When “Expo” organizers learned that three students from India were living in their midst, they invited the students to participate in the 10th Annual Neighborhood Expo in North Adams, Massachusetts. The 2007-2008 YES scholarship students, Himaannii Gangakhedkarr, Siddhant Shah and Zeba Amir, eagerly accepted the invitation. The theme of the Expo was “spreading the roots of our community”. The all-day expo included three concurrent “story sessions” in the morning, a lunch featuring ethnic foods, local entertainment and displays. One of the story sessions was entitled “A Glimpse of South Asia”. For this reason, a table sharing information about India was a suitable addition to the many display tables set up in the Parish Hall gymnasium of St. Anthony’s Church.
The students arrived in their traditional Indian attire and immediately started unpacking and displaying their wares. They hung a flag of India and other beautiful decorations on the wall behind their table, and spread their books, cd’s, photos, more traditional clothing and other artifacts on the table. They quickly ran out of space and were able to add another table to display the rest of their collection. People were immediately drawn to their table, their brightly colored clothes and their smiling faces. The community members enjoyed looking at all the things the students brought to share, but mostly enjoyed talking with the students. The table displays were wonderful conversation starters and a perfect opportunity for the students to share information about their country and culture.
The students were also invited to participate in the morning story sessions. The organizers felt they would have valuable input to add to the “A Glimpse of South Asia” discussion. In this session, participants were able to observe and partake in a traditional Hindi welcome ritual (aarti). At the end, the Hindi presenters went around the room placing a mark made of red turmeric powder (tilak) on everyone’s forehead as a sign of welcome. The welcome ritual was followed by an open discussion focusing on life in the Berkshires with an increasingly diverse population.
Some of the older participants shared experiences of segregation and bigotry in the 40’s and 50’s and compared the differences in attitudes between the north and the south. The families who settled in the area from other parts of the world all agreed that they’ve received warm welcomes and feel well-integrated in their communities. They are glad that they did not settle in bigger cities where the immigrant populations tend to create their own communities instead of blending with existing communities.
The exchange students agreed that the people in their new communities have made them feel very welcome and they are very happy to be in this part of the U.S. Himaannii said, “The teachers in school are always telling us to come to them if we ever have any problems, but we don’t have any problems. Everybody is very friendly.”
When the story sessions were finished, the students returned to the large hall to talk to visitors. There were many more people in attendance by this time and the students were very busy interacting with local community members. There were approximately 250-300 people at the Expo throughout the day. Music and videos from South Asia were projected on a large screen at the front of the hall as people checked out the displays and had lunch.
Himaannii and an exchange student from Afghanistan offered free henna designs to interested guests. A line of several teens quickly gathered wanting designs on their palms and the backs of their hands. Zeba joined the girls to help keep up with the crowd of boys and girls wanting henna designs. The local kids were thrilled with the intricate and beautiful decorations that adorned their hands.
Reporters from three local newspapers interviewed and photographed some of the students. People were very pleased that the students gave up a full day of their weekend to participate in this community event. None of the students attended the high school in North Adams but were happy to have a chance to interact with community members near their hometowns. The students promoted the exchange programs, talked about the scholarship that enabled them to come here and expressed their gratitude for the unique opportunity to live and study in the U.S. for one year.
Helping to serve the complimentary lunch was Massachusetts Senator Benjamin Downing. Performances were given by a local magician, the young and talented Brayton Step Dancers and the Williams College Bhangra Dance Troupe. The exchange students observed while the Martin Luther King Jr. Peacemaker award and the SAY it Proud youth awards were presented by North Adams Mayor John Barrett. In one day, at one event, these three students were able to meet all of the goals and objectives of the YES scholarship program.
