Students for Asian-Indian Cultural Awareness hosted their sixth Mela Carnival on Nov. 7.
As guests lined up outside the Brown-Lupton University Union Auditorium, Zohal Nayeb, a Texas Wesleyan University student, placed red dots between the guests eyes. Nayeb said the dots symbolize someone’s inner chakra, which is inner energy.
Inside the Auditorium there were tables set up with South Asian food, games and crafts.
Guests had the opportunity to partake in different events whether it was putting on a turban or sari for a picture, or getting a henna tattoo.
Noor Saleemi, a first-year biology major is a member of SAICA. She said SAICA’s annual Mela helps their organization achieve its goals.
“It’s a really great way to actually activate the groups goals of raising awareness for South Asia and Indian culture in general,” Saleemi said.
Lizzy Do, a senior biology major and SAICA’s marketing and media chair said this was the first year theCrew collaborated with SAICA for their Mela. Do said the Crew hired a professional fortune teller to come to the event.
The fortune teller sat at a purple table with a crystal ball and a deck of cards. She would use the cards to tell people about their future.
The Mela also had two Bollywood dance performances. Members of SAICA would entertain the guests during these performances.
Jessie Arroyave, a senior psychology major said the dances were her favorite part of the evening.
“They were all in tune with each other and it was really cool to see all the preparation they put into this,” Arroyave said.