Nepali Fest brings culture to Trojans, support to Nepal
The Nepalese Student Association (NSA) took to the quad for its Nepali Fest Tuesday morning.
With Nepali food, drinks, games and henna, the festival itself was lighthearted. The reasoning behind it, though, was more serious.
"Recently, the flood happened in Nepal," said Khusi Ramdam, the president of NSA and a junior biomedical sciences major from Kathmandu, Nepal. "This year it was really unexpected. No heavy rainfall, no nothing, no alert."
While the festival was supposed to be for the flood in Nepal that happened three weeks ago, another unexpected flood occurred a day prior to the event, destroying more homes in the process.
"There's no traces of their houses, they don't have homes right now, nothing," Ramdam said. "Every little help would help them, so I just wanted to do what I can through this [event]."
The floods in Nepal have already claimed over 1,000 lives, with at least 5,000 missing and 13,000 people saved. Through the Nepali Fest, the NSA aimed to bring awareness to the floods and to hopefully raise the number of people rescued.
"It's not just about fundraising and helping families, it's about preventing the flood to happen again," said Abhishek Subedi, a member of NSA and a junior cybersecurity major from Tehrathum District, Nepal “The main reason behind the flooding is deforestation and global greenhouse emissions, so we are also [telling] people that planting trees, this or that will avoid the floods to come.”
The NSA also aimed to represent Nepali culture on campus via its selection of food, games and drinks.
"If you don't know all of the cultures, the way their food tastes, the way they wear their clothes, if we don't get to try all that, you will not know the world," Subedi said.
The NSA raised funds and paid out of pocket for the games and ingredients to make the food and drinks.
"Everything is out of our own good will, so the money we donated to get the stuff, all of it is going to the flood relief," said Kripa Budhathoki, secretary of NSA and a junior psychology major from Baglung, Nepal.
Those thinking of donating to the flood relief in Nepal can visit DirectRelief.org and click on Nepal Flood Response. For more information about NSA and upcoming events from the organization, visit their Instagram page @troynepaliassociation.
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