SIS hosts UTSAV to celebrate South Asian culture
■ Guests enjoyed food, music,
dancing, fashion and displays,
exposing them to a wide array of
cultural traditions and customs
By Diane Huber
Oregon Daily Emerald
Members of Students of the In
dian Subcontinent (SIS) prepared
enough food at Sunday night’s
fourth annual UTSAV to feed its
more than 400 guests. The menu
included traditional Indian and
Pakistani food, including a spicy
pea and potato dish called aloo
matter and naan, a traditional In
dian bread.
The EMU’s skylight and ball
room were packed full of students,
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community members and families,
many traveling from as far as Port
land. The faces in the room repre
sented ethnicities from all over the
world. Some said they came to
learn more about Indian culture;
others came to reconnect with their
own Indian and South Asian cul
tures in Eugene.
Behind the scenes, this year’s
UTSAV — which means “celebra
tion” in Hindi — was also more di
verse than ever. One organizer, Ram
Ganapathy, said that in its fourth
year, UTSAV is no longer a celebra
tion of solely Indian culture. This
year’s posters read “A Celebration
of South Asian Culture” because so
many more students are involved
and so many more cultures are rep
resented, he said.
“You look at the energy of the or
ganizers and you feel like you have
to get involved,” he said.
The more than 50 organizers and
performers of this year’s UTSAV in
cluded members of SIS as well as
many other student groups. SIS
represents students from India,
Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka,
Bangladesh, Maldives, Myanmar
and Bhutan.
A performance of South Asian
music and dance followed dinner.
All the dancers wore vibrant colors,
with their hands and arms being a
central part of the dances.
The first dance, diya, was per
formed in darkness with lighted
sticks. According to SIS, some of
the dances told a story, such as Yeh
Ladki Hai Allah, a story of a ro
mance, and jau-jau rail-lai ma, a
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Sanjay Schmidt and Mick Miller, on the tabla and sitar respectively, entertain the crowd before the UTSAV 2002 celebration.
dance native to the Kathmandu re
gion of Nepal about girls asking
boys to go for a train ride.
• In dandiya, a dance native to the
state of Gujarat, India, dancers held
red and white sticks in each hand.
They tapped tbe sticks together in
the air, on the floor and with each
other in time to the music.
A fashion show concluded the
performance. Students modeled
“ghaghra,” traditionally worn by
youth, “sari,” a traditional dress of
India worn primarily by older gen
erations, and “salwar kameez,” a
three-piece suit worn by men and
women in both casual and special
occasions.
Most of the women wore
bracelets, earrings and jeweled head
pieces — a central part of Indian cul
ture, International Student Associa
tion co-director Shruti Shah said.
“We love to dress up every part
of our body,” she said.
The event also featured exhibi
tions from Nepal, Pakistan, India
and Fiji.
“You look at the energy
of the organizers and
you feel like you have
to get involved.”
Ram Ganapathy
UTSAV organizer
Ashis Shrestha, who moved to
Eugene six months ago from Nepal,
described items displayed on the
Nepal table, including a brass can
dle holder used before prayers,
small figures wearing traditional,
hand-made Nepal clothing, and a
miniature intricately carved ivory
knife used for fighting.
He said the exhibition was an im
portant reminder “that there’s a
country Nepal, since nobody
knows where it is.”
He hopes that guests such as art
major Leah Mathis learned more
about South Asian culture.
Mathis, who has been interested
in mehndi — Indian henna body
art — for the past couple of years,
said she came to the event because
she’s always been interested in In
dian culture.
“It’s important to have a multi
cultural experience,” she said.
E-mail reporter Diane Huber
at dianehuber@dailyemerald.com.
Better Rooms
continued from page 1
This year’s “best use of floor
space” prize went to Hamilton
complex duo Norm Ofstead and
Jesse Mclntire.
They were rated on their use of
open floor space and creative use of
storage ideas and furniture. Their
high-tech bachelor pad has not one
but two televisions, so guests can
watch television while playing
video games — the best of both
worlds. While this may not be
space-saving, the two made the
most out of their room with crafty
ideas for storage.
The double room can be trans
formed into a visitor’s lounge in a
matter of moments, as beanbags
and chairs stored under the beds
provide extra seating comfort.
Roommates Jamie Curtis and
Erin Toews were named the “most
harmonious” pair, thanks to their
flair for school spirit. Their green
and gold quarters screamed “Go
Ducks,” from the matching Ducks
blankets and news clippings on the
ceiling down to the sound of
“Mighty Oregon,” the University
fight song, ringing in the air as
guests enter.
The “most harmonious” award
goes to the team with the best mix
of color coordination, clear person
ality representations and similari
ties in spatial arrangement.
‘‘It was not just their room.
Everyone in the hall
collaborated.”
Tenaya Meaux
University Housing,
ass. director of Public Affairs
The judges were in gridlock over
the “most creative” award, finally
deciding on a tie between room
mates Yasmin Ravard and Amy
Merriman and single room occu
pant Evan Lacour. Entrants had to
display not only a good use of wall
space, but also their own ujiique
touches to the room that represent
a clear personality through furni
ture, art or other decorations.
Lacour’s “retro” theme, with a
blend of pale orange, lime green
and yellow tones, made him a
shoe-in for the winner’s circle.
Working on a college budget, he
found most of his accents in con
signment shops. His signature
piece is a orange and gold floral
velvet couch he bought at the Sal
vation Army.
“It’s sort of fruity,” he said.
This was a tough act to follow for
co-victors Ravard and Merriman.
The women solicited the help
of neighbors to deck their hall
with a mural painted around their
door. A leather recliner in their
pseudo-lounge with a background
of snapshots of friends and fun
times gave the space a casual, wel
coming atmosphere.
“It was not just their room,”
Meaux said, “Everyone in the hall
collaborated.”
While decorating can be very
personalized, it can also bring peo
ple together.
“Lots of good roommate relations
came through,” she said.
E-mail reporter Robin Weber
at robinweber@dailyemerald.com.
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