Shirts sporting quotes like ‘I’m a citizen of the world’, entry passes for the event delegates designed like passports of different countries, culinary specials, some foot-tapping music, dance numbers followed by a fashion show, name it and Global Village 2018 at Hyatt Place, the previous weekend had it all.
Hosted by the youth leadership forum AIESEC, the event with the theme ‘Around the World in 80 minutes’ is a first for Hyderabad, with students over 700 of them in attendance, all in an attempt to celebrate multiple cultures, analysing similarities and differences among different countries under one roof.
Every stall at the event comprised volunteers (exchange participants) of different nationals staying in India as part of a cultural exchange programme, coming up with elements that represented their country best, the tourist delights, the iconic dishes, the costumes.
The lineup included countries like China, Australia,Thailand, Egypt, France, Indonesia, Bahrain, Czech Republic, Morocco, Ghana, Turkey, Afghanistan, Croatia and Poland. And of course, Global Village 2018 would be incomplete without the mention of the photo booth where the flags of various countries pinned to the walls formed an apt backdrop for selfie seekers.
The French, Ghana, Thailand stalls were the popular ones drawing attention from the participants of various age groups.
The volunteers were taken to trips around the city over a few weeks including visits to Charminar, Tank Bund. The spicy food remains their biggest grouse in Hyderabad and biryani has been ticked off the check-list of many.
“It’s a city that’s extremely safe for women. The music and food are different from our country, but the way we talk, live is quite similar to India,” Hilda, a Ghana citizen added. “I’ve been trying to learn a few words, the only one that strikes my mind right now is a namaste,” said a Thailand native.
While the stalls were replete with young energy, the musicians Alvin (Symphony), Ashwin, Rohit (Dchant), Prithvi (Vivid), Athulya, Sanika from Nation’s Rock Beat and Siddheshwar entertained crowds thoroughly with popular Hindi songs.
The team behind AIESEC was no less in matching moves to the dance numbers with unique jive sessions. The fashion show represented each country in terms of its clothing.
Memorable interactions, some lessons, all while having fun meant the day was well spent.
