Intercultural Situation
I recently attended a house event ‘Bhangra Nite 08’ organised by CouchSurfing (Singapore), a community set up to encourage international networking of people. The theme of the event was - Bhangra, a type of Punjabi dance music. On arrival, the attendee’s foreheads were each decorated with a bindi – traditionally worn by married Hindu women, but was used that night to create a common identity among the attendees. Most non-Indian attendees initially expressed a moment of surprise, but instantly turned into delight when explained the purpose of the bindi.
The event began with a collective introduction of all the attendees, most of them were lively, others somewhat shy. Being ‘Bhangra Nite’, I expected the majority of the attendees to be Indians. But to my surprise, there were only a handful of Indians, and the others present were from a diverse mix of cultures and nationalities such as France, Japan, Hungary, USA, India, China, Singapore etc. Some non-Indians were even dressed in Sari. After introduction, the attendees naturally mingled and chatted with each other, while Indian snacks and drinks were being served. The event then proceeded with its highlight of the night, Bhangra. The music played, and two Indian nationals demonstrated and patiently explained the meanings of the dance steps. Everyone participated eagerly. There was sheer joy and laughter, scattered with chuckles of embarrassment in the background when some were not able to keep up with certain complicated dance steps. The event came to a close with exchanges of contacts, photo takings and warm and friendly hugs.
Interpretation
Throughout the event, I was impressed with the extensive cultural exchange, which undoubtedly promoted opportunities for intercultural integration and understanding among the various nationalities. Personally, I felt an immense sense of open-mindedness and acceptance among the attendees. In terms of verbal communication, not all was proficient in English, but nonetheless, everyone made efforts to listen actively and hence communicated effectively. I have also learnt that non-verbal cues can be expressed through certain Bhangra dance steps, for instance, the famous courtship dance around a tree. Although the attendees set themselves as being part of the mainstream Indian culture for this event, they however, kept to their own respective sub-cultural identities during the introduction and mingling sessions.
I recently attended a house event ‘Bhangra Nite 08’ organised by CouchSurfing (Singapore), a community set up to encourage international networking of people. The theme of the event was - Bhangra, a type of Punjabi dance music. On arrival, the attendee’s foreheads were each decorated with a bindi – traditionally worn by married Hindu women, but was used that night to create a common identity among the attendees. Most non-Indian attendees initially expressed a moment of surprise, but instantly turned into delight when explained the purpose of the bindi.
The event began with a collective introduction of all the attendees, most of them were lively, others somewhat shy. Being ‘Bhangra Nite’, I expected the majority of the attendees to be Indians. But to my surprise, there were only a handful of Indians, and the others present were from a diverse mix of cultures and nationalities such as France, Japan, Hungary, USA, India, China, Singapore etc. Some non-Indians were even dressed in Sari. After introduction, the attendees naturally mingled and chatted with each other, while Indian snacks and drinks were being served. The event then proceeded with its highlight of the night, Bhangra. The music played, and two Indian nationals demonstrated and patiently explained the meanings of the dance steps. Everyone participated eagerly. There was sheer joy and laughter, scattered with chuckles of embarrassment in the background when some were not able to keep up with certain complicated dance steps. The event came to a close with exchanges of contacts, photo takings and warm and friendly hugs.
Interpretation
Throughout the event, I was impressed with the extensive cultural exchange, which undoubtedly promoted opportunities for intercultural integration and understanding among the various nationalities. Personally, I felt an immense sense of open-mindedness and acceptance among the attendees. In terms of verbal communication, not all was proficient in English, but nonetheless, everyone made efforts to listen actively and hence communicated effectively. I have also learnt that non-verbal cues can be expressed through certain Bhangra dance steps, for instance, the famous courtship dance around a tree. Although the attendees set themselves as being part of the mainstream Indian culture for this event, they however, kept to their own respective sub-cultural identities during the introduction and mingling sessions.
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It is very heart-warming to be able to join such an activity. I would certainly like to be part of such an exciting adventure!
Anyway, I think the amazing thing about this event is that everyone mingles with one another regardless of their background and culture. I always believe that in order to communicate with someone who is out of your culture, your comfort zone, takes a lot of courage.
However, the most important thing is that you have learn something new which could be valuable to you in the future. So, did you manage to learn up the steps of Bhangra and show it off anytime soon?
Cheers,
Chong Guan
It is also interesting to note that you observed how the Indians "kept to their own respective sub-cultural identities during the introduction and mingling sessions." I guess while there are certain general cultural expressions people identify with, it seems to be natural to stick to people who understand us and we are comfortable with.
I totally agree that being open-minded and willing to accept the other culture is important in creating understanding for effective intercultural communication. I feel that it is usually because we are "not use" to or "not aware" of a certain culture that we offend the other party unknowingly.