Namaste Shalom: Intercultural Event Hosted at UCLA

Bruins for Israel (BFI) and the Indian Student Union (ISU) co-hosted an intercultural event called Namaste Shalom Wednesday night with hopes of creating stronger bonds between the two communities.

Intercultural events between the two groups are not new. This event has been co-hosted at UCLA for at least the past six years with the goal of sharing cultures and enhancing multicultural relationships, according to Mennat Sukhija, ISU’s Co-President.

Namaste Shalom started at 6:30pm with the exchange of red Rakhi wristbands that traditionally symbolize familial ties in India. In the Jewish tradition, red wristbands have a tradition in Kabbalah of carrying a protective power. The Rakhi wristbands aimed to bond a community that would otherwise not see an immediate similarity in culture.

The Indian student A cappella group Naya Zamaana performed mashups of various traditional Indian and modern Bollywood song with contemporary American songs. The Jewish group Kavana Kedusha performed a set of Jewish and Hebrew collaborations with ancient lyrics to modern melodies.

After a dinner with both Indian and Israeli delicacies, the night ended with a game of Human Bingo during which students got the opportunity to proactively meet people of the other culture.

The strength of the bonds formed between the members of the two communities is unclear as many students sat and talked with others from their own culture. Still, the attempt to merge two sets of seemingly different customs deepens mutual understanding so that all can say “Namaste Shalom” and truly mean it.