Week 2: Bhangra and Bonding

Last Friday, I had the unexpected pleasure of attending an on-campus celebration of Lohri, a holiday which is highly popular in the northern region of India (specifically in the state of Punjab). Despite being Indian myself, I was oblivious to the fact that this festival held so much significance in Punjabi culture. Thanks to the Sikh Student Association (SSA), that all changed this past weekend.

Two of my own roommates -very active members of SSA- are of Punjabi origin. I was able to witness firsthand the excitement and dedication with which they prepared for the celebration -the first official Lohri to ever take place on campus.

Lohri is dedicated to the end of the winter season, and the ripening of harvested crops such as wheat and barley. For this reason, it is seen as a financial new year to many people who celebrate it. A bonfire (as depicted in the photo to the right) is an iconic symbol of Lohri. Since it was not possible to light a fire indoors, a large paper version was installed to represent its importance. Singing and dancing are the most common ways of expressing the joy of the holiday. A traditional Punjabi folk song was sang, and Punjab's particular style of dance known as bhangra was performed by my roommates and another female member of SSA. Not only had they prepared their dance routine and memorized the folk song within a few days, but they had also handled the task of food, decorations, cleanup, etc. To me, it speaks highly of the character of the Sikh Student Association. It's truly great to see people of my own generation making the effort to retain their cultural roots. 

"The festival of Lohri is meant to relieve people from worldly day to day routine, and make them relaxed, cheerful and happy. It it is the time when people from all castes and social strata come together forgetting all past differences and grievances."

-Durga Mandir (Princeton, NJ)

Slowly but surely, the rest of the student body put their shyness away to bust some moves on the dance floor as well. It was not merely a crowd of Indian students; there was great variety in ethnicity. For me, the coming together of different cultural backgrounds in one location was the most rewarding aspect of Lohri Night. The color of your skin did not matter that night, and it shouldn't matter on any other night.  

Caucasian. African American. Korean. Chinese. Mexican. Punjabi. Gujarati. Marathi. Bengali. All in one photo. 

Lohri Night details:
Sponsor: Sikh Student Association
Date: January 25, 2013
Time: 7-11 pm
Location: Asian American Cultural Center
1210 W. Nevada Street, Urbana, IL 61801

Quote from Durga Mandir website: http://www.durgamandir.com/lohri.html

Week 1: I was born this way.

Anyone who has even the slightest inkling about American pop culture in the 21st century has probably heard of Lady Gaga. From her odd fashion taste (see: meat dress) to her provocative music videos, she is the epitome of everything that is unconventional. Fun fact: you can even take a course at the University of South Carolina called, "Lady Gaga and the Sociology of Fame." http://www.gagacourse.net/

So when I saw that the Women's Resources Center in Champaign was hosting a free lecture titled, "Mama Monster: Lady Gaga and Gender Politics," it didn't take me long to decide that I would be attending. That and the mention of free food - I was sold. 

The speaker was Arnau Roig, a doctoral candidate from the Institute for Communications Research. I was actually surprised to find that he was a young Hispanic male. In a very relaxing environment, he spoke to us about his findings on Lady Gaga, a figure who has been the subject of his recent papers. 

He described her rise to fame and how social media has played an important role in it. In the past, Gaga has held the record for the most followers on Twitter ever, which gives a sense of how widespread her fan base is - or at least makes me think that many people all over the world find her interesting.

Although her main devotees are considered to be young females and the lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender (LGBT) community, her work and public image brings up a discussion that I think is definitely worth having - no matter what kind of person you are. Roig explained to us how Gaga's fans are often referred to as "little monsters" in the media world. (https://littlemonsters.com/) She made these fans proud by saying that it's okay if you are "the freak, the monster." Queer theory, bulimia/anorexia, and self-mutilation were also brought up. It seems so important to address these issues of body image and self identity that plague our society, but it's ironic that the discussion very rarely happens in our everyday lives. I thought it was noteworthy when Roig mentioned how no other female pop divas ever seem to appear "un-beautiful" - Gaga purposefully tries to look rough sometimes, and even embraces androgyny. 

Our speaker concluded by telling us how a Marxist guy had bashed him at one of his previous lectures. Roig kind of laughed saying his response should have been, "You've never been an LGBT teen before."