Flags propped up on the Bruin Plaza stage and information tables
scattered around the plaza mark the fourth annual South Asian
Heritage Week, organized by a group of more than 15 UCLA student
organizations with South Asian ties.
“The week is designed to create a sense of community as
well as bring in the rest of UCLA,” said Jigar Patel, a
fourth-year physical science student and a member of the Indian
Students Union who has been involved with the planning of the week
for the past three years.
“It’s eye opening,” he said regarding the
large number of groups involved with the week’s
activities.
Others involved in the planning of the week also believe that
all the different cultures and organizations show the diversity
within the South Asian community.
Different dances that will be performed throughout the week will
also represent the different cultures, said Bhavesh Mody, a
fourth-year physical science student who was tabling in Bruin Plaza
on behalf of the South Asian Studies Task Force, a group promoting
the newly offered South Asian studies minor.
Patel is also involved with the task force and hopes to use this
week as a place to make the minor more visible to the campus.
He believes having a presence is important to the South Asian
community, but showing that individuals are involved academically
means more to him.
“(This week can) bring about a movement of cohesion and
show that we have a voice,” Patel said.
He emphasized that the week is especially important because some
people come from places with little diversity. For UCLA students,
he said, a series of events like this one will teach them about the
traditions of the South Asian community and help them understand
other cultures.
The week is also important to the South Asian community because
they often get grouped under an overly-broad category.
“South Asians in general don’t think of themselves
as Asians because we have such a different culture from Asians in
general,” said Jigish Patel, one of the culture chairs for
the Indian Student Union and a coordinator of the event.
He added that South Asians have their own distinct food,
clothing and customs that set them apart from the rest of the Asian
community.
Jigish said the Indian Student Union organized the week and
encouraged the remaining organizations to get involved.
There are a number of activities scheduled, and groups will be
contributing food and performances.
Patel said for people from the South Asian cultures, these
programs can help them identify with customs and traditions they
were brought up with. For example, he said, there is an event where
individuals in attendance can learn how to cook a traditional South
Asian dish.
This week is geared toward making individuals feel comfortable
with their “level of South Asian-ness,” Patel said.