Worldfest: Taste of India

This year’s Worldfest turned out to be quite an excellent experience for the students of the University of Cincinnati as well as local Cincinnati residents. The beautiful May week brought great weather that helped assure that this years Worldfest would be one of the best. I was lucky enough to take part and follow the cultural food and dance celebrations that took place. Featured delicacies from all over the world were handmade to bring everyone a brand new eating experience. There were so many interesting choices to make yet I wanted to make sure I had choose something that would be a new experience for me. I choose to attend and cover the Taste of India celebration. This family oriented celebration of Indian cuisine and culture was held this past Saturday, starting at 3 p.m. This event opened my eyes to unique varieties of Indian food, music, dance, arts and other customs like Mehendi (temporary henna tattoo) and Rangoli. Never before had I seen such an interesting style of dance and artwork, not to mention the intrinsic food varieties. My favorite part of this experience was to no surprise, my sampling of authentic Indian cuisine. I consider myself to be a “picky eater” yet; the authentic spices and flavorings of the Indian cuisine seemed to delight my taste buds. I had spoke to local Clifton resident Kemar Bhakta about his perception of the Taste of India celebration he was attending. When asked how authentic this food was, he stated that, “These fine dishes can be compared to the quality of food my family and I prepare at home”. I can officially say that I have developed a true appeal to fine Indian cuisine. The next part of the event was the performing of the cultural folk and classic dance forms of India. The colors and unique designs of the dresses and outfits that the performers wore, seemed to make this demonstration that much more exciting. I was brought a completely new perspective for the Indian styles of dance, that is considered very near and traditionally important to them. I asked one of the organizers of the event, Sridhar Rajam, how proud he was to be able to share his own culture with such a large group of people. Sridhar replied, “This event is the highlight of my spring as I’m able to see a true appreciation for the traditions of India”. In my perspective this traditional dance performing was a one of a kind experience and one that made me glad I could come out to share the wonderful opportunity. Overall, this was an all around wonderful event to share with my peers. There couldn’t have been a better learning experience to occupy such a beautiful May after noon. All in all, I can honestly say that I have come out with a solid understanding for the traditional values of Indian culture.