At the Asian Fest, the Bollywood club offered both a cultural station and a Bollywood dance performance. 

The station offered participants, like Shoumilli Banerjee ‘27, the opportunity to receive a traditional Indian plant based tattoo art, known as henna.

“When I’m in India, I’m around my friends and my family, so I feel close to them. But when I’m here, I don’t see any of them. So [the henna station] is kind of a way to reconnect with my culture,” said Banerjee.

Later, the club performed songs from three Bollywood movies. Kailani Harrison ‘24 and Anika Hadap ‘24, the choreographers of the dances, strove to make it both accessible to the general PHS audience while still being representative of the tradition.

“A lot of times people outside Indian culture don’t understand the words that are in the songs. So, [they] choreographed it so that a lot of hand motions line up with what’s being said. It’s a cool way to learn about the culture and language, but also be able to express yourself through the dance,” said Ishaan Banerjee ‘24, Bollywood Club co-president.

Prior to the fest, the club hosted weekly dance rehearsals leading up to the performance, often outside of school. However, a usual club meeting is much more relaxed. Members make rangoli (a traditional Indian art), watch movies, listen to Bollywood songs, and share cultural foods.

“We bring samosas and we bring snacks that specifically Indian groceries sell, like chocolate crackers. We usually bring them in bulk so that anyone who comes can take some and eat as we do the activities,” said Raima Srivastava ‘25, a member of the Bollywood club.

While Bollywood club is primarily a place for Indian students to connect over their shared heritage, Mital emphasized that the club is open to everyone, not just people of Indian descent.

“We have students from all different origins who come. It’s an opportunity for kids from other cultures to learn about a different culture. That’s what I like about the Bollywood club - the diversity of different races that come together in one place.”

As one of the main fundraisers and organizers of Asian Fest, the Asian American Club brought together various Asian cultures, and helped set up the fashion show, and run the main food station.

“We had a bunch of different cultural clubs come together and we put on a fashion show. It helped showcase what different cultures in Asia wear and [their] traditional clothes,” said Ronald Aung ‘25, president of the Asian American club. “Our food station served traditional Asian foods such as vegetable lo mein, fried rice, and General Tso’s Chicken.”

Aung wants the club to be a “chill spot” where kids can learn about different cultures. A typical meeting, during break on Tuesdays, consists of eating snacks from various Asian countries and watching a movie.

“The Asian American club is basically a lunch club,” said Aung. “At our last club meeting, for example, we were watching Kung Fu Panda and we had these Japanese mochi bowls with boba inside of them.”

The club believes that the festival was important for spreading awareness about the cultural diversity within Asia. ONe of the key values of the Asian American Club is inclusivity.

“This year, we [had] two new clubs at the fest and a bunch of old ones. It’s important for clubs to come here fundraise and showcase what they have done, but [it’s] also about being inclusive of other Asian cultures. As an Asian American, I think we all tend to be grouped together under the same term, so I think that this event is just really important to highlight the differences between the individual Asian cultures and [showcase] their traditions,” Aung said.

Having brought a series of its own events to the Asian Fest, the Japanese club showcased and introduced Japanese culture to interested spectators. The events included an origami folding station, which allowed participants to fold paper cranes and other handicrafts, a food station serving handmade Japanese foods, and a performance of a series of traditional Japanese dances.

“I found their dance and the instruments [they used] really interesting; how their dancing [formation] [got] thinner as they dance and how they [held] the instrument,” said William Yao ‘24. “I also enjoyed seeing how they [could] both bring the culture to you and our school and also bring joy and fun.”

The food station that the Japanese club hosted served mochi, a Japanese dessert enjoyed during special occasions.

“Mochi is very important in Japanese culture,” said Japanese Club president Seigo Iwata ‘26. “It’s a type of rice that [is] smashed together. It’s especially important on New Year’s and other holidays. It’s also just like a part of everyday Japanese snacks.

The Japanese club also organized an origami folding station. Interested students could take a sheet of origami paper and fold it into a crane using steps provided on an instruction sheet.

“Origami is also a very important symbol of Japanese culture as it represents good fortune and longevity. We want people to be able to have hands-on experience with origami and have the same experience as a Japanese student learning to make origami,” Iwata said.

Through their performances and involvement in Asian Fest, the club aimed to not only introduce Japanese culture and lifestyle to the PHS community, but also expand upon our understanding and knowledge of Japanese culture.

“I think [Asian Fest] is important, especially because there’s such a small number of Japanese people in this school,” said Iwata. “I feel that not everyone knows in depth about Japanese culture. It’s more just anime, pop music, things like that. They don’t really know anything more. This is why we want to spread the culture and celebrate the Japanese community.

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