Club members say their opening social was an opportunity for students to learn more about their culture through playing childhood games
The quick drumbeats and Hindi lyrics of “The Wakhra Song” blared out of a portable speaker on May 27 into the Turf Field, where India Club members mingled with attendees, introducing them to their childhood games.
One of these games called “seven stones” consisted of one person stacking seven smooth, round rocks while the other team tried to knock it over with a ball. Once they knocked it over, the first team had to rebuild the stack before time was up.
Saran Sekar, a freshman from India majoring in hospitality and tourism management, said, “I think the importance of India Club being here is we can share our culture first and then we can show who we are.” As he stacked the stones, he said some people did not know much about India, other than the fact it was a country on a map, and the activity was a chance to clear away any misconceptions. “When I came here, I remember having people telling me India is [just] animals and forest.” He explained how many people he met viewed India as having a single culture, despite the fact it is now the most populous country in the world, with an estimated 1.4 billion people.
“I think the people from other regions, they’re going to learn our culture and they’re going to learn our local games… These games are played only in the streets… I think when we teach them and show them the games, they’ll teach them to some other people,” he said, emphasizing the positive effects India Club events can have on the student body.
Surya Sundar, a freshman from India, majoring in information technology, said the main goal of the activity was to help people get to know each other. “We can’t meet every day like this,” he said. “Just like once in a while...[so] we get to know each other more.”
With the semester being halfway over, Sundar said the night of games was an opportunity for students to de–stress. Sundar also said he was proud to be part of India Club and delighted by the opportunity to share his childhood games with others.
Aaron James, the club’s vice president and a freshman from India majoring in information technology, said, “We just wanted to bring everyone together through those games, because that’s what united us with our friends when we were young. So it’s amazing to see all of these people playing these wonderful games today.” Besides seven stones, two other Indian games, kho kho, a type of tag, and gully cricket were played as well.
Despite the Spring 2023 Semester being busy, James said, “It’s amazing to see that all these people are sparing time from their busy schedule and coming here, gathering to have a good time.”
He finished by saying “As India Club, we love everyone. We invite everyone. We love our culture, and we are ready to share it with everyone to bring people together, to bring that smile on people’s faces.”