By Ela Jalil
The Pakistani Student Association (PSA) held their annual Mock Shaadi — an event welcoming and celebrating the beauty and liveliness of South Asian culture — at Stamp Student Union last month.
A shaadi is a South Asian wedding, filled with events that usually take place over the course of a week. The UMD PSA, along with PSA’s nationwide, throws a fake wedding each year that replicates the cultural elements of these festivities.
The events are centered around a fake bride and groom that are nominated by their peers and undergo a voting process within the PSA. Daivat Patel, a junior economics major and real estate development minor, was chosen to be the groom for this year’s Mock Shaadi by his friend who is a PSA board member. As the Mock Shaadi is the first PSA event that Patel has attended, he was excited to make connections and meet new people.
“I love parties. So this is something new, right? Especially being able to perform. I think that’s gonna be a highlight for sure,” Patel said.
“Just because it definitely gets everyone’s energy up and I feel like our dance is gonna show out pretty well.”
Patel worked the entire first week of March to prepare for Mock Shaadi, from planning his entrance to practicing choreographed dances to color-coordinating outfits with his “bride.” Their matching light pink ensembles glistened onstage, where they sat on a special chair-swing reserved for the celebrated couple.
The bride and groom do not have to be an actual couple — they are often picked separately for the event. Patel was acquainted with Zara Shamsuddin, the bride, before the event and grew closer with her throughout the festivities. Earlier in the week, a small henna ceremony was held for the community.
“I want to thank PSA for inviting me over as the groom. It’s been so much fun and I really want to see how this event and this fake wedding…comes to fruition,” Patel said. “I think it’d be so much fun for everyone.”
Each side gets to pick its own “bridesmaids” and “groomsmen,” who perform choreographed dances for the crowd. Tanvi Bolarum, a freshman neuroscience major on the Maryland Dhoom team, performed at the March 3 event.
Dhoom is a competitive South Asian fusion dance team, and its members joined the festivities to perform a couple of their choreographed dances.
“I’m excited to…see our culture and traditions at UMD. At home, these things are kind of normal but here it’s kind of crazy to see so many people following the same cultural traditions as us,” Bolarum said. “It’s really nice we have a little community here.”
Senior and PSA president Aaliya Hussain has been part of the organization since her freshman year and was even the bride for Mock Shaadi her junior year. PSA has become one of the biggest South Asian cultural groups on campus, and she wants people to know that Mock Shaadi is truly for everyone to enjoy.
“We just want people to be more aware of what is going on within South Asian culture because I think a lot of times people will come here and not even know… how elaborate our weddings can be,” Hussain said. “So it’s fun to kind of mimic that and have people come. And obviously, our events are open to everyone — so people that aren’t even desi end up coming up.”
With tickets selling out within 24 hours this year, Mock Shaadi holds a special place in UMD students’ hearts — South Asian or not. Hussain wants to have a bigger venue in the future, so even more people can join in on the celebration.
“Mock Shaadi is just a place for you to experience and celebrate your culture and also if you’re not familiar with desi culture, it’s the perfect place for you to kind of see it all in action,” Hussain said.
Featured image: Daivat Patel, left, and Zara Shamsuddin, right, sit on their special chair-swing during the March 3 event. The couple was selected by members of UMD’s Pakistani Student Association. Photo by Ela Jalil.