On October 8, 2022, the Orloff park community members at Harvest Park Middle School hosted Dandiya Night to celebrate the festival and to raise money for the Anmol NGO, a non-profit organization that educates lower socioeconomic classes in India.

“We decided to come together and organize the dandiya event for fun, but we thought all the proceeds can be donated for a good cause,” said Deepali Nathan, an Orloff park community member.

Dandiya is an Indian celebration celebrated on the tenth day of Navratri, an annual Hindu holiday commemorating the goddess Durga. Dubbed the ‘Sword Dance,’ participants dance together with family and friends by dressing up in ethnic wear and using colorful wooden sticks called dandiyas.

“It was Navratri festival time and Dandiya is popular in the Indian community during this period, so we expected a good turnover at the event,” said Nathan.

Planning and communication among the community members involved both Zoom and in-person meetings to discuss the logistics of the event. Before the dance, they also did a walk-through of the facility before the actual event.

“I attended the event because I wanted to celebrate a part of my culture with my community. It was super fun and was very nicely organized,” said Navya Khare (‘25). 

Overall, they raised a considerable amount of money by selling entry tickets, dinner boxes, and colorful dandiya sticks to the attendees. 

“We did not set any goal as this was our first time organizing such an event. But we were able to raise funds to some extent after deducting all expenses,” said Nathan.