Shakti: A powerful culture club
Photo courtesy of Shakti at Geneseo
Shakti puts a lot of hard work into planning their events but also has a lot of fun along the way, if you are looking for a new extracurricular stop by one of their meetings!
As the new semester settles in, students may search for ways to be involved in the campus community. Joining a culture club allows students to connect with their heritage, learn about a new culture, and build connections with diverse people. Shakti, SUNY Geneseo's South Asian club, is one of the 190 recognized student organizations, offering a lot for their members and the students on the SUNY Geneseo campus.
Shakti at Geneseo is a culture club that represents the people of many South Asian countries, including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Afghanistan, Bhutan, Myanmar, and the Maldives. Their goal is to spread South Asian culture to the students at SUNY Geneseo and make them more aware of the countries, cultures, customs, issues, and people within that region.
Members of Shakti are not only students from South Asian countries but also those interested in the South Asian region who are looking to meet new people and be involved with Shakti’s weekly meetings and hosted semester events. During general meetings, Shakti discusses festivals, diversity, political events, and games that take place in the countries of South Asia.
When the club is not having these informative meetings, they dedicate their time to preparing for their semester event. Shakti hosts a Diwali dinner in the fall, celebrating the Hindu lights festival. This event offers food, a presentation about the holiday, performances from other clubs on campus, and dances choreographed and performed by the members of Shakti.
During the spring semester, Shakti prepares Sangamam, an event open to people on and off campus who wish to celebrate South Asian culture through a traditional dinner. During the dinner, Shakti members also perform a skit. Staying true to Bollywood style, this play includes multiple dance performances, all of which are an exciting and upbeat way to demonstrate South Asian culture to the attendees.
Both hosted here on campus, Diwali and Sangamam are a testament to Shakti members’ collaboration, dedication, and decorative ability to turn a plain event space, like the ballroom in the MacVittie Union or the Interfaith Center, into a high-energy, cultural celebration. It’s a blast for members and non-members of the club, and it’s a fun way to try new foods and hang out with friends.
Aside from those significant events, Shakti continues to keep the event scene and their weekly meetings exciting by hosting smaller events. In the past, they have presented a paint and chat night, an Asian “Knight” market, a Trivia night, a Pumpkin painting, a Henna night, and a social event dedicated to serving Samosas—a delicious Indian pastry snack—and Chai.
Participating and planning events, acting, dancing, and connecting through meaningful discussions are just some aspects of being a Shakti member. They truly do it all and consistently drive to deliver wonderful events for campus members and students. The club is a positive and strong force on campus; after all, the word 'Shakti,’ originating from Sanskrit, means power or strength.
Shakti is a club for all ethnicities, majors, and years. Open and welcoming to any new members, the club meets weekly on Wednesdays from 6 pm to 7 pm in the MacVittie College Union Fireside Lounge. If you are interested in South Asian culture, looking to be involved with fun events on campus, or just hoping to make some friends, stop by and see what Shakti is all about!