8 - The Michigan Daily - Monday, November 7, 1994 R Dancers perform "Chane Ke Khet Mein" (the candle dance) at Saturday night's Diwali show. MOLLY STEVENS/Daily Diwali celebrates differences, lauds unity By EUGENE BOWEN The history of India its predominant religion, Hindu- ism, is one of the world's oldest. The traditions and celebrations of the patchwork Indian society continue to thrive, even at the University. One of the most popular is the Diwali Festival. Also called the Festival of Lights, Diwali Show Diwali celebrates the return of Rama, an Michigan Theater incarnation of the November 5, 1994 Hindu god Vishnu, to his kingdom, Ayodhya, after defeating the demon king, Ravana. It also marks the day of Thanksgiving in many Indian cultures. The University's Indian-American Students' Associa- tion (IASA) presented the 1994 Diwali Show last Satur- day at the Michigan Theater. Entitled "Beyond the Bor- der," the show was attended by a crowd of over 1700. Various dances, representing a myriad of stories and themes, were performed. One dance, the "Radha Ko Shyam," could have easily been called "The Dance of Thunder and Sunshine," as the dancers whirled around in beautiful, bright-yellow costumes twirling and beating upon the sticks they skillfully wielded. The candle dance, "Chane Ke Khet Mein," took every- one's breath away. Watching the dancers glide across the floor, one could almost mistake them for stars which h .descended from the heavens to join in the festivities. The singing was as enrapturing as the dancing. "The Star Spangled Banner" and the Indian anthem, "Jana Gana Mana," were the beginnings of a string of powerful songs covering a wide area of topics, both serious and fun. Sumana Setty and Kavita Malhotra performed "Aaj Raath," and Madhu Deshpande's singing of "Kil Cheez Kya Hai" brought tears to the eyes of many. Many of the words were sung in traditional Indian dialects and couldn't be understood by some in the crowd. Nevertheless, the feeling that went into all the song, performed that night touched all, though the words couldn'' One aspect that stood out in each performance was color. The traditional outfits were a spectacular testament to the beauty and brightness of Indian clothing. Every- thing from the darkest black to the brightest white - every color under the rainbow - was visible. The flashes of color brought excitement and mystique to each act. "Identity extends beyond the body and lies in the soul," said a participant."Beyond the Borders" proved this coi- rect. One could feel the individual differences that every- one sported peeling away, even if for a short time. But fo that split second, there was a glorious feeling of common- ality among the members of the Indian community more brilliant and radiant than even the colors. This undercur- rent of oneness represents the Festival of Lights. * S 0 den OrFg anizationt Accou~ Ed @n (SOAS) Come See What's Up With Student Organization Accounts Service! The Student Organization Accounts Service (SOAS) is presenting workshops to assist officers and members of student organizations in learning more about policies, procedures, and the unique services SOAS offers. Some of the areas that will be highlighted are: Opening and Renewing Accounts, Deposit- ing Funds, Withdrawing Funds, Tax Information, and Understanding your Financial Statement. The workshops will convene this month on: Letters to Cleo: your favorite pen-pals and ours By HEATHER PHARES Letters to Cleo are a Boston-based quintet rich in catchy hooks and jangly guitar riffs. Like Velocity Girl and Madder Rose before them, they exem- plify the sweet-yet-tough qualities of many indie/college bands. With the recent re-release of his band's first album, "Aurora Gory Alice," and their deal with Giant Records, guitarist Scott Riebling has a lot to say. Like how the band got that name: "That's a reference to our lead singerKay (Hanley)'schildhoodpenpal Cleo," he explained. "They were close friends when they were young but lost touch, so we named the band after her." Letters to Cleo also has whimsical taste in their tourmates: today they open for the Australian acoustic-pop darlings Frente! while on Tuesday the 8th they're opening for the incendiary British punk band S*M*A*S*H. Riebling sees the connection the Letters have with both bands: "With Frente! we share a girl singer, but we also have really loud guitars. We're by no means a punk band, but we're influ- enced by punk rock, and we play a lot of hard, fast songs live." He added, "We've got about 10 or 15 new songs that we're excited about. We're trying to break them in on the road and get them tight before we go into the studio." When asked what inspires the band to write, Riebling responded, "It's just fun to do. Everybody in the band writes the songs, and everybody has different influences. Kay is influenced by Bob Mould, but our drummer's biggest in- fluence is Tommy Lee from Motley Crue. I think that has a lot to do with why we have our own kind of sound." Besides having their own kind of sound, they have their own way of getting record deals. Riebling recalled: "We decided we would just put out our own record and go for it. We had a song on a Cherrydisc (the label on which "Aurora Gory Alice" was originally released) compilation a while before and we recorded this album - self- produced, self-financed - and sent a tape over to them. When it was done, they put it out." Things look bright for the group. They've signed with Giant Records, and will have an album out "in April or May of nextyear. Ican't wait," Riebling enthused. Hopefully, the crowds at Letters to Cleo's two gigs will be a, enthusiastic over their melodic, edgy pop the group is about making it. If you have any questions, please feel free to call our office at 763-5767. . q .. .cu..ee*.s There's two chances to see LETTERS TO CLEO: first, tonight at the Blind Pig with Frente! Doors open at 9:30, tickets are $7 in advance; call 996- 8555. On Tuesday: with S*M*A*S*H at Club Hell (9106 N. Woodward, Detroit); doors open at 8, and tickets are $5. Call (313) 368-9687.A it .. .. Join me in voting for Bob Cart. 10 - My loss in the U.S. Senate primary * % election was so close it was a heartbreaker and the result came only after a long night of waiting. But when it was clear that Congressman Bob Carr had won the Democratic nomination, I endorsed him without hesitation. Bob Carr is a pro-choice Democrat whose victory is especially important in a year when control of the Senate could go to the Republicans, giving even more power to the likes of Bob Dole, Phil Gramm and Jesse Helms. These 1 le I 1