Who are you? Who do you represent: Indians specifically, South Asians in general, or an array of multiple cultures?

We are a South Asian interest sorority so we represent primarily females of South Asian descent, but we have all different races and ethnicities in our organization like Latino, East Asian, African American, and Caucasian. As a whole, we have a very diverse Sisterhood. We cater toward populations that already exist. A large part of the South Asian community at Carolina, from what I am aware of, is Indian, so majority of our Sisters are Indian, so we don’t have that much diversity in that aspect, but we’d love to have it!

How have you gotten the word out about this your new organization?

What we’ve done is targeted classes associated with South Asian culture. If we have an event we want to publicize, we’ll go to, say for example, the Hindi classrooms. We think it’s one of the best ways to search out for people who may have an interest in South Asian culture to get them involved. We have trouble in trying to promote our sorority. When we think of a South Asian sorority, we automatically think Indian, and include negative connotations. People don’t know about it, so they automatically assume we’re a campus group that just parties or is just passing the time, you know? But we do a lot – as a social, service, and philanthropic oriented organization we build the bonds of sisterhood while making a difference in our community.

What are some activities your sorority is involved with or sponsors (note, this does not include philanthropic events)? Do you collaborate with other organizations on campus? Who?

Last year we held a forum for South Asian hate crimes and immigration issues. Earlier this semester, we, in collaboration with Psi Sigma Phi, co-hosted a party at Players to raise funds for our respective charities. Just today actually, we co-sponsored an event on how to get funding and information for study abroad for minorities. There will be a movie screening of Provoked (2006) with Carolina Women’s Center in late October. And in November, we are co-hosting a Walk-a-Thon for Habit for Humanity with Delta Sigma Theta.

What is your specific philanthropy?

Children education and literacy. One of our purposes is to raise awareness and monetary funds to promote literacy and education both here and overseas; we are partnered with three organizations, Pratham, Asha for Education, and C.A.R.E. Our biggest national fund raiser and initiative for our philanthropy is Literacy through Unity week in March. We choose a different one [group] each year and whatever we raise that week, we send.

What is the process in order to become a Sister? When does it begin? Is there a house?

At beginning of every semester, we have two weeks of recruitment. This time is used for students to learn about DPO, the Sisters, and what we are about. The Sisters take this time to get to know interested students. Then, at the end of two weeks, students take part in interviews, which determine a membership invitation. This is followed by what is called the New Member Education Process, this would be considered the “pledging” period.

No, we’re still a small organization so there is no house.

What kind of students do you look for? Can some have an advantage over others?

We don’t look for a particular type of student. Basically, if you have an interest in South Asian culture, or children’s literacy, or being part of a Sisterhood that reflects service and social activities then you’re welcome here.

What factors lead you to decide to join a culturally based sorority instead of one of the many pan-Hellenic ones?

In my opinion, many people in South Asian descent have no idea what Greek life is. My mom calls it “that DPO thing”. I learned about exactly what it was through friends in DSI (which was founded in 2004) and others. I also realized that I would love to do it. I had become so attached to the idea of South Asian Greek Life, that I actually hadn’t considered any other organization.

How do you think having a culturally based sorority separate from a social one shapes the Carolina experience?

Just overall, I love being Greek. It’s such a big part of my experience here. I worked toward founding the organization since my first year here. It’s always been a part of my experience. It has opened so many opportunities. I’ve met so many people, learned about other Greek organizations, attended different events, learned how the University operates, what to do when you want to organize an event, its publicity, who to contact and more. I’m very passionate about diversity, and so I combine that passion and my sorority to raise awareness. Cultural Greek life has created opportunities for a lot of sorority members, ones they wouldn’t necessarily have had otherwise.

What do you think students gain from being involved with DPO? And specifically, what have you gained? What was your most rewarding or gratifying experience in the years of being involved?

All of us love being a part of DPO. It doesn’t matter what else we’re a part of, but by being involved in this organization, we’ve gained a strong bond. There are 700 sisters nationwide. It is a big part and benefit of DPO to have a support system. For example, if a sister in her future is looking for a job or roommate she has an advantage with this network.

