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    NORTH AMERICAN Newsline                                           NOVEMBER 28, 2025        |  The Indian Eye 26

             Surati’s First Diwali Gala 2025 Illuminates Jersey

                City with Culture, Music and Community Spirit

            OUR BUREAU

            Jersey City, NJ
                  he historic Barrow Mansion
                  radiated colour, rhythm and
            Tfestive warmth as Surati for
            Performing  Arts  hosted  its  first-ever
            formal Diwali Gala on November 7.
            Although Surati has long been known
            for its large-scale Diwali festivals,
            this  inaugural  black-tie celebration
            marked a new chapter — blending
            tradition, performance and commu-
            nity solidarity in an evening that cap-
            tured the true essence of the Festival
            of Lights. Guests from across New
            Jersey  and New  York  —  including
            dignitaries, artists, patrons and cultur-
            al leaders — gathered to honour Sura-
            ti’s 23-year legacy of artistic excellence
            and multicultural engagement.
                The night opened with a VIP
            cocktail reception featuring live jazz
            by pianist Brook Mulugeta, a curated   Kijana Lewis — delivered an elec-  the audience, underscoring Surati’s   composer Rajesh Roy crafted the
            vendor showcase, and a silent auction   trifying sequence of Bharatanatyam,  commitment to artistic innovation.  score, while the lyrical work of writer
            offering community-donated expe-  Kuchipudi,  Rajasthani  Ghoomar,      The second act featured excerpts   Arati Roy added poetic  depth. The
            riences and cultural items. Guests   Bollywood fusion, belly dance and   from Ramaavan – A Musical, Surati’s   family connection imbued the eve-
            enjoyed hors d’oeuvres and music   contemporary  pieces.  Their  perfor-  NEA award-winning original produc-  ning with emotion; for Rimli Roy,
            while a highlight video traced Surati’s   mances demonstrated not only tech-  tion, conceived and created by Rimli   having her father perform and her
            journey from a small performing-arts   nical mastery but the versatility and   Roy. After touring India in 2024 at   mother present was a deeply personal
            initiative  to  an  internationally  rec-  multicultural ethos that have come to   the invitation of the Indian Council   moment. “This Gala was a celebra-
            ognised institution.              define Surati’s work.             for Cultural Relations (ICCR), the   tion of light — through culture, food,
                 A NIGHT OF ARTISTIC              A tabla and cajón fusion by Abhi-  production has become a cornerstone   and performances — rooted in India’s
                      BRILLIANCE              nav Acharya and Kaleb Hassell set the   of Surati’s repertoire. The cast — Jon-  heritage  but  shared  with  our  Jersey
                Surati’s Artistic Director and   tone for a night of cross-cultural exper-  athan Power, Andrew Leonforte, Pau-  City community,” she said.
            Founder, Rimli Roy, curated a rich   imentation, followed by a spellbinding   lina Yeung, Madison Halla, Harsha   The  finale  featured  singer-mu-
            program that showcased the breadth   Raaga-Jazz piano collaboration led   Harikumar, Hitanshi Patel, Kijana   sician Jayanta Banerjee, followed by
            of Indian performance traditions. Su-  by guest artist Sumit Roy of Kolkata,  Lewis and Vidhya Dinesh — deliv-  an energetic set by Sumit Roy, whose
            rati’s company dancers — Hitanshi   accompanied again by Abhinav on   ered a powerful performance that   medley of Calypso, retro hits and In-
            Patel, Harsha Harikumar, Vidhya   tablas. The interplay of Indian raaga   earned a standing ovation.  dian folk brought the audience to its
            Dinesh, Alisha Desai, Avishi Jain and   and Western jazz elements captivated   Music director Sumit Roy and   Continued on next page... >>

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