On Sept. 21, several Manual students took to the Belvedere to participate in the 7th annual India Day celebration, sponsored by the Indian Community Foundation of Louisville (ICF).

Several students performed a wide variety of Indian dance styles. Ruhi Kulkarni (11, MST) participated in a group Bollywood dance. “It has kind of been a tradition for some of my friends because we perform every year,” she said. “We really do enjoy it and it is a good way to show off our culture.” Other students opted for solo routines, such as the traditional north Indian dance, Bharatanatyam.

Instead of a performance, several individuals, including Shivani Jindal (10, MST), decided to model in the India Day fashion show. ““I participated in the teen fashion show portion of the event,” she said. “My mom really wanted me to do it and since some of my friends were already doing it, I thought it would be fun. I got my outfit made in India when I went this summer, but some people either ordered theirs online or borrowed it from a parent.”

The greatest degree of was through fundraising activities, such as selling of beverages to raise money for the Science Olympiad team. In addition to their car wash events throughout the year, India Day refreshment sales are typically the Science Olympiad team’s most successful fundraising endeavors. “We raised about $800 selling drinks,” said Weijing Huang (10, MST). “We’ll probably use the money to pay for travel expenses and materials for engineering events. Last year, we also fundraised during India Day, and we had enough money to give everyone who went to the national competition about $90 for food and gas money.”

Because the India Day event does not itself draw a profit, no performers–Manual or otherwise–were paid for their services. Individual vendors, including the Science Olympiad team, were allowed to retain all of their profits after reimbursing the ICF for the table and rental space.