Sunday, March 1 will mark the 30th annual India Night hosted by the Indian Student Association here at South Dakota State University.

The event will feature a buffet of authentic Indian dishes along with dancing, singing, traditional clothing and videos featuring different parts of India. Trivia where guests can compete to win prizes will also be there.

“For us, India Night is like a festival here,” Allen Solomon, president of ISA, said. “This is the one day where we find all Indians come here.”

ISA is anticipating another year of maximum attendance, as the 2019 India Night hosted nearly 500 guests.

The theme of this year’s India Night, Satrangi, means “Seven Colors of the Rainbow,” referring to the variety of different languages, food, clothing and festivals that coexist in India.

“We were looking for an inclusive theme… to include every culture, every tradition,” ISA Vice President Abhinav Kubal said.

Many of the performers featured throughout the event are students from SDSU or other local talent
from the Brookings community.

ISA wish to bring parts of their culture to SDSU and Brookings through festivals and celebrations like India Night, both for other students and for those living off campus who wish to attend.

“The main motive of ISA is to introduce Indian culture to the Brookings community,” Kubal said.

They also hope that students from other backgrounds will attend this event, as well, and believe that events like India Night can help bridge some of the cultural gaps that can develop on campus.

“Many people want to know what the culture and tradition is,” Solomon said. “If people want to know about Indians the best way to know is to join India Night.”

India Night will open its doors at 6:00 p.m. March 1, in the Volstorff Ballroom in the Student Union. The buffet will open at 6:30 p.m. and performances are set to begin at 7:00 p.m.