Discovery Counseling Center’s Dandiya Night festivities, held on Oct. 12 in the DVHS Main Gym, combined a vibrant celebration of South Asian culture with advocating for self-care and mental health.
The event, called Discovery Dandiya Night, was primarily organized by Discovery Counseling Center, a local organization providing mental health services to the San Ramon Valley. They have a clinic in Danville and an office in San Ramon. The organization provides every SRVUSD school with counselors who can give clinical support to 400 students a year through the School Counseling Intervention Program (SCIP). They are sponsored by companies such as Sutter Health and Chevron, as well as receive monthly donations from their partner and Danville-based retail thrift store, Thrift Station.
The celebration itself was part of the festivities of Navratri, an annual Hindu festival in honor of the divine feminine. Discovery Dandiya Night featured Garba and Dandiya Raas dancing, as well as vocal accompaniment by live singers on a stage adorned with flowers, lights, and vibrant cloth at the front of the gym. Participants wearing traditional attire such as saris, lehengas and salwars danced around the gym and posed for pictures at the photo booth. Outside, Hint of Desi and Ampuli food trucks offered Indian cuisine, whereas another truck provided Italian ice desserts from More Liife Ice.
At around 8 p.m., the Garba portion of the night concluded. Then, raffle winners were announced by Sumita Bhandari, the Executive Director of Discovery Counseling Center, with prizes such as gift cards and a stay in Cancun. Afterward, representatives from the Indian 4 a Change club at DVHS, who partnered with Discovery Counseling Center in hosting the event, thanked attendees for coming and making an impact in the community through fundraising for mental health services.
After a brief interlude, the festivities resumed for the final portion of the event: Dandiya Raas dancing. This featured the singers again, as well as the sound of colorful Dandiya sticks striking against each other in rhythm.
Beyond the traditional festivities, the event was meant to fundraise for Discovery Counseling Center’s mental health services and emphasize the importance of taking care of one’s mental health, with the staff onstage even giving a brief announcement encouraging attendees to treasure their mental health at around 7 p.m.
“We have to do sometimes some intentional outreach and that’s kind of what this [event] is, to break down stigmas that people might have against seeking mental health support and bringing it out into this atmosphere full of joy, family, and togetherness,” Bhandari explained.
She further expressed enthusiasm at how the community has embraced this event. She recalled that in 2023, the inaugural year of Discovery Dandiya Night, the event sold out at 550 tickets and that this year the event sold out at over 750 tickets. She also noted that the festivities were made possible through the efforts of parent volunteers in the community, as well as DVHS student volunteers from the Indian 4 a Change and CSF clubs.
“We want to make this a fun evening for everybody and slowly build comfort with Discovery services. They may not be struggling now, but they may remember us in the future when either they or their family or somebody else in their neighborhood may need services. We want them to keep us in mind. We want to be there for everybody,” Bhandari added.
