Students from Sydney University’s Indian, Pakistani and Tamil societies come together to host the inaugural Desi bash! VAISHNAVI SOTHIRAJAH reports
Who can resist a good Desi party?
A collaborative effort between the South Asian societies on campus to bring together students of the South Asian community three student societies at the University of Sydney recently held our inaugural Desi Bash.
An effort to acknowledge the diversity in culture that makes us each unique while simultaneously celebrating that which makes us one – being Desi – Sydney University’s Ekansh Indian Cultural Society (Ekansh), Pakistani Culture Appreciation Society (PakSoc) and the Tamil Society (SUTS) worked together to put on a fabulous party.
It was clear that the passion and enthusiasm was not just felt by the executives, but by all desi students on campus. There are very few instances where we get to let loose in true desi-style here in Sydney, and the energy on the dance floor was electric and contagious. Be it Bollywood’s Chikni Chameli or Pakistani’s Desi Thumka or Tamil’s Appadi Podu, everyone was on the floor with equally fanatical dance moves, regardless of language, regardless of borders.
But of course, with three passionate societies, there has to be some healthy competition right? And what better way to compete than a dance off! Dancing to Kajra Re, the executives of all three societies gathered to show off their dance moves on the floor. Competition truly was tough, and all three societies were equally declared winners!
With more than 250 students and guests attending, Manning Bar that Wednesday night successfully transformed into a Desi club.
When the idea for a collaborative event first came up among our three societies, there was a palpable level of enthusiasm. To our memory, a desi party has never been held at our university campus. And to our memory, neither has a collaboration between three South Asian societies of three different countries been held at our university campus. This, indeed, was a milestone to celebrate.
From printing tickets, to designing posters, to setting up stalls to promote our event, every aspect of the organisation was shared equally between the three societies. It was touching to see the effort and the level of passion that the executives put into this event. Going beyond borders and coming together to celebrate that which makes us one was the core reason for coming together and jointly hosting the event.
A huge thank you to our photographers for the night, Karmatography and Ravyna J Photography for their beautiful pictures as well as to the DJ Ammar for his wonderful work. With the event and attendance exceeding our expectations, our goal now is to deliver bigger and better events and for more collaborations between our societies in the future. And of course, Desi Bash will be back next year!
Vaishnavi Sothirajah, President, Sydney University Ekansh Indian Cultural Society, reporting on behalf of Sydney University’s Ekansh, Pakistani Culture Appreciation Society (PakSoc) and Tamil Society (SUTS)