JOIN USA bridge to the North-East
The campus of School of Graduate Studies, Jain University, wore a new look recently as the North-Eastern students celebrated their cultural extravaganza Ouero.
The campus was decorated with colourful flags and other banners to uphold the culture and tradition of the North-Eastern part of the country – the seven sisters and a brother. Nearly 50 North-Eastern students, who are studying in the college, took an active part in organising the fest as well as entertaining the audience with their colourful cultural performances.
The event was conducted to foster the spirit of unity and to bridge the gap between the North-Eastern students, and those from the rest of the country.
The motive behind the event was to create awareness about their culture, lifestyle, beliefs and traditions and to inculcate the spirit of reverence and respect towards diverse cultures.
Ouero created an arena for North-Eastern students to come together and to showcase their rich cultural heritage to their friends from other states and to acknowledge the feeling of oneness of being an Indian. The event began with an invocation prayer by Buddhist monks from the Mahabodi Society. H T Sangliana, the vice chairperson of the National Minorities Commission, graced the occasion and congratulated the students for organising such a vibrant show.
The much-awaited cultural show began with a Naga dance. Two girls danced gracefully to a folk song sung by fellow students. The bright costumes,representative of the culture of Nagaland, impressed all.
Next up was a band performance by Pempa, a student, and the group. When they presented a Nepali song, the whole crowd cheered the band members, asking for more.
Later, the artistes performed a lively Assamese dance which enthralled the audience. Three boys and three girls presented a beautiful folk dance which is usually performed during Bihu to welcome the new year.
The graceful body movements and captivating smiles stole the hearts of the gathering who couldn’t stop clapping till the end of the performance. The cultural show came to an end with an instrumental recitation of a chant.
Pempa, who hails from Sikkim, said, “During our stay in the City, we learnt that people here are not very aware of the North-Eastern part of the country.
They used to mistake us for Chinese or as any other South Asian countrymen because of our looks and way of living. We decided to organise this fest so that people can know more about the North-Eastern states and accept us as Indians, not foreigners.”