On Friday, September 26th, hundreds of UT students decided to give Sixth Street the boot and hang out at the South Mall instead.

What could give Sixth Street that kind of competition you ask? Apparently, music, Indian folk-dances, hundreds of people in ethnic garb, and good food.

The Hindu Students Council (HSC) organizes an annual event on campus, called Navratri, a nine-day festival which honors Parvati, Lakshmi, and Saraswati, the three main Hindu female goddesses ¹. People from the state of Gujrat, in western India, celebrate the festival with their characteristic dance forms, called Garba, Dandiya and Raas, in which people dance in groups, with or without sticks, in spontaneously choreographed movements. The dance forms have become very popular amongst Indians, as well as non-Indians, as indicated by the extremely diverse turn out at the South Mall.

HSC starts fundraising for Navratri at the beginning of the summer. The event is free to all UT students and their families, so a lot of effort is put into advertising and organization. Over the last few years, the event has become just as popular among non-Indian students as it is among those of Indian origin. One of the HSC officers commented on how the organizing group often struggled between making it authentic for the Indian population and selling it to the others.

The event started at 8pm with some Garba lessons for those who needed them, and was followed by an aarti, a ritual which worshipped the deities, and was accompanied with a devotional song. Dandiya sticks were distributed, and people were dancing within minutes of the music starting. The folk music was replaced by bhangra music around 11pm, and continued till midnight. Indian food was catered by Madras Pavilion, a renowned restaurant in Austin, and the word of mouth was that they delivered, as always.

I have attended three other Navratri celebrations at UT in the past, and therefore, as a UT-Navratri veteran, can testify that the celebration this year paled in comparison to others.

So what went wrong? Interestingly, in my opinion, the music at the event was too authentic.

Consider an example. If you’re cooking an authentic Mexican dish for a very non-Mexican party, especially one that was born and raised in Texas, you’d probably have better luck as a host if you leaned towards Tex-Mex food rather than completely original Mexican food that nobody has ever tasted and will therefore not necessarily enjoy. Don’t get me wrong - I am not saying that one shouldn’t be proud of one’s culture or should change one’s ways depending on others’ tastes or preferences, but when there is a fusion of cultures, change is inevitable.

The folk music was probably fit for a proper Garba dance; however, the fact remains that the crowd was far from being a professional and seasoned gathering. After a while, the music just seemed repetitive. In previous years, a lot of upbeat Bollywood music, which most people are familiar with, was thrown in between the folk songs, making the dancing experience more enjoyable. Starting the Bhangra music afterwards helped, but the pop music should have started sooner. Most people at the gathering admitted that the Bhangra was the most enjoyable part of the evening.

My argument is that the whole event had the potential of being much better. I commend HSC for successfully organizing a superb event every year, and attracting a huge student body and acquainting them with Indian culture. However, as communication professors often tell us, one of the fundamental rules of life is to analyze one’s audience and act accordingly.

Regardless, I will add that the music didn’t stop me from dancing for 2 hours straight - and even 3 days later, I’m limping from the exertion.

References:
¹ http://www.geocities.com/athens/7830/navratri.htm

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