TOWAMENCIN – This past Friday night, the North Penn High School auditorium was filled for a night of traditional Indian dances, dress, and fun during the Indian Cultural Club’s annual Republic Night. Scheduled to coincide with Indian Republic Day (January 26th), the event held in the North Penn auditorium mirrors the celebration happening halfway around the world.

“Republic Day honors the making of the constitution and India finally becoming a Republic,” explained Indian Cultural Club vice president Shivani Rathod.

At North Penn on Friday night, the event started with the singing of the United States National Anthem and the Indian National Anthem. After the two songs were sang, the dances began. Over twenty groups performed to share their culture. There was also a competition to be crowned Mr. and Mrs. Republic and a special guest dance by the University of Delaware at the end of the night.

Siva Nuthanapati, president of the Indian Cultural Association, got involved in the event because “[the club] takes me back to my culture, my roots, where I came from. I’ve always wanted to do something to help India and to help the Indian Society in Lansdale and the state in general. Through the Indian Cultural Association, I can play my part, being an Indian.”

Rudra Pandit, who competed in the Mr. and Mrs. Republic night, joined the club to learn more about the Indian Culture. “I’ve lived here for a while and this is a better way to learn about the Indian Culture,” he said. It was especially a big night for Pandit because he was competing in the Mr. and Mrs. Republic competition. Pandit’s parents had been very supportive for him and were even attending the event.

For such a successful night, there had to be a lot of planning that went on to coordinate numerous dances and trivia questions. “It [the planning] starts from the beginning of the year and we work every other week or so to get everything done,” said vice president Rathod.

At the end of the night, Nuthanapati thought that the event ran smoothly. “There were some minor glitches here and there, but over all it went really well and I’m really happy with the outcome. Everything went according to plan, everything went according to the script, everything went really well.”

Nuthanpati is a senior this year, but “will definitely be back to see what these juniors and sophomores have in store for us [at next year’s Republic night.]”