The Indian Student Association held a talent show Saturday that incorporated elements of the five-day Hindu festival Diwali in its performances.

About 300 people attended the event at the ARC on Saturday to celebrate the holiday, which traditionally involves the lighting of small clay lamps filled with oil. These lamps are known as diyas, and the association incorporated them into a skit the emcees performed.

Throughout the show, the emcees acted out a search for the diya to light during Diwali.

Premal Tailor, association member and sophomore in Engineering, said the group wanted a show that incorporated the traditions of Diwali in a fun environment.

“During the show, we have classical acts, and they have a variety of culture that they show,” Tailor said.

The performances in the show varied from comedy acts to dance performances. The acts allowed the performers’ friends and families to come, bringing the Indian community together, said Mythili Gopikanth, association member and sophomore in LAS.

“We have a list of comedy acts, dancing and singing acts in the show, and it’s a great cultural show that gets everyone involved,” Gopikanth said.

The acts included several dances performed by University dance clubs that incorporated traditional Indian dancing with modern music. There were also performances by bands that sang in Hindi and comedy acts that included impersonations of Bollywood actors.

Although the show was mostly focused on the journey to find the diya, the event was also, for the first time, a competition to win the title of “Mr. Browntown.” Before the talent show, the association put up a poll on their Facebook group page that allowed members to nominate and vote for men they thought were a good representation of their community.

The polls received more than 1,500 votes. Because of the popularity of the poll, they decided to bring the “Mr. Browntown” competition to the talent show. The top five competitors were brought out on stage to dance and answer a few questions. The audience then decided on who was the best representation of “Mr. Browntown.”

“Every year, we have people who perform dances, songs and comedy acts,” said Jess Talati, junior in LAS. “This year, we wanted to incorporate something new that the audience would love and find fun.”

The winner of “Mr. Browntown” was Kushal Thakkar, sophomore in LAS. He said being a part of the competition was fun, and the talent show was a big success.

The performers enjoyed being a part of the cultural event, said Snegha Ramnarayana, sophomore in Engineering. Ramnarayana, an employee of the Illini Media Company, said she loves being a part of ISA’s events because it allows her to feel closer to her roots.

“I like being part of all the cultural events related to India,” she said. “It makes me feel closer to home.”

Members of ISA said they enjoy hosting the annual talent show because of its large turnout.

“The talent show is a nice way to get the Indian community together to celebrate,” Gopikanth said.

Atoosa can be reached at [email protected].