By Cinara Marquis
SUNY Plattsburgh’s Desi Club welcomes all to experience a fascinating traditional South Asian wedding in their Mock Shaadi event.
Arshita Pandey, vice president of Desi Club wrote over email, “‘Shaadi’ means a wedding in Hindi. Mock Shaadi is essentially a mock wedding event.” Filled with joy, food, dance and games, Mock Shaadi shares South Asian cultural traditions with the students at SUNY Plattsburgh.
Desi Club’s President Saanvi Moryani explained, “Mock Shaadi is a lighthearted and playful event that simulates a South Asian wedding. It’s not a real wedding but rather a festive and entertaining experience that allows participants to enjoy the traditions and celebrations associated with South Asian weddings.”
The grand event brings people together to celebrate the beauty of South Asian culture.
“A South Asian wedding has a lot of rituals and traditions that need to be followed before the wedding,” said Desi Club Treasurer Ankita Mane. “But the main constant in all this is dance. There will be a dance at the end. We are going to incorporate these events all in three hours and give you the actual essence of a South Asian wedding.”
The Desi Club will be showcasing the cultural traditions of weddings in South Asia.
Pandey wrote over email, “Mock Shaadis are significant events as it gives us a way to introduce our beautiful cultures to the world through the powerful language of love.”
Incorporating different traditions from across the diaspora the Mock Shaadi fosters connections between Desi Club and SUNY Plattsburgh’s campus.
Moryani added: “They help in building a strong sense of community, bringing people together to celebrate their cultural heritage. Mock Shaadis are important because they provide an opportunity to educate and create awareness about South Asian cultural traditions in a fun and engaging way.”
The Desi Club is composed of mostly international students.
Pandey explained, “Coming together as a community has helped us become comfortable in a new environment and preserve our different cultures and religions.”
The college transition is rough for many students, but being a transfer student only makes adjusting harder. Maintaining and honoring one’s culture in an unfamiliar environment is complicated, but Desi Club allows its members to have a home away from home where they can embrace their culture together.
Desi Club dedicates itself to celebrating the beauty of South Asian cultures. The group represents the countries of Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Bhutan and Maldives as well as the diaspora around the world.
Pandey wrote that “Desi Club believes in the power of young South Asians being able to tell our authentic stories to the world. What we also want to do for a change is to shed a light on queer Brown voices as we haven’t seen something like that a lot before, which is what we wish to do through Mock Shaadi.”
If you are wondering what to wear, Mane recommends traditional attire, but if you can’t, don’t stress as coming in your best attire is always welcomed.
Pandey said, “Everyone is welcome to Mock Shaadi! Our goals are based on the principles of inclusion and representation. We want everyone to be introduced to a beautiful aspect of our culture through the universal language of love.”
Mock Shaadi will be held Nov. 10 in the Warren Ballrooms in the Angell College Center from 6:30 to 10 p.m. There will be delicious food, incredible dance performances and other traditions.
Tickets are sold at the ACC information desk, $5 for students and $7 for non-students.
