Campus Connection

Media Credit: Doug Linn [Click to enlarge]

The Indian Association hosted its annual Holi celebration on Friday, March 28 in the MSTF atrium. The event is traditionally celebrated at the end of February or the beginning of March on the day of a full moon. While the event has roots in the Hindu religion, it has long been celebrated by all of India and wherever Indians are found across the world to welcome the spring season.

The Indian Association at the University of Maryland has been hosting this event, along with the fall celebration of Diwali, for more than a decade. According to Law school student Rashi Jawade, secretary of the Indian Association and one of the event’s organizers this year, the purpose of the celebration is three-fold. The first, and perhaps the most important, is cultural awareness.

Rana Rais, a graduate student in the School of Pharmacy brings her 3-year old son to the association’s events to expose him to their culture, despite the distance from their home. She said, “I’m hoping he learns something.” Both she and her son enjoyed the musical performances of the evening, agreeing that the best part of the event is, “The Indian songs. We love them.”

Jessie O’Kane, president of USGA which cosponsored the event, noted, ”It’s so nice to able to get some information about the culture. It really brings together family and friends.”

Jawade pointed out that another purpose of the event was to be a social that brings people together, as well as a networking opportunity.

This year’s event did boast one surprising change: a new caterer. For the past five years, Mehek, an Indian restaurant in Fell’s Point had catered all of the association’s events. This year, however, members of the executive board made the decision to switch caterers in order to provide attendees with something different. Memsahib, a restaurant located just blocks from the university in Lexington Market was selected for its convenience and competitive pricing.

In addition to the food, the event included several vocal performances and traditional Indian dances. Interspersed in the planned events were several entertaining impromptu performances by young attendees.

Indian music was played over the course of the evening whenever performances were not taking place. Vivek Dave, a graduate student in the School of Pharmacy, has been the deejay of association events for the past two years. Most of the music played during the evening was modern Indian music, much of it with ‘Western influences”, and according to Dave, “Ninety-nine percent of [the music] is from Bollywood movies.”

The event had a successful turnout this year, selling more than one hundred tickets prior to the event and at least as many at the door. O’Kane commented about the crowd, “This event is almost always successful. I think it has a multi-faceted draw.”

Dave summed up the general sentiment of the event by saying, “I like to see people come here and get together, and they’re all happy.”

Article Tools