Hassam Munir, Sports and Health Editor
Featured image courtesy of Michael Zusev
Members of the Pakistani Student Association and Indian Cultural Association came together the evening of March 4 to celebrate their shared music and culture. The event, called Milan-E-Antakshari, is a phrase that combines Urdu and Hindi terms and refers to people coming together to play a popular South Asian musical game.
The event did not follow a rigid schedule or structure as it was designed to be fun and easygoing. Attendees participated in a variety of musical games, including a variant of charades and a sing-off between the two clubs. What really made the evening special, however, was that it marked the rare occurrence of a jointly organized event by the PSA and ICA, two of the most popular South Asian clubs on campus.
“The idea of Milan-E-Antakshari was to spread the message of love and friendship,” says Amin Anuj, president of ICA. “One of my objectives was to get both clubs in one hall and celebrate the cultures of both countries. And we all know that music knows no boundaries.”
Anuj says he approached Mohammad Bilal, the president of PSA, with the idea for the event, and that Bilal was immediately on board. Bilal says that the response to the event was “extremely positive” and that its purpose was to show that “we Indians and Pakistanis have no grudges or anything against anyone.”
Since gaining independence from Britain and the Partition, both of which occurred in 1947, India and Pakistan have had an uneasy relationship at both the political and societal levels, fueled by unresolved tensions, such as the territorial dispute over Kashmir. Some analysts have recently gone as far as to warn that a nuclear war between the two states may only be a matter of time.
Events such as Milan-E-Antakshari, however, are a reminder that in the realm of culture, Indians and Pakistanis have much in common. Anuj says he used a Hindi phrase which translates to “let these lines (borders) stay on the ground, don’t let them settle on your hearts” as the tagline for the event.
And the two clubs plan to keep themselves busy celebrating what brings them together rather than glooming over what pulls them apart. “Both clubs only promote the positive aspects of our culture and don’t like to comment on political or religious issues,” says Bilal.
Anuj is of the same mind. “I highly doubt that we would do any political events in the future as we are cultural clubs and we prefer to celebrate culture,” he says.
And though Milan-E-Antakshari may not have been a huge event, the clubs recognize it as a step in the right direction. “For the York community this was a huge success,” says Anuj. “I know many guests who made new friends from the other club. I got to work with such a wonderful PSA team and I made new friends as well.”
“I believe that these kind of events do help to eradicate the negative feelings. The scope might be small, but the impact is huge,” he adds.
Tweet us, @excaliburYU
