The Indian Students’ Association hosted its annual Diwali Night on Saturday, entertaining hundreds of guests with dances, songs and playful skits.

Organizers treated attendees to both a two-hour cultural program — held in the Memorial Union’s Great Hall — and a traditional Indian meal at St. Thomas Aquinas Church.

College of Business Dean Labh Hira and his wife Tahira, executive assistant to the president, were both guests of honor at the event. Aided by associate professor of economics and ISA adviser Rajesh Singh and ISA president Divita Mathur, they lit a lamp to mark its beginning, a ritual known in India as “jyoti prajwalit.” After the lamp lighting, the entertainment began.

The program featured dances from all over India, interspersed with sets by the all-Indian student band Punk Punditz.

Hosts Kumar Ayushman, Upabali Das Sarma, Akshi Mohla and Presha Kardile introduced performers as though they were competing on a special Diwali episode of the TV show “India’s Got Talent.” Adding to the concept were a trio of quarrelsome judges and video clips enacting behind-the-scenes conflict among the performers.

The evening’s first performance was a Bengali dance that drew on the classical style known as Odissi and paid tribute to the Hindu goddess Durga. This was followed by a medley of south Indian dances and a dance set to music from Indian films. The latter told a wordless story of courtship and romantic rivalry.

After the film-inspired performance, dancers reverted to a less contemporary style that melded the dance forms Bharatanatyam and Odissi.

Dancers in Iowa State’s ChakRaas group continued the homage to the past, striking sticks together in a spirited performance of the folk dance Dandiya Raas.

Coming onstage after ChakRaas, members of ISU Bhangra drew enthusiastic applause with a performance of the Punjabi dance for which their group is named.

Punk Punditz bid the crowd farewell with a performance of the Hindi song “Maa Tujhe Salaam.”

Following the cultural program, as guests ate an Indian meal catered by Cedar Rapids’ Taj Mahal restaurant, organizers rated the night a success.

Calling the event’s attendance “way over our expectations,” Divita Mathur, graduate student in bioinfomatics and computational biology, said she was pleased by how the performances were received.

“I’m happy people liked it,” she said.

Chinese student Siqi Zhu, graduate student in industrial and manufacturing systems engineering, found the evening both enjoyable and enlightening.

“It was the first time I ever watched an Indian show,” he said. “After this show, I know more about Indian people.”