Personally, I find it is the best experience of my life, because it’s an experience that`s not going to end. Since the beginning I was involved and it doesn’t just end when you graduate- it will always stay with me for the rest of my life. After I graduated I’ll be a resource for other Sisters. What’s the best part of being DPO? For me, it’s my Sisters – every DPO sister I meet, both here and nation-wide, I love! They are so diverse. Everyone I meet is doing something ridiculously awesome. It’s a family - there is an automatic connection with all of them.

We’re more than what you think we might be.

The value of a son has always been emphasized in Hindu culture rooting back to dowry and other cultural benefits. While sons carry on the family name, daughters are considered a liability. Why, you ask? Because after parents raise daughters and give them an education, they must be married into someone else’s home. These cultural and social constructs have developed into a larger problem of sex-selective abortion: the practice of killing a female fetus—a horrible practice that still goes on in my hometown of Gujarat, India. Over the past 20 years, an estimated 10 million female fetuses have been aborted in India. This summer, MGF gave me the wonderful opportunity to be proactive and tackle part of this issue. After carefully developing my own advocacy program in Gujarati focusing on women’s reproductive rights and the power of education, I was able to work with six different NGOs focusing on Women’s Empowerment as well as several villages in the slum areas. I got to know the women in the centers and the slums, hear their stories and struggles, and then offer them guidance on how to become more independent—how to have control over their bodies and their lives. My experiences have been phenomenal, shocking, eye-opening and unforgettable as everyday I saw for myself the problems that India faces. Women’s reproductive rights is a touchy issue that is rarely discussed, but I was lucky enough to cross the barrier and discuss these issues openly with women. From the interactions I’ve had, one thing I can say is that women in India will only become stronger if they are encouraged to pursue an education and learn how to stand up on their own two feet. I am inspired to think of the strength of a woman and how our reproductive rights have progressed in India. As trivial as it may sound to us, girls can now wear skirt uniforms in school and women are now able to work and provide for their families just as a man would. However, for more progress to occur to stop sex-selective abortions from occurring, students like us, who have certain privileges that we seldom acknowledge, need to pay attention to these issues. If we can appreciate the rights we have, we should also be able to help others fight for theirs. I saw women living in the most extreme poverty, having close to no control over their bodies and being subject to will of others. But each and every single woman I met taught me the importance of being truly happy with the things you DO have. MGF opened my eyes to this social problem, allowed me to hear the voices of women, and gave me a chance to empower and improve their lives. For this, I will be forever grateful.

-Priya Soni, Senior

What does it take to put together a dance team and what kind of dedication is required to become a member of Duke Dhamaka?

Well Duke Dhamaka was started about 4 or 5 years ago by a graduate of 05. It was set up by a group of people who really loved to dance and have a great time on the stage. The only dedication on the team, besides the practicing and all that, is that you love to dance and that usually drives people to come out and join the team.

On average, how much do you practice in a week?

On off weeks, about twice a week and that varies depending on if we have a competition or not. On competition weeks, we were practicing three or four times a week, for example in between Awaaz and AKD.

Can you walk me through one of your practices, what do you start off with, end with, and points of emphasis?

Usually we begin with a quick stretch and discuss some logistics. During practices, we try to run through the routine as much as we can and stop to critique each other to make sure that all our dance moves are consistent and synchronized. We try to make sure that the energy and flare is there in each of our dancers throughout each dance step and that’s what we look for the most because that’s what ends up showing on stage.

What did you think of AKD this year?

It was a great performance. This year it was really well run. There was a little bit of catch-up during the dress rehearsals because of sound and lighting difficulties, but they [the Sangam staff] handled it really well, they were really accommodating and welcoming.

How do you use the award money from competitions?

We use the money we won from this competition to fund trips to other competitions. We use the money to pay for hotel costs, transportation costs, and registration costs for other competitions.

That unique aspect of Bhangra makes you love it so much that other forms of dance may not have?

