BY DISHA DHINGRA
On March 3, Asian American Club hosted their second annual Mock Shaadi, an event that mimics what a South Asian wedding would look like.
The Asian American Club organized this event because they “wanted a unique way to celebrate South Asian culture,” said Riya Savalia, co-president of the Asian American Club. The Mock Shaadi enabled people to learn more about South Asia’s cultural clothing, foods, music, and cultural dances.
Since many different countries with different cultures make up Asia, this event created an effective way to incorporate all the cultures into one event, as well as teach people about them. “It was difficult to include all the cultures to make everyone feel equally represented,” Savalia said. “So, we thought, ‘What better way to enjoy a moment like one big family than a cultural wedding?’”
The event began with the students getting to taste the cultural food. “We started off the night by enjoying a variety of South Asian cuisine including dishes like samosas, biryani, chaat, and more.” said Ashley Chan, co-president of the Asian American Club.
A few Old Bridge restaurants sponsored this event, which helped with the menu. For more variety, students also volunteered to bring in some more food. “I loved the food! I don’t eat Indian food often, so it was really nice trying out new things,” said Phoenix Boba.
Students signed up to perform dances during the event and spent their time after school practicing for their performance, which ended up being most students’ favorite part of the event. “It was exciting to see the diverse cultural dances and listen to the songs,” said Maria Petrova. “I had a great time watching and learning more about South Asian culture.”
Board members put a lot of hard work and dedication into this event, and since so many people attended the Mock Shaadi, it paid off. “I think it was really great so many people attended because we had all hands on deck for this event,” said Priya Rana. “So many people contributed to the decorations.”
Students and volunteers spent time after school decorating the cafeteria to prepare for the Mock Shaadi. “We had our Decoration Committee collecting donations of cultural decorations, and we created some of our own stuff as well,” Savalia said.
The Mock Shaadi also included an online ballot to crown a King and Queen. Students had to scan the QR code to nominate their fellow students. After all the votes had been tallied, Riya Savalia and Pujan Desai were crowned the Queen and King at the end of the night.
Posted on 3/13/23
Photos by Lors Photography
Knight Life 