Review: Bindi, shimmy, henna, shake!

Bindi Club Night, a biannual event hosted by the St Andrews University South Asian Society, took place on Friday at the Golf Hotel. It promised to be a big night, with the majority of the society’s members planning to attend and tickets selling out days before the event. And boy, they did not disappoint.

Turning up around 9 o’clock, I was one of the first to arrive at the Golf Hotel Ballroom, which had undergone a vibrant makeover, the walls adorned with bright fabric and posters of Bollywood stars. I was immediately whisked outside to try the shishas and the various flavours which had been ordered. The pipes were in the patio garden where the trees were bedecked with fairy lights resulting in a relaxed and excited ambience, despite the bitter cold. The society aims to give students interested in South Asian culture a chance to socialise and meet new people from a diverse range of cultures and this provided the perfect backdrop.

Inside, I was given my first taste of Bhangra (remixed as well as traditional), as music started blaring from the speakers. The dancing atmosphere was infectious and the dance floor was soon packed with students. Even the cloakroom supervisors couldn’t help but join in as the DJ played R’n’B, hip hop and Top 40 tunes accompanied by the rhythm of a live d’hol performance. I particularly enjoyed the carefree and natural vibes that this sort of music kindled. Let it be said that dancing is not one of my strongest attributes – and that’s putting it nicely – but I found it difficult to care as I bounced and shimmied un-selfconsciously across the floor.

In order to put a finishing touch to the Bindi experience, students were able to choose a bindi dot from a selection strewn across the tables as well as from a choice of henna designs. These were the first things to disappear as girls embraced the idea, rushing to the toilet mirrors to put them on.

Speaking to Shevantika Nanda, the President of the Sanskriti society, prior to the event, she was keen to impress that these events are incredibly effective in raising awareness of the various aspects of South Asian culture. In this respect, Bindi can be counted as a definite success with the added bonus of providing a unique experience for a Friday night.

Images © Callum Hyland