All of us at some point of time have littered public places, but if we look back how many times do we get a chance to clean up our mess or find time to participate in community service. Friends of India (FOI) is not just a student organization that organizes cultural events and sports tournaments but is also involved in community service like Highway Cleaning. FOI believes that community service is a very rewarding experience not only for the community but also for anyone involved with this purpose. Adopting a highway and taking the responsibility of cleaning it at personal expense not only portrays Friends of India’s strong belief in returning back to the community but its independent way of working.

FRIENDS OF INDIA maintains one mile of HIGHWAY I-540 off Exit 72. We have a bi-annual tradition of cleaning this stretch of the highway. Last year, in April 2002 we did it for the first time (the next round will be this Spring 2003).

 

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Friends of India is actively involved in helping the Office of ISS (International Students and Scholars) in organizing ‘pick-up & temporary accommodation’ arrangements for incoming students in the Fall and Spring semesters. The membership of our organization and the Office of the ISS clearly realize the importance of this service. For an international student the clime and the general setting of a foreign university can be quite a daunting task to handle. As an RSO comprised mostly of International students we can thoroughly understand the position of students who are in the process of joining the university. Hence our Pick Up and Temporary accommodation arrangements start atleast a month and a half before the fall and spring semesters.

It all begins when prospective students e-mail the ISS office or us. In the latter case the ISS office forwards us their e-mails. We then reply to the e-mails with suggestions on how to reach the university along with the essential documents and related items that they must bring with them. This serves to put their anxieties to rest. Next, we wait for confirmed flight itineraries from the students. Once these have been received we start making arrangements for the ‘pick-up & accommodation’ arrangements for each of them. We then e-mail the students with the details of who shall meet him/her at the airport along with the name and address of their hosts while they look for their own accommodation. On and average we make arrangements for at least 60 students in an academic year. With the majority of this being during the fall semester.
In conclusion we would like to mention the considerable difficulty that could be encountered in performing this service would it not have been for the excellent relations between the Friends of India organizing committee and her membership.

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When stepping off the plane in Arkansas, many students feel the excitement of coming to America, but they also feel the detachment from their homes, family, and culture. Friends of India is an organization
that strives to build bridges between India and the rest of the world. Not only do we work to lessen the culture shock for new students, but also we try our best to assimilate these new students to their new
environment and American culture. Due to the numerous activities in the fall semester such as the Diwali banquet and Independence Day festivities, many new Indian students get the opportunity to meet other
students and make friends. Thus when spring comes around, Friends of India strives to host an event for the students who join the university in the spring semester. It is an opportunity for these new Indian
students to meet, and seek advise from older students, who teach them how to become a part of the University and American culture. Therefore, this spring welcome party is an imperative part of the Friends of India purpose of working to improve the well-being of new students in a sometimes difficult transition.

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Indian music is one of the oldest unbroken musical traditions in the world. Music in India is not limited only to the songs or sweet tunes heard today. Never had been an exhibition organized by any student organization to focus on this diversity of music that India has contributed to the world of music. Friends of India (FOI) tried to organize an exhibition on 1st and 2nd of November in union connection lounge, University of Arkansas, where we tried to show different kinds of musical instruments, forms of Indian music, musical players, singers and audio. The theme of the exhibition was “ Sa Re Ga Ma”. This exhibition was organized on days, which was jointly sponsored by ASG as a major contributor and University Programmes. Total budget was about 1600 US dollars. Instruments were rented from KHAZANA, a Minnesota based company. A total of 34 big and small instruments were displayed.

We covered almost all musical instruments that are part and parcel of Indian music. Some of the rarely seen instruments like Saraswati Veena, which is considered as a royal instrument, Dugduggi, an instrument used by local dialects, were displayed. Apart from instruments we had number of posters related to the instruments stating how it is played and a singer or instrumentalist related to that instrument
Also we displayed number of Indian handicraft items contributed by local Indian families.
This exhibition attracted number of students with varied background (music, science, engineering). This exhibition not only brought cultural diversity on campus but it helped the students from Music Department to understand the melody from the most ancient culture in the world. Students and professor were pleased to see the kind of instruments we exhibited and they way things were arranged. We have received some appreciations like “This was the best exhibition they have ever seen. Things were aesthetically arranged. And this exhibition gave them an opportunity to explore the world of music, which they had never experienced earlier.” People had heard about Pt. Ravi Shankar, but saw the instrument (Sitar) he used to play.

