Grand Cultural Fest 2019: Celebrating diversity and pluralism

Residential students of the Aga Khan Academy Hyderabad celebrated diversity and pluralism by bringing together some rich cultures from around the world into a single platform. The Grand Cultural Fest took place on Saturday, 9th November at the Academy's amphitheatre. The event was organised by five DP1 students - Salman, Salim, Buzurg, Payrav, and Aftikhar - as a part of their Creativity, Active, Service (CAS) project.

The celebrations which kick-started at 5 pm, was a plethora of multicultural performances, music, songs and some lip-smacking food! The Head of the Academy, Dr Jonathan Long, was the guest of honour and spoke about respecting and embracing diverse cultures. He emphasised that one must be proud of his or her traditions and upbringings as they help in creating and developing one's identity.

The spirit of celebration, together with the smell of delicious food and waves of laughter, filled the air with excitement! Everybody on campus were seen beautifully dressed in their respective traditional attires and posing for pictures. It wasn't a surprise then to discover that the event had instantly transformed itself into a grand festival!

Some of the delicacies that were a part of this gala night included Afghani Pulao, Tajik Sambusa, Hyderabadi Tangdi kabab, Beguni from Bengal, Olive Russian Salad, Sadza from Africa, and Bunny Chow from South Africa. While some of these foods were prepared by Academy staff and faculty members, many were prepared by Afghan and Tajik families living in Hyderabad.

While many enjoyed a variety of snacks, the eye-opening performances by students had lifted the event to new heights. Performances included songs and dances from different parts of India, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, and Kenya.

The Grand Cultural night ended with a spectacular dance performance by our International Exchange students from Mombasa, who gave the audience a flavour of Africa! "This event is special for us as it has provided us with an opportunity to represent and showcase our diversity and inclusiveness as a community. Through this event, we have learnt to discover, appreciate and preserve multiple cultures and traditions", expressed Aftikhar Mominzada of grade 11.

Click here to see photo highlights of the Grand Cultural Fest 2019!