Bryan Davis - Staff Writer

Nepalese Night to promote “unity in diversity”: Cultural event showcases Nepalese food and fashion

Two students hold American and Nepalese flags respectively while other students stand in background.Bryan Davis

Staff Writer

Living over 7,400 miles away from home in Nepal, 136 full-time international students come together to give the Pocatello community a taste of their culture once a year.

The Nepalese Student Association will host its 13th annual Nepalese Night in the Pond Student Union Ballroom on Saturday, Feb. 16.

Nepalese Night is the yearly event that celebrates the Nepalese culture that is spread throughout our state. The association’s president, Kiran Pandey, and 136 other Nepalese students plan to spend the night celebrating and showcasing their culture.

“Every year we come up with a new theme, and it is ‘Embracing Our Culture’ this year,” Pandey said. “The night will showcase the unique Nepalese culture that you could experience if you travel to Nepal someday.”

With that theme in mind, students can expect to experience culture in an assortment of ways including video presentations, cultural performances, a fashion show and a portrayal of major Nepalese festivals. Students might also want to come hungry, because seven different types of authentic Nepalese food will be served during the event.

According to Pandey, the Nepalese Student Association also was able to coordinate with ISU Continuing Education and Workforce Training to live-stream the event.

“[It] will probably be the first live-stream by student clubs through YouTube in global market,” he said.

Pandey believes that the live streaming will not only promote Nepalese culture, but it’ll promote ISU’s brand as well.

Nepalese Students Association, or NSA, organizes a wide range of different events. These include sports activities like soccer, volleyball and ping pong, and cultural events like Dashain, Diwali (Festival of Light) and Holi (Festival of Colors), just to name a few.

Last semester alone, the association organized 25 different events of its own. Not only do NSA members focus a lot of time and energy in organizing these events, but they also do their part in lending a hand to help out the community in any way they can.

“We hope we can help people embrace each other’s culture and accept the diversity,” Pandey said. “I strongly believe in ‘unity in diversity’ and we should always be positive on what we got. Doing so, we can make the community a better place to live and ourselves not only as a good student but also as a better human.”

This association continues to grow each year, becoming larger in numbers and stronger in showing. The NSA continues to do its part in promoting diversity and embracing other cultures, which is what Saturday’s Nepalese Night is all about.

For Pandey, Nepalese Night is far from the average night. It’s a night that truly means something to him.

“For me, Nepalese Night is very special and I wait for it all the year round,” Kiran said. “The love that we receive from the community, students, faculty and staff at the Idaho State is something that I cannot explain in words.”