Though dreading the onset of Saturday classes the following day, many Phillips Academy students appreciated the free periods they received as compensation last Friday. The beautiful, sunny weather made it a perfect day for an outdoor event, and the on-campus club Indo-Pak filled this ideal time slot with an entertaining spring festival, which took place on Samuel Phillips Lawn. Comically emceed by Arun Saigal ’09 and Faiyad Ahmad ’10, the event was well-attended, and for good reason. Members of Indo-Pak, decked out in traditional Indian dress, greeted those arriving with dancing, singing, great food and henna tattoos from the Indian/Pakistani culture. The show started off with Saigal and Ahmad, outfitted with Indian accents, introducing approximately ten Indo-Pak members who performed a dance called Garba, a style of dance from Northwest India in which dancers use sticks to enhance their rhythms. Next, Farah Dahya ’08 performed an Arabian Waltz. Indo-Pak members also performed bharatanatyam, a style of dance from Southern India, the Bollywood Dance and Bhangra, an energetic dance that originated as a folk dance but quickly became an international hit. Afterwards, Indo-Pak dancers taught members of the audience how to dance. Dahya said, “I definitely think we helped people learn more about the Indian subcontinent’s rich culture… When people think of Indian popular culture, the glitzy, upbeat Bollywood movies come to mind. However, while we did have that in our show, we did try to incorporate more traditional and regional dances.” Throughout the festival, Indo-Pak members also sold Indian food from Bollywood Grill, including favorites such as pakora and samosas. Their T-shirts disappeared just as quickly as the food. Ram Narayan ’10 said, “I feel like the festival helped raise awareness about our culture, which is great because Indian culture is the best culture! Also, we looked fly in our clothes [traditional Indian dress].” Narayan added that he was pleased with the event’s outcome as well as the number of people who came to see it. He modestly attributed the festival’s success to the ideal location and time slot, but those who went didn’t seem to just be looking for a good place to tan. Dahya said, “Indo-Pak has never had an event in spring term other than the Asian Arts Festival. We played around with the idea of having a dance show in Kemper or Steinbach but decided to have it outdoors and celebrate the great weather. After that, everything just fell into place–we decided to have food, T-shirts and henna tattoos.” Isabella Uria ’10 said, “The festival is great, especially in such beautiful weather! Indo-Pak has done a fantastic job with the entertainment as well as the food and henna tattoos. I would definitely come next year.” The attendees sprawled out in the sun on the Sam Phil Lawn were enjoying the entertainment as well as the weather on this perfect Friday afternoon. We can only hope that Indo-Pak continues this festival as a tradition on beautiful spring afternoons in years to come.
