MU Indian Student Association brings first ever India Day to campus
More stories from Michael Brown
Students in attendence at the event were adorned with a Bindi, the sacred red symbol Indians wear on the head for spiritual reasons.
Marshall University’s Indian Student Association hosted its first India Day Tuesday on the Memorial Student Center plaza.
India is a vast South Asian country with extreme diversity. Besides Hindi, which is, the dominant language spoken in India, there are over 10 other languages spoken, over 30 different festivals and many different religions.
The presence of Indian students at Marshall has double, if not tripled, within the past year. The students from the organization hosted India Day to share their culture with Americans as well as other International Students.
“We want to make our country and culture known to people of many different backgrounds and cultures,” said Gouthami Kothakapu, graduate student and member of the Indian Student Association. “This way they see our culture to be prosperous. We have a lot to share from our different languages, festivals, gods and religions.”
“I came today because I wanted to see the unique tradition of India and their different culture,” said Matthew White, senior physical therapy major. “It’s something that I am not used to. Everyone is unique in his or her own way and respectably this culture seems pretty amazing. Its nice to see people come out and open their eyes and see the newness and the brightness that different cultures are able to provide to them.”
During the event, there was a chance for people in attendance to try on traditional Indian clothes, sample foods and have a chance to have their American name translated into an Indian Language. If in attendance, people were also given the chance to be given a Bindi, which is the sacred red symbol Indians wear on the head for spiritual reasons.
“I was personally invited today by my conversation partner that I met through the INTO program. We have been teaching each other about our different cultures,” said Isabella McMillion, chemistry major. “I’m really looking forward to being able to taste the Indian food today.”
Representatives from the Indian Student Association hope to bring people from different cultures to get involved with their association, giving them the chance to share cultures and traditions.
Michael Brown can be contacted at [email protected].
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