Desi Night, an event hosted in the cafeteria on March 17th, sold over 200 tickets to both MHS students and students from nearby schools, said co-event planner and senior Saachi Grover.
The theme of the event revolved around Indian culture, music, and food, Grover said. The high Indian population at MHS was a factor in the creation of the event, she added.
Grover, alongside co-event planner and senior Siya Arora, wanted to bring the characteristics of Indian culture to the many other cultures that exist at MHS, she said.
The goal of Desi Night was to create a sense of belonging for both Indian students and those of other cultures, Grover said.
“We could see social interactions happening to different people from different schools,” Arora said. “There were people getting to know each other.”
The music selection for the event was based on music from all across India, Arora said. Selections included “Kala Chashma” by Amar Ashi, “Naatu Naatu” by Kaala Bhairava and Rahul Sipligunj, and “Chammak Challo” by Akon and Hamsika Iyer, she said.
“I feel sometimes Indians get generalized as a very specific part,” Grover said. “I feel people outside of our culture don’t really realize that there’s so many sub-parts of it, so we tried to bring all of those parts together when it came to our music so everyone felt included.”
The music selection for Desi Night was interesting because there were songs from languages he wasn’t familiar with, senior Alex Xavier said. His favorite part of the event included the mosh pit where people were clustered and all dancing together to the songs, he said.
“There were a lot of people I didn’t know that were there, so I just met random people and danced with them, ” Xavier said. “I think that was pretty cool.”
In addition, special Indian-themed decorations and snacks, such as pakora and chakli, were present at the event, Arora said. Pakora is a kind of savory Indian fritter and chakli is a spiral deep-fried snack.
“We also had plastic beaded necklaces along with glow sticks,” Grover said. “Everyone had fun matching it to their Indian clothing and they thought that was cool.”
The glittery decorations and live music were similar to past MHS events, such as Homecoming. The cafeteria looked completely transformed — tables and chairs were set up along the back, a loudspeaker was playing music, and snacks were being served by the tables. Many attendees, South Asian and non-South Asian alike, wore traditional dress such as kurtas (long loose shirts) and sarees (dresses).
“The goal of their event was to just spread the culture, and teach people the things that they might have not known,” Xavier said. “I think that was cool.”