Before a single light turns on or a beat drops, we want to recognize everyone who made Neon Diyas possible. Whether the event becomes a dazzling success or faces a few hiccups, what matters most is the community spirit that brought it to life.
It’s amazing to see what we’ve accomplished in just four to five weeks. Every single person involved has a full-time job, yet they have spent their evenings and weekends pouring energy, creativity, and kindness into this celebration.
🎧 The Music — A Fusion in the Making
DJ Bat (Arun Purushothaman) and DJ Emdad (Emdad Haider) are collaborating for the first time. Together, they are creating a soundscape that blends two vibrant styles of South Asian music.
DJ Emdad is known for Bollywood and House tracks. DJ Bat brings the rhythm and energy of South Indian hits. Both of them have been incredibly open to feedback. We collected over thirty song suggestions from the community, accepting entries until October 21, and they are carefully incorporating the ones that fit the mood and flow of the night.
This is also a milestone moment for Arun. Neon Diyas marks his 51st DJ night, and we couldn’t be happier for him. Congratulations, DJ Bat!
🎨 Decor and Interactive Art — Designed with the Community
Behind the visual magic of Neon Diyas are Neelima and Mounisha. They have been designing the interior decor, DJ stage setup, and photo-op area. Their creativity doesn’t stop there.
They are also building the Interactive Diya Art Installation, a community mural that grows as the night unfolds. Guests can paint a paper diya with glow-in-the-dark colors and place it on a larger canvas. Each diya represents an individual’s light. As more people contribute, the mural will transform into a glowing symbol of unity.
A special thank you to Shruthi from Artfully Nimble, who printed and precisely cut around ninety diyas in a single day, allowing this interactive experience to come to life.
💻 The Digital Experience — Where Technology Meets Celebration
On the tech side, Nirmal, Ann, and Gautham have been hard at work creating a digital experience that connects art, audience, and technology.
- Ann has used her Unity expertise to create a custom audio-reactive visualizer where digital diya flames move in sync with the music.
- Gautham designed the UX and developed the web interface, integrated with Lottie animations for smooth, visually rich interactivity.
- Nirmal, our tech lead, has tied everything together using WordPress, PHP, and caching systems to ensure a seamless flow between devices and the main display.
Guests will be able to scan a QR code, choose a digital firework, give it a three-letter name, and launch it onto the big screen behind the DJs. It’s experimental, playful, and designed entirely by the community.
❤️ Volunteers, Sponsors, and Friends — The Heart Behind the Scenes
The heart of Neon Diyas lies in the people who stepped up simply because they cared, even without us asking.
- Janhvi generously gifted us posters and banner prints out of pure love.
- Hrishi Sha (@heartistic_soul) and Bhavana (Producer, Jeevi Films) are volunteering to photograph and film the event to document this journey.
- Esh will help with guest check-in and coordination.
- Madhu Bangalore and Swetha Subramanian continue to step in wherever support is needed.
- V. Kishore Goli and Abdul Gafoor agreed immediately to sponsor the event when Neelima reached out.
- Many friends across the community have shared our reels, sent messages, and encouraged others to attend. Those small acts made a big difference in spreading the word.
- Beyond everything else, we want to recognize SAATH as the space that inspired this journey and connected us with incredible people who made it possible.
🌟 What This Night Represents
Neon Diyas is already a success in one important way. It has brought together designers, technologists, artists, DJs, and countless volunteers to co-create something new.
The interactive art and digital experience are the result of the community’s collective imagination. Whether everything works perfectly or not, this project is a beautiful example of what happens when we try, learn, and create together.
At Tham Collective, we will always look forward to dreaming and building alongside our community.
Together we soar.
(It was originally “United we soar,” until Janhvi pointed out that it sounded like an airline slogan. Feedback heard and appreciated!)