What is the key aim of your society?

To learn more about different cultures, more specifically Bollywood. They get to learn about religious festivals, traditions, customs, which is useful in making Gordon’s students more worldly and well-rounded. They make things like Vindi designs, Henna patterns, engaging in mindfulness, and Miss Sinclair goes to a lot of effort to make exotic and exciting food.

What films have you enjoyed / reviewed recently?

Currently, we are watching ‘Rocky Aur Rani Prem Kahaani’, which translates to ‘Rocky and Rani’s love story’, which is about a love story between two very different families. While watching we talk about the songs; style of dress; differences in cultural values; etc. Although the film is fictional, it is still important for understanding differences in societal class, cultural expectations around marriage, and the difference structures that Indian families take on.

We also watched a video of Miss Sinclair’s daughter’s wedding, which is a real-life example of Indian culture and traditions. To compliment this, we have watched famous Bollywood dances and music videos, while also watching documentaries on religious history and cultural expectations.

What have been your main challenges as a society?

Our main challenge has been trying to get something for all ages to get involved in – inclusivity across age groups is hard, but we have overcome this by viewing a wide range of Bollywood films and media.

What are your plans for the society in the upcoming year?

To expand the learning of other cultures and traditions. Learning how to speak various dialects and common phrases to enable students to communicate basically with other cultures. Also, we plan on learning about the fashion styles of the Bollywood culture and potentially replicating that in our own ways and creations.