On Sunday, February 22, 2026, hundreds of families came to Irvington for Indopak’s annual Dil Se, the Bay Area’s biggest high school South Asian showcase. Complete with dances from over 20 schools, the highly anticipated fashion show, and two vocal performances, each performance brought its own flavor to Valhalla’s stage, filling the auditorium with cheering and applause. And, in true Dil Se fashion, the audience packed the seats early in order to get the best seats to Irvington’s most anticipated event.
With an estimated 44 hours of auditions and over 50 different teams auditioning, with only 23 making the final lineup, it’s easy to say that the entire selection process was rough. Mr. Ballado, the advisor, said that one of the most difficult parts of coordinating Dil Se was having to cut half the teams. The sheer volume of talent makes the entire process highly competitive, but it also goes to show how important Dil Se has become across the Bay Area.
The emcees this year were Nandini Bhatter (12), Michelle Nguyen (12), Poorv Patil (12), and Rachit Parmar (12), who were lively from the start. Each act was introduced with lighthearted, intentionally corny jokes, which kept the transitions seamless and the audience laughing. In between performances, they kept the crowd engaged with interactive games. The first featured teams of two competing in a naming challenge, while the second was a trivia round—complete with the emcees conga-lining their way to the contestant. Throughout the night, their playful banter truly kept the night moving.
This year was a year full of experimentation for the Dil Se staff! To start, ASG introduced a new ticket payment and transferring system to Irvington clubs called Omella. With Omella’s predecessor, 5-star, being heavily criticized, ASG and Mr. Willer made sure to help Irvington clubs ease into the new system. Dil Se co-president Istasha Paul (12) described the change as having a difficult learning curve, but noted that ASG and Mr. Willer were very supportive. She went on remarking on how “the founders of Omella even reached out to [them], and [they] were able to work with them to make sure everything was going smoothly.” While there were a few glitches, the officers ultimately described the system as successful.
Additionally, Indopak started a new VIP ticketing system, which offered more streamlined access to the theater and a chance at better seating. Paul (12) considered the new system “really successful,” though she acknowledged there were still some difficulties with seating. “People are really greedy about the kinds of seats that they want to sit in,” she said, noting how parents were frustrated about reserved VIP sections. On a happier note, this year marked Dil Se’s personal record for ticketing sales, with both shows selling out within five minutes of release! “I was really happy,” Paul said. “It hasn’t hit me yet.”
In addition to ticket changes, Dil Se began selling official merchandise for the event, showcasing a design of a tiger drawn by Dil Se co-president Shreen Mahanty (12). However, even after lowering prices, volunteer Allison Young (12) mentioned that people still chose not to purchase anything.
There wouldn’t be any Dil Se without Irvington’s tech crew helping with behind-the-scenes (BTS), communicating with the performers, and coordinating the performances with lighting cues, music transitions, and overall technical functionality throughout the show. Tech Lead Sahil Shah (11) explained that timing and manual cues were the hardest part of the night. “Every time we need a cue, we have to click it manually; it’s not automatically done,” he said. This year, the team implemented a multimedia MacOS software program called QLab to assist them with lighting and sound cues. Although audience members noted a few lighting and music cue errors during the day show, by the night performance, all the transitions ran smoothly.
Finally, we can’t talk about Dil Se without mentioning all the wonderful acts that made up the program. From Irvington, Soor, Nishka Kumar, Bhangra Crew, Natya, and Sitaare performed. Soor captivated the audience in red and white lehengas with captivating choreography. In contrast, Nishka Kumar delivered a solo performance of “Ghar More Pardesiya,” showcasing phenomenal vocal control. Bringing the energy back up, Natya impressed everyone with their impressive storytelling, while IBC stood out in white shararas, their high-energy performance bringing the theatre to life.
It’s no surprise that each team did well; they practiced for hours upon hours. Natya Captain Shradha Kesari (12) shared that in the week leading up to Dil Se alone, her team practiced 28 hours. Similarly, Sitaare Captain Rheana Puliyanda (12) noted that her team rehearsed 10-12 hours weekly and began preparing in October due to the length of their performance. As the performance date got closer, dancers across the teams emphasized just how demanding rehearsals became.
While Irvington’s performances were on top of their game, the other schools’ acts didn’t fall short. Dublin’s act became an audience favorite, with its trendy music choices and explosive stage presence. Mission San Jose also drew on equally strong reactions from the crowd.
Dil Se ended on a high note with a 20-minute performance by Irvington’s own Sitaare, which drew on the 2015 film “Dil Dhadakne Do.” The movie follows the emotionally dysfunctional Mehra family on a cruise for their 50th wedding anniversary. Sitaare really brought the plot to life through a series of amazing performances to songs from the movie, each highlighting a different relationship. The act built steadily into a beautiful climax where everything resolved itself, ending the show with an explosive performance.
Overall, Indopak foresees the future successes within Dil Se and plans to participate in other performance showcases at other schools.
