About 100 people stood around the auditorium entrance, smiling, chatting and laughing as faint drumming began to drift from the parking lot.

"When it comes near you have to start dancing," a father said to his son. "This is how it is."

On Saturday night, the Indian Graduate Students Association (IGSA) held OMKAR 2004 at the State College High School North Auditorium.

The evening, full of Mehndi art, classical dancing, traditional food and Bollywood beats, began with a procession honoring Ganesha or Ganapati, the Lord of Wisdom and knowledge.

"The food, the outfits, the color -- I don't know of anything in American culture that could compare with this," Julie VanEerden (graduate-sociology) said.

During the next two hours, traditional Srishti dancers performed five dances, consisting of both Manipuri and Odissi dance styles, two of India's seven primary classical dance styles.

Srishti dancers wore brightly colored costumes, bells and used incredible precision to add fluidity and grace to every movement.

"Every step has a meaning," Siddharth Mohan (graduate-electrical engineering) said.

Mohan brought a friend to the event, too.

"I wanted to come out and see something different," said Jason Heidemann (graduate-electrical engineering), who had never been to the event before. "You should see other cultures."

Interspersed between the dances were audience games and speeches by various organizers.

IGSA president Amol Khatkhate told the growing crowd the event was organized entirely by student volunteers.

"All that you see here is bits and pieces of hard work and long nights for some people," he said.

The group, which Khatkhate said started in 2003 and has about 700 official members and 345 active members, is about improving the lives of Indian graduate students.

Each year about 80 new Indian graduate students come to Penn State and require assistance with transportation, housing and cultural adjustment.

He said this type of event is beneficial not only to IGSA members but also to the entire Indian and non-Indian community.

"We want to have more and more [Penn State] students become familiar with our culture," he said.

Following the classical dances, Rustum Roy, Evan Pugh Professor emeritus at the Penn State Material Research Institute, was honored by the IGSA and State College Mayor Bill Welch for his contributions in the field of science, Penn State and the Indian community.

"He is to material sciences research what Joe Paterno is to football," Sridhar Komarneni, clay mineralogy professor, said.

Roy congratulated organizers and audience members for contributing to an important cultural event and said people should embrace their multiple identities in a changing world.

"We are in an era when multiculturalism is not only in vogue, but imperative," he said.

Following Aarti, a ceremony of thanking God, audience members proceeded to the cafeteria where Indian food was served for dinner.

"I've been to this event several times before and it's always been an enjoyable mix of music, dance and recognition," Welch said.

Finally, it was time for some music.

By 9 p.m., HindiMidi, an Indian orchestra from Virginia, hit the stage, and men and women began zigzagging through the auditorium aisles, dancing along to their favorite Bollywood beats.

"We're just trying to make a little India here," Mohan said.