Boston Latin School Desi Society was founded in 2017 and has been a hallmark of Boston Latin School’s student clubs ever since. BLS Desi Society promotes Desi culture, the culture of the Indian subcontinent, which includes countries such as India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Per tradition, Desi Society was one of the many student clubs to perform on stage at BLS’s annual Asian Night this year.
In the past, the second Friday of May has marked Asian Night at Boston Latin School, an event organized by BLS’s own Asian Students in Action (ASIA) as a way to celebrate Asian culture with student performances. Occurring in the midst of Asian American and Pacific Islander Month, Asian Night is a culmination of weeks of hard work and planning by students and faculty. The hard work definitely paid off, as a large audience filled up the auditorium to watch the various acts, with commentary and raffles occurring in between routines.
Second to go on in the first half of the night, BLS Desi performed choreographed dances to songs like “Dola Re Dola,” which is from the Bollywood movie Devdas. Choreography from childhood classics as well as from Desi Society’s own members makes up the final product. The club’s president, Anjuli Patel (I), and vice president, Jasmine Harilall (II), also shone together in a duo dance in between performances of larger groups within BLS Desi.
The theme for this year’s Asian Night, “Together We Bloom,” was surely exemplified by Desi Society’s performance. Wearing vibrant lehengas, kurtas and other traditional clothes of a variety of colors resembling flowers and performing under colored lights for a majority of their time on stage, BLS Desi certainly awed the Asian Night crowd.
“I feel like the music and the dance definitely fit well together,” describes Jaylen Wu (IV), an audience member at Asian Night. “I am definitely looking forward to seeing them again.”
Much like other clubs and individuals that have the chance to take the stage during Asian Night, the Desi Society puts their all into the preparation for their event. In the weeks coming up to Asian Night, meetings occurred at a much more frequent rate, with several rehearsals needed to master steps and ensure no technical difficulties occur the night of. Mahleel Parihan (II), a longtime member of BLS Desi and an Asian Night dancer, states, “It’s a lot, especially because Asian Night falls at the end of the AP weeks, so if you have an AP test, I feel like it’s really hard, because not only do you have this big show coming up, [but] you also have to study.”
Performances by BLS Desi are of special importance during Asian Night, as they exemplify South Asian representation in a time when discourse about Asian culture often excludes South Asians. Asia is a large, diverse continent, spanning across a number of countries, and containing many unique languages and practices.
“It’s very important to have representation, especially in BLS, because South Asians are a minority in the school,” says Harilall. “For us to also be a minority in Asian Night but also shine and have part of the stage for a certain amount of time is important to me because it just shows that we still exist, even though we’re so small of a group.”
In senior year, Harilall is set to be Desi Society’s president, and plans to incorporate even more diversity within the club by using languages other than Hindi, such as Tamil and Bangla, in future performances.
Overall, BLS Desi’s significance cannot be overlooked. BLS students can certainly participate in other displays of Desi culture by attending Henna Week, Bollywood Movie Night and celebrations of the various Desi New Years next year. Students can also find the recording of BLS Desi’s dances in the livestream video up on ASIA’s YouTube channel, though nothing can beat watching the club perform in person. Keep an eye out for their future performances!