Jersey City, NJ: The historic Barrow Mansion glowed with festivity and elegance as Surati for Performing Arts hosted its first-ever Diwali Gala on Friday, November 7, 2025. While Surati has organized several Diwali celebrations in the past, this marked its inaugural formal Gala, uniting culture, artistry, and community in an evening that truly embodied the spirit of Diwali — the Festival of Lights. The evening brought together diverse artists, dignitaries, community members, and supporters for a celebration of Indian culture, music, dance, and tradition.
The evening began with a VIP cocktail reception with live jazz pianist Brook Mulugeta, vendor showcases, and a silent auction featuring community-donated items and cultural experiences. Guests were welcomed with live music, hors d’oeuvres, and drinks before the formal program, which celebrated 23 years of Surati’s artistic excellence and community engagement through a highlight video presentation.
The Gala’s performances were curated by Surati Founder and Executive Artistic Director Rimli Roy and showcased a vibrant range of Indian classical, folk, and contemporary art forms, including Bharatanatyam, Kuchipudi, Rajasthani Ghoomar, Bollywood, belly dance, and modern fusion pieces.
Surati’s performance segment, presented under the artistic direction of Rimli Roy, featured Surati’s dancers — Hitanshi Patel, Harsha Harikumar, Vidhya Dinesh, Alisha Desai, Avishi Jain, and Kijana Lewis — who captivated the audience with their versatility and expressive choreography through Indian classical - Bharatnatyam and Kuchipudi, Rajasthani folk, Bellydance, Bollywood fusion, and contemporary dance forms.
The evening also featured a tabla and cajón fusion by Abhinav Acharya and Kaleb Hassell, followed by a captivating Indian Raaga Jazz fusion by guest artist Sumit Roy from Kolkata, who played an Indian raga on the piano accompanied by Abhinav on the tablas in a mesmerizing collaboration.
The second act included excerpts from Ramaavan – A Musical, Surati’s NEA award-winning original production, envisioned, re-imagined, and created by Rimli Roy, which also toured India in 2024 by a special invitation by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR - Govt of India), inspired by the Ramayana, performed by Jonathan Power, Andrew Leonforte, Paulina Yeung, Madison Halla, Harsha Harikumar, Hitanshi Patel, Kijana Lewis and Vidhya Dinesh, earning a standing ovation. Ramaavan-A Musical is an original production with music composed by Sumit Roy and Rajesh Roy, and lyrics and verses written by Arati Roy.
The finale featured a live music performance by Jayanta Banerjee. Guest artist from India Sumit Roy, a celebrated singer, composer, and mentor from Kolkata, concluded the program with a vibrant medley of Calypso, retro, and Indian folk songs, bringing the audience to their feet before the night wrapped up with a lively DJ set that united guests, artists, and dignitaries on the dance floor.
Among the distinguished attendees were Mr. Piyush Singh, Consul (Political, Press, Information & Culture), Consulate General of India in New York); Councilwoman Mira Prinz-Arey; Brian Murray from Hudson County Cultural Affairs; Hudson County Commissioner Yraida Lipski, and Former Governor Jim McGreevey.
