To raise funds for MSU’s Sri Lanka Endowment, members of the Sri Lankan Student Association hosted a dinner and performance. Routines included traditional Sri Lankan dances and Calypso music — all wearing gorgeous Sri Lankan costumes, imported right from the country overseas.
Draped in an ornamented turquoise sari, Okemos resident and native Sri Lankan Indikani Weerasinghe beamed with pride as she watched her daughter perform a traditional dance from their home country at the Sri Lanka Endowment Cultural Event on Friday evening at the Union.
Weerasinghe, whose husband is an MSU alumnus, was excited to hear about the fundraiser for the Sri Lankan Endowment, which sponsors collaborative projects between MSU and Sri Lanka, an island located off the coast of India.
“MSU has a very little (Sri Lankan) community because Sri Lanka is a small country,” she said. “This a very good idea. Now people can come and study here.”
This weekend, the Sri Lankan Student Association, or SLSA, invited the MSU community, past contributors to the Sri Lankan Endowment and students planning to study abroad in Sri Lanka to an evening of dinner and performances at the Sri Lanka Endowment Cultural Event. More than 100 people attended.
The goal of the evening was to raise funds for the endowment, which is managed by MSU’s Visiting International Professional Program, from about $23,000 to $30,000 and to celebrate the culture of Sri Lanka, said Hashini Galhena Dissanayake, SLSA president.
During the event, guest musicians and members of SLSA performed 10 numbers, such as a traditional Kandyan dance — an art style originated in Sri Lanka — by graduate student Desmi Chandrasena, an SLSA member. Other dances included Bharatanatyam, an Indian dance that portrayed the Hindu deity Lord Shiva, and a contemporary fusion dance combining modern movements with classical Vannam dances. Sri Lankan residents from Detroit and Mount Pleasant, Mich., also made an appearance, performing Calypso and Portuguese routines.
“We tried to incorporate mainly our culture, our traditions and our heritage,” Galhena Dissanayake said. “But we also wanted to bring the modern and contemporary forms of art in our country (to the show).”
The performers’ traditional Sri Lankan costumes, adorned with bright colors, jewels and bells, could not be found in the U.S. and were shipped from Sri Lanka for the event, Galhena Dissanayake said.
Toward the end of the event, an auction was held for multiple flavors of tea, which is one of Sri Lanka’s main exports.
Cholani Weebadde, director of Sri Lanka Linkage Program and assistant professor in the Department of Horticulture, said events such as the Sri Lanka Endowment Cultural Event help fund projects that nurture the relationship between MSU and Sri Lanka