MSU’s Indian Student Association hosted Maroon Vibes II on Saturday, a cultural event that brought students from several backgrounds together to explore Indian culture through a dinner, competitions and a DJ party.A dinner of authentic Indian cuisine was served on the Drill Field, followed by intercollegiate competitions in the Lee Hall Auditorium. The competitions included singing, dancing, fashion and instrumental music.
Ambarish Acharya, ISA secretary, said Maroon Vibes is one event that furthers the goals of the organization.
“One of the goals of the Indian Student Association is to host functions for people to get to know India and to understand Indian culture,” Acharya said. “So, we hosted an event with different kinds of dances, songs and food in order for people to really experience Indian culture.”
Hetal Patel, the ISA’s public relations officer, said the organization was excited to host the event.
“Last year we had four universities come,” she said. “This night is basically a competition in Indian Culture with dance, instruments and a fashion show, just basically displaying Indian Culture.”
Patel said she was excited about the participation of other universities in this year’s event.
“This year is the second installment of Maroon Vibes, and we actually had five universities come including Mississippi State,” she said.
The participating colleges included Jackson State, Millsaps College, the Mississippi University for Women and the University of Southern Mississippi, Patel said.
“We really want to start a chain, since we’ve hosted these past two years,” she said. “We hope that the other universities will pick it up and host their own versions of Maroon Vibes.”
Pooja Kothari, a performer in the show and ISA member, said the event was basically a showcase of Indian culture.
“We’re just trying to get other colleges to come and compete so people at Mississippi State can see parts of India displayed in a fun and exciting way,” she said.
Kothari said the night was a great way to bring students together.
“It just brings the Indian community closer,” she said. “It’s a chance to see what the other Indian organizations are doing while allowing Mississippi State students to see what our Indian culture can have to offer.”
Kothari said her involvement in the dance competition showed how two cultures can be mixed to create one great idea.
“We did a dance called a Bali fusion dance,” Kothari said. “It was a mix of Western and Indian influences. We performed for about six minutes. We incorporated both American and Indian influences to create one great number.”
Patel said the dance party was a great way to end the night.
“It’s basically just a DJ party where people can come out and just have fun while still experiencing a variety of cultures,” she said.