JOIN USMost colleges in Bangalore are known to have a thriving international student community, and Acharya Institute of Graduate Studies is no different. Around 120 students of the college came together recently, to celebrate this fact by organising a Sri Lankan Day, which they called Ayubowan — meaning namaste.
The students put in a lot of effort to conduct the entire event in a traditional fashion. In fact, they even greeted the dignitaries with betel leaves, as per the custom. A number of stalls were put up, through which the students showcased the culture, food and traditions of Sri Lanka. These stalls displayed a variety of interesting facets of the country, like its political system, tourism, art, industries and even the ancient medicines which were used there.
Along with this, they put up a poster exhibition, which once again was very informative, and screened a short documentary on the current developments of the country.
All the Sri Lankan students of the college turned up dressed in their traditional attire, and presented quite a colourful picture. They also put a traditional song-and-dance sequence, which is called Kandian dance.
Taring, a commerce student from Sri Lanka, was rather pleased with the whole set up.
“This is a great opportunity for all the Sri Lankan students of the college to showcase our culture and tradition,” he said, adding, “it also helps us to spread the message of oneness.”
Vijay Shankar, a communications student, was intrigued by the display of culture and tradition that he got a glimpse of at the fest. “It’s great to see all the Sri Lankan students in their traditional dresses. I enjoyed the dance and poster exhibition as well,” he expressed.
The programme concluded with the Sri Lankan national anthem as well as the Indian national anthem. After this, a great feast of traditional Sri Lankan cuisine was served to the students and faculty members.