Bhangra, to me, is a dance with a lot of energy and happiness. There a lot of dances like fusion which ask you to act out an emotion or a scene, but bhangra isn’t like that. Bhangra asks you to be happy and full of energy all the time, you get to put on cool costumes, and that drives me to love bhangra.

How has being on Duke Dhamaka enhanced your college experience?

I have made some of my best friends through Duke Dhamaka. I am always going to remember the retreats with the team and the weekends spent at competitions.

Is there anything you would like to say?

We were glad to come to AKD this year. B.E. a shout out to you guys, best of luck to your guys. You have a sick routine.

Gandhi My Father

Cast: Akshaye Khanna, Darshan Zariwala, Shefali Shah, Bhoomika Chawla
Direction: Feroz Abbas Khan

The film is based on Gandhian Scholar, Chandulal Dalal’s book, Harilal Gandhi: A Life. Gandhi My Father is Dalal’s attempt to recreate his book in the form of a feature film.

Harilal, Gandhi’s son who is played by Akshaye Khanna, is a follower of his father Mahatma Gandhi’s ideals. However, when his father denies him the opportunity to study law in Great Britain, a rift is created between the two. Consequently, Harilal spends years roaming the streets like a beggar, converts to Islam as an act of rebellion, converts back to Hinduism as penance, and finally drinks himself to death.

The heart of this film lies in its depiction of the sufferings of the patriarchal relationship between one of the world’s most loved figures – Mahatma Gandhi – and his eldest son Harilal. It brings to light an unknown facet of the personal history of a man who transformed the soul of a nation, but who could not save the soul of his own son. It delves deep into the personal tragedy that Gandhi kept secret from the world. Gandhi’s greatest failure was his inability to be a father to his own son. As the world gained respect for Gandhi, his son rebuked and hated his father.

While the film has many loopholes in the script and leaves a lot of things unexplained, it remains emotionally engaging. While the film is initially presented as a criticism of Gandhi’s parenting abilities, it manages to be fair to both Gandhi and Harilal.

Performances of all the principal characters are superlative, be it Akshaye Khanna as Harilal, Darshan Jariwala as Mahatma Gandhi, Shefali Shah as Kasturba Gandhi and Bhumika Chawla as Harilal’s wife, Gulab.

This film is definitely a must watch.

MGF is the only university recognized student run scholarship at UNC-Chapel Hill. Each year MGF raises $6,000 to send two students abroad to work on projects that benefit South Asia. MGF scholars in the past have worked to eliminate illiteracy, have fought for women’s rights and have conducted HIV/AIDS education programs. Be the Change week was a complete success. A large sum of money was raised for the MGF scholarship. Thank you to all of those that donated money and helped us in anyway. Please continue to support the MGF scholarship so that we can make a “change” in South Asia.

Who are you? Who do you represent: Indians specifically, South Asians in general, or an array of multiple cultures?

Our organization is based on South Asian interest, but anyone can join. We’re open to anyone with good character and that have an interest in South Asian culture.

How have you gotten the word out about this your new organization?

First of all, we have three pillars service, education, and unity. To uphold them, we sponsor and co-sponsor many activities that spreads awareness of our culture and the fraternity.

What are some activities your fraternity is involved with or sponsors (note, this does not include philanthropic events)? Do you collaborate with other organizations on campus? Who?

We hosted an event for the National Gandhi Day of Service to Habitat for Humanity and got Sangam members to come. Social activities include a Garba, which we’ve held in the past two years. Our Third Annual Flag Football Tournament is a charity event for which all proceeds are going to Ekal Vidyalaya; which funds and supports a school in a village of South Asia for a whole year. We just want to give back to the South Asian community. Every year we make a decision on where to make our donations and the amount of money we raise during events go to many charitable organizations. We’ve thrown parties at Player’s for charity, held bone marrow drives, co-hosted dinner for Muslim Student Association after their fast breaking. We’ve worked with Delta Phi Omega, other Greek Alliance Council members. DSI also has internal events which the brothers participate in such as paintball and DSI Olympics which involves our Brothers to competing in different sports against each other throughout the semester.

What is your specific philanthropy?

Bone marrow registry is our national philanthropy. We’ve held 2 drives this semester alone and registered over 110 people .

What is the process in order to become a Brother? When does it begin? Is there a house?

There’s a two week process at the beginning of every semester known as “rush” in which students get to know the Brothers, get a feel for what we do, what we do stand for, and what we offer for people who join. We hope the process will inspire interest.

What kind of students do you look for? Can some have an advantage over others?

There is no certain type of person we are looking for, we look for people with high characters, and high morals. Our screening is based on the GPA requirement, students’ morals and their interest in promoting South Asian culture.

What factors lead you to decide to join a culturally based fraternity instead of one of the many IFC ones?

When I first came, I wasn’t planning on joining it. I had stereotypes of my own about fraternities, and then one of the founders came up to me and asked if I was interested. They told me about what they stand for, about the pillars, how they promote our culture. I learned that they were huge on community service. So I thought that I couldn’t go wrong with this. Once I tried it out, I realized that this is what I really wanted to do; I wanted to give back to the community. Ever since then, I have been a brother, devoted a lot of time and now I’m President of DSI which shows how much DSI means to me. Culture is very important, and we strive to uphold it here.

How do you think having a culturally based fraternity separate from a social one shapes the Carolina experience?

We’re considered to be a Social Service fraternity. We can show that Greek Life is more than what most people think, that it adds to the diversity of the community. By having a fraternity that is based on culture, going out there to actively promote it, we are able to create events on a larger scale and, thus create more awareness. Even people who aren’t involved, like people who aren’t South Asian, are exposed to it. Our efforts lead to such exposure.

What do you think students gain from being involved with DSI? And specifically, what have you gained? What was your most rewarding or gratifying experience in the years of being involved?

Obviously, I gained friendship with a group of guys that has become closer. They provide a loyal, trustworthy support system. Coming into my freshman year, I didn’t think I would have had that, that reliable group who I trust and can call any time of the day. People always say, “I don’t want to buy friendships.” I don’t think that stereotype applies to DSI. It’s not the right way to look at us. We are a tight group of people; essentially you earn it [friendships]. Once you do, it opens up so many doors and makes the experience so much better. You can call on people for help, life issues, future concerns. In one click we can send out emails to hook up brothers with jobs, or residential availability, anything. We gain a huge national network. There are definite benefits through service aspect as well. We’ve helped kids, run down communities, the elderly, build homes for Habitat. I wouldn’t have been exposed to all of this without DSI. It’s really hard to be self motivated as an individual sometimes, because you may not have the information or the resources, but with a group of people who all have the same mindset, it makes efforts much more satisfying by making a big difference in the community. We’ve actually won awards for contributing most service hours, which was very rewarding. I think we’re all most proud about executing our service aspect of our pillar and culture. Otherwise, we’ll be just another fraternity. What good are we if we don’t do those two things? I’m most proud about giving back to the community and promoting our culture.

With the Mahatma Gandhi Fellowship, this summer I investigated the work of an NGO to localize the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in Bangladesh. As a Bangladeshi, I have been interested in issues related to human development in my homeland for many years. I worked with a grassroots Bangladeshi NGO named Unnayan Shamannay (“Coordinated Development”). What I valued most about this NGO was its emphasis on working with local people. Unnayan Shamannay had been facilitating an MDG project since 2005 that had contributed to reduced school drop out rates, improved maternal care, increased agricultural yield, reduced maternal mortality rates, and increased awareness of the MDGs. Due to these improvements, I was interested in understanding the mechanisms of this project that had led to success.

Based on academic analysis and personal interviews, I found that local ownership, emphasis on female participation, local budget allocations, and participatory dialogue were the components of this model that had led to improvements in these unions. Following my research, I helped Unnayan Shamannay write a report to the United Nations Development Programme on “Localizing MDGs in Bangladesh” for expansion of the project to further unions in Bangladesh.

Inspired by my work this summer, I plan to attend the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health to study maternal and child mortality with the goal of working in the field of human development in Bangladesh.

-Shefa Sikder