The Indian Student Association (ISA) at Illinois State University will host its inaugural Indian Cultural Festival in partnership with Heartland Community College Monday through Saturday.
The festival will include activities like henna tattoo application, quilt art demonstration, meditation classes, painting workshop, dance performances, cricket performances, Holi celebration and more.
Deshikha Sharma, associate professor from Manipal University, and Fulbright scholar Preeti Samyukta will be the keynote speakers.
Both speakers will educate attendees about India's long history in fine arts.
Akshay Puar, president of ISA, said the event was started as a way to celebrate the diversity of Indian culture.
“Both groups were very excited to collaborate on this project as an opportunity to celebrate Indian culture on both campuses,” Puar said. “Also to bring more awareness about the diversity of culture everywhere.”
Puar said the event will provide Indian students with an outlet to exchange ideas about their motherland.
“Some students will also be willing to share their experience of returning home, what their lifestyle was like and where they grew up,” Puar said. “This would help bridge the gap in how different things are in their home country compared to how different things are for people living in the United States.”
Marketing Head Akshay Taylor said that each day of the event is based on Indian culture.
“Everything that happens – like Holi – everything that happens in one day happens in India,” Taylor said. “The food that will be served on different days is specific to what we will serve on that particular day.”
The diversity and unity of India will be on full display in this festival. Khayat stressed that students from all cultural backgrounds are welcome and encouraged to attend.
“We want to make it clear that we want local students to come,” Taylor said. “That's why we're bringing this culture here. It's for people coming from India to enjoy aspects of their home country, but also for local students to come and learn.”
The last major event hosted by ISA was Bollywood Night in February. It was a huge success for the organization due to its higher than expected turnout.
Puar hopes the week-long festival will produce similar results, and depending on the turnout, he wants to build on the event in the coming years.
“Not everyone gets the opportunity to go to different countries,” Puar said. “But we can bring certain parts of the culture here.”
Evan Craig He is a news and features reporter. Blair can be reached at ercraig@ilstu.edu.
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