Families and friends gathered on a Friday evening to watch students showcase their experiences and adventures learning Hindi. In each of the different Hindi classes, Prof. Kusum Ji and Prof. Satti Ji worked with their students to develop ideas regarding the performances.
The event began with a skit from the students in Hindi 102, who did their skits on a love story. When the students in our Hindi class started their performances, the atmosphere in the room was electrifying. The audience was engaged from the very beginning, and I could hear the laughter from the crowd as we were performing. My classmate's acting was executed perfectly, and humorous plot twists in the skits was relatable to everyone in the audience, regardless of their cultural background.
During the skit, I had the role of an "iPad kid" - the annoying little brother. Deepak professes his love for Kavita in the opening scene, but she rejects him and insists they remain simply friends. Priya admits her affection for Kavita in the next scene. The third scene features Bitu, which was the role that I played. Bitu shared a rumor that he had heard about Kavita and Priya being girlfriends, which upsets Deepak. The final scene was the poison act in the sweets that Bitu and Kavita took.
Shortly after the skits, a dance performance by two students was fascinating to watch. Through their dance, they could showcase India's unique cultural diversity to the audience. More students in various Hindi classes gave their performances, and all heard applause from the crowd. Some community members and professors also came to watch and praised our performances.
Once the student performances ended, Kusum Ji catered Indian food for everybody. This was a great experience because it allowed everybody to try traditional food. One of the highlights was the Medu vada, rice and paneer which was served with naan bread. There was also dessert at the end, a dish known as gajar halwa. Overall, it was a great event that Kusum Ji put together. Everybody had a wonderful time seeing the students perform and see their growth in Hindi over time.
This workshop was supported and funded by Asian and Middle Eastern Studies.