions based on classic South Indian ragas, interspersed with Western melodies. Each artist had time to exhibit his skills individually, and with the group. Special mention should be made of a composition based on the emotion of love, called 'Ratipatipriya.' The final piece of the evening was a medley of popular tunes from India and the West, and concluded with the national anthems of India and the U.S.A.

Calls of 'Encore' rang in the Theater and summarized the euphoria among the audience. The Ensemble's silken communication with the audience substantiated its obvious virtuosity as a band and endeared it to everyone. This event was a grand success, with an estimated head count in excess of 250 in the audience.


Diwali Night 2011 — Did you enjoy the show?

Please email us your feedback at igsa.uw@gmail.com. Click here to read The Diwali Stories!

When was this? Sunday, October 23, 2011. Gates Open: 5:45 PM. Show: 6:15-8.15 PM.
Where was it? Union Theatre, Memorial Union. Langdon St, Madison. WI

Traditions. Fun. Food. Fireworks.

Diwali (or Deepavali), also known as the 'Festival of Lights' is a celebration of defeat of evil and the triumph of good. It is celebrated across India and some other south-east Asian countries. It is also celebrated in different religions like Hinduism, Jainism and Sikhism with some variations (Wikipedia Page on Diwali).

All this makes Diwali a truly secular festival, celebrated by Indians throughout the world with great enthusiasm, bringing together people from across religions and regions together for the celebrations.

Diwali brings friends and families together and is marked by cultural celebrations, a lot of lights, exchange of sweets, new clothes and fireworks!

To celebrate Diwali in Madison, IGSA brings to you, the ‘Diwali Night 2011’. The night of celebrations starts with a cultural show at the Union Theater, followed by dinner at ‘Lakefront on Langdon’ and ‘Great Hall’ and finally, fireworks show on the ‘Alumni Pier - Union Terrace’.

This Diwali, let us gear up to experience dance, music, and of course drama. This Diwali, let us celebrate life, together.

The show will be followed by a spectacular fireworks show on Alumni Pier (Union Terrace) and sumptuous Indian dinner.

  • Gates Open: 5.45 pm
  • Diwali Night Show: 6.15 pm - 8.15 pm
  • Fireworks Show at Alumni Pier: 8:30 pm
  • Student dinner at Lakefront: 8.45 pm - 9.30 pm

This year's show is generously funded by the Associated Students of Madison (ASM), Multicultural Council (MCC) and the Wisconsin Experience Grant and co-sponsored by the Department of Economics. The show is also supported by our community donors.


*Free dinner is for UW students only. UW Student ID will be checked at entrance. Limited to 350 students on a first-come-first-serve basis. Collect your free food passes at the front desk before the show. Hurry!


Can't see flyer? Click Here

Suggested Donations: $5.
Donations help IGSA continue bringing high quality events such as this in the future. Help us help you!

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The Diwali Story 3

I grew up with four brothers. The thought of Diwali brings back a lot of memories but there is one that I am very fond of. Every Diwali, our parents would buy us fire crackers and then very meticulously, the evening before Diwali, we would divide them amongst all of us. The night of Diwali, after the prayers used to be done and it was the time to fire crackers, we would never care how the division was made and fire up all of them together.

As we grew up, we moved away from home. But, Diwali brought all of us back home, year after year. It started to be a small and hurried up vacation, but it still was the time when all of us would get together and relive good, old times.

When I moved to Madison, I wondered what these festivals would mean. Getting to celebrate Diwali with Diwali Night, food and fireworks brings back old memories. Amongst all the fun, the prayers, the pomp and show, I have come to the realization that there is much more than meets the eye.

Diwali celebrates life, it celebrates togetherness, as it always has and always will.

Happy Diwali.

-- Aditya

The Diwali Story 2

Diwali has evolved into an occasion for celebrating everything Indian. Deepavali, Diwali, Devali or Dipabali, as it is known in different parts of India, is India's 'festival of lights'. That is about the only thing that India seems to have agreed upon with regard to this colorful festival.

The myths on which Diwali is based varies from Krishna slaying Narakasura (south India), Rama returning to Ayodhya (north India), Guru Hargobind's (Sikhs) release from prison?? , to the attainment of salvation by Mahavira (Jains).

The duration of this celebration is also different, ranging from just a day of fireworks to 5 days (including Dhanteras,Lakshmi Pooja,Bhai Dooj). In some parts of India,it is also treated as the starting day of a new year for business (on account of it being an auspicous day).

Mythology and religion apart, Diwali is easily the single biggest festival season in the whole of India.

All the multicultural influences on this festive period, have finally been distilled to the warmth of sharing and living with optimism.

The common themes like the glitter of new dresses, sound of crackers, taste of sweets, lit-up sky and the bliss of holidaying with family make religious and regional differences just a couple of small threads in this colourful bundle.

Diwali is truly India's season of joy during which we spread smiles the Indian way.

Some burst crackers, some dont.

Some light up lamps, some dont.

Some pray, some dont.

But all of us celebrate.

-- Gireesh

The Diwali Story 1

India is home to hundreds of ancient cultures, each with its own unique story of birth and growth. Amongst all the myths, traditions and celebrations involved in each of these cultures, the one festival that stands out in being truly Indian is Diwali - the festival of lights. With mythological roots and a message of victory over all evil, Diwali symbolizes the aspirations of people across the globe, irrespective of religion or background. The celebration of this festival has evolved over time, ranging from a conventional family prayer at home to mega-cultural shows in theaters that are thronged by thousands.

Dance and music performances are integral to every Diwali celebration. The Indian Graduate Students' Association (IGSA) at UW-Madison celebrates this occasion with a cultural evening, 'Diwali Night'. In this event, folk and regional Indian dances are exhibited alongside contemporary styles. Performances inspired by Bollywood and international dance forms also form a part of the show. Musical pieces include Indian classical music, Bollywood and Indo-western fusion styles. Theatrical performances seamlessly integrate these art forms to present a power packed, entertaining evening to over a thousand students and community members from Indian and other diverse ethnic groups all over the campus. The grand finale is an impressive fireworks display on the Memorial Union Terrace that symbolizes the transition from darkness to light - a metaphoric description of progression from ignorance to knowledge and prosperity. This event is the result of a cohesive effort by students at UW-Madison. Diwali Night brings together all ethnic communities in Madison and beyond, and gives them an opportunity to experience the richness and diversity of Indian culture.

IGSA looks forward to organizing Diwali Night 2011. Starting today, we will post a series of informational write-ups on the significance of Diwali. We hope you enjoy reading them and look forward to your comments, suggestions and questions. If you wish to contribute to this series, do post on this page or write to us at igsa.uw@gmail.com.

Looking forward to a wonderful Diwali Night 2011!

-- Ranga

Suggested Donations: $5.
*Donations help IGSA continue bringing high quality events such as this in the future. Help us help you!

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Check out latest photos from our past events! Click here.