Club Om’s ‘Dulha Dulhan’ Fashion Show
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The loud music and bright colors are not the only appeal of Indian cultural events. Hosted by Club Om, the Diwali Dhamaka 2006 and ‘Dulha-Dulhan’ Fashion Show was another fun and colorful event.
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Most commonly known for their spicy food, colorful attire and catchy music, South Asians are typically labeled as bookworms who happen to have good taste in food and music. At the Diwali Show, there was anything but books out on the stage to present an evening of fast-paced fun to a bumping beat.
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Although advertised to start at 6:30 pm on the night of November 19, it did not start until more than a little after 7:00 pm, validating a common South Asian joke: ‘Indian and Pakistani events never start on time.’ After much anticipation, the show began with a bang: flashing red lights, a colorful emcee, and intoxicating music. The emcee, Yash Shah, kicked off the event by doing a quick, yet exciting dance and promptly introduced the members of the E-board for Club OM.
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Following the introduction, a brief speech by special guest Professor Narayan Hegde brought us all to awareness of the actual meaning behind Diwali and the cultural significance to people of Hindu background.
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After all of the formal introductions and explanations were taken care of, the real event began, first with a musical guest, ‘Har Ik Zehr’, which in Urdu, means ‘Every Single Poison’. Their music was a blend of Pakistani and American Rock, the classic ‘East meets West’ fusion. Lead singer Amish Dar captivated the audience with his unique sound and hypnotic guitar.
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The highlight of the evening was the ‘Dulha-Dulhan’ Fashion Show, arranged by Club Om, and presented by a group of South Asian students. ‘Dulha’, in Urdu and Hindi means Groom, and ‘Dulhan’, of course means Bride. The focus of this fashion show was to incorporate culture and the recent Westernization of Marriage Custom in the East. The show featured 28 couples dressed in colorful attire ranging from traditional to modern dress.
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Couples ‘walked down the aisle’, showing off colorful costumes, accompanied with traditional heavy jewelry. In traditional Indo-Pak culture, brides dress in a red dress, often heavily adorned with gold or silver trim, organza, silks, brocades, and other heavy fabrics. Grooms wear a matching shervani, an ‘Eastern suit’ which is also decorated with similar gold and silver trim, and matching fabric accents. Although the entrances were poorly timed and often confusing, the event was a crowd pleaser and gave everyone a healthy dose of South Asian Marriage Culture, an often misinformed subject.
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After the main event wound down, it was followed up with a few rousing rounds of addictive music and heart-pumping dance. The Stony Brook Bhangra team put on one of their best performances, and enticed the crowd to ‘wow’ and clap at the great traditional music. Followed up by Thillana, the evening was a hit, with only one minor costume malfunction on stage.
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The evening wrapped up with a dinner of traditional Indian food followed by an open dance floor that featured both Eastern and Western flavors of music. A mixed crowd of South Asian and American students crowded the floor for a pumped up evening.
