LSME International Diversity Day 2022 provided a venue where diverse perspectives, cultures and values of the community are accepted, appreciated, and celebrated. The students dressed in rich hues and elegant traditional & cultural attires filled the College hall, making it a very colourful celebration. They were number of stations of eye-catching artifacts and exhibits representing Africa, Asia and Europe setup by the students themselves. The College’s atmosphere had changed to a festival of colors, music, dances depicting a blend and diversity of cultures.
The day started with a short introduction on the topic of Diversity Day and its importance in society. Given the wide representation of cultures and ethnicities at LSME, the College celebrates International diversity day on 21st May to mark the United Nations’ World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development. The session was opened by the Principal, Dr Sarita Parhi.
She expressed her delight and awe to see how well students had prepared for the event by their display of beautiful cultural attires and artifacts. During her conversation with the students and staff community she said as human beings, we are revealed and make ourselves known to one another by infinite varieties of intelligence, language, race, values, politics, religion, national service, gender presentation, philosophy and a host of other elements common to humankind. The recognition of a common humanity is the first step in the celebration of our differences; differences that inform our cultures, our values, our minds, and all our ways of being in the world.
Diversity is the chief informant of the creative life force and the central reality in our understanding and stewardship of it. The Chief Research & Innovations Officer, Mr Hasan Shifau, addressed the gathering by highlighting the importance of understanding and respecting different cultures and how it connects to the UN’s Principle of Responsible Management Education initiatives.
Given the popularity and success of the event in the last few years, the students took floor sharing their cultures and led all the present through a journey to their homelands. Some students sang songs while others performed cultural dances. They took turns to explain the meanings and usage of the items they had brought for display.
They also observed that while the cultures look different, they may seem to have a lot in common. Most importantly, the students found that the event created a fun filled learning environment of cultures from across the world and they understood the need to revive cultures for the sake of preserving and protecting our common environment.
At the end of the event, most of the students provided the feedback about their excitement and suggested having more of such gatherings to learn more about cultural diversity and joint celebrations.
