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Indian Student Association at Southern Miss Gulf Park Hosts Milan 2014

Wed, 11/05/2014 - 09:38am | By: Jenny Tate

Members of the Indian Student Association at the Southern Miss Gulf Park Campus. (Submitted photo)

The Indian Student Association at The University of Southern Mississippi Gulf Park Campus in Long Beach presented Milan 2014 the week of Oct. 27.

This event brought attention to Indian culture, and provided an opportunity for Indian students to educate the Gulf Park Campus community about various Indian traditions.

Phaneendra Veturi, a senior Computer Science major from Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India, served as event coordinator for the week of activities. “Milan in Hindi means get together. The main purpose of the event is to let everyone know how beautiful Indian culture is,” said Veturi. “We gave a kick start to the week with a flash mob and continued for the entire week with henna tattoo and hand painted t-shirts stalls for promotion of the event.”

Preparations for the week of activities included 20 days of dance rehearsals and countless hours of planning. The week culminated in a Milan 2014 Dinner at the St. Thomas Catholic Church Pavilion in Long Beach on Thursday, Oct. 30. The evening event featured authentic Indian food, a fashion show and Indian dances.

Activities throughout the week were open to all Southern Miss students, staff, faculty and friends. Veturi added, “I thank each and every one who participated and volunteered in the event.”

“It has been an amazing experience working with our Indian students,” said Dr. Sumanth Yenduri, advisor for the Indian Student Association and associate professor in the College of Science and Technology at Southern Miss Gulf Park. “Seven years ago, a group of seven Indian students made it here. Now, we have seventy of those wonderful students taking Southern Miss To The Top.”