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“Freedom has its life in the hearts, the actions, the spirit of men and so it must be daily earned and refreshed - else like a flower cut from its life-giving roots, it will wither and die.”

The day when India woke up to freedom back in 1947 was a day of great celebration. A country got rid of her foreign yoke and became a sovereign nation; she celebrated her sovereignty on this day - the triumph of numerous martyred souls. It was a day of fulfillment; it was the day of a new beginning, a birth of a nation.
Like all other years friends of India celebrated Indian Independence Day on 18th August 2003 to commemorate 56th Indian Independence day. This day holds a special corner in hearts of Indian students and Indian-American families in and around Fayetteville. Apart from celebration this brings an opportunity to new students who join school during fall to old students and families, and get some relief of the cultural shock.
This time we had a budget of 250 US dollars for the entire function. Cultural programs like, dances, skit, music, and songs were staged to have a feel of the celebration within the student community. For the first time we organized a poster presentation with the theme “ History of India” where we canvassed various empires like Mughol, Mourya, and British that ruled India for centuries before India could get her freedom. We had a potluck, in which FOI family members cooked food. Further, Indian students invited many of their colleagues, friends and people from various part of the world that added the diversity to such kind of program. To list a few, People like Mr. Michel Freeman, Director International Programs Office, Mrs. Audra Johnson, and Mrs. Cynthia Smith were among the invitees.

For the first time with the help of Physical Plant, University of Arkansas, we planted a “Red Wood Oklahoma” tree near old main, on campus on the eve of Indian Independence Day celebration. We became first student organization to carry out such kind of activity on campus. With this promising achievement we pledge to do such work on campus.

 

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Diwali banquet is organized every year by Friends of India( FOI ) for several past years but Diwali Banquet 2002 was without parallel the best event FOI has ever organized.
Keeping up with the annual tradition the executive committee started with the early ground work of making reservations for the Union Ballroom, talking to catering people, applying for RSO funds and seeking donations since early August.

We conducted a General Body Meeting to take opinions from the entire membership. A record number of students decided to participate including 35 students who performed on the stage and 25 students who decided to volunteer for the preparations of the Event. In all 80% of our membership was directly involved in the organization of this event. Apart from the leadership of the FOI Executive committee, which consists of the President, Vice-President, Treasurer, Secretary, Public Relations Officer, Cultural Secretary, Webmaster, Student Advisor and Faculty Advisor, special sub-committees were formed especially for the Diwali banquet viz. Ticket Distribution, Food & Catering, Cultural Events, Event Management, Exhibition and Fund raising.
After the General Body Meeting, preparations started in full swing. FOI was awarded with the highest amount of RSO funds in its 35 years of history. In addition to that Diwali Musical Exhibition was funded by the amount $1450 and the Diwali Fashion Show was awarded $1200. The musical exhibition was kept open and free for 2 days( 1st Nov and 2nd Nov) in Union Connexion Lounge so that everyone in campus and can enjoy the exhibition. Looking at the strong situation of our finances we decided to make this event free for all students of University of Arkansas. The fund raising committee did an excellent job and obtained a record number of donations ($2150) from Department heads, Alumni, Corporates and small businesses around the University.
Participants started the preparation of their events almost two months in advance. They exhibited excellent coordination, talent and hard work in putting up every program. Participants chose a vast variety of events portraying the multicultural aspect of India. Dances varied from traditional Indian to the modern age disco. Fusion Dance was the finest blend of eastern and western dance and was choreographed on the western rhythms. A play was performed to spread the word of the importance of peace and love using an ancient love story happened in 15th Century in Delhi during the Mogul Rule. The story prompted the audience to take lessons from history and it also conveyed the message of integrity and peace within the community. The executive committee, which is the backbone of our organization actively, participated in the programs and in encouraging the participants to keep up their enthusiasm and interest. During event, as token of appreciation every attendee was welcomed with “bandhani” (Indian scarf), which was specially brought from Mumbai, India.

 

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Famous sitar player and Grammy Award Nominated, Anoushka Shankar visited Fayetteville and organized a concert at the Walton School of Arts. This was one of the rare concerts happened in Northwest Arkansas. Understanding the importance and high ticket cost, Friends of India went ahead and distributed 200 tickets to students of U of A at no cost. The demand on tickets was pretty high. Amongst, 200 tickets 100 tickets were distributed to the student in Music Department. Student of music department were highly benefited as attending a intercultural concert is one of their coursework requirements. Thus Friends of India never limited their services towards their members but we extend our work to the U of A community as whole.

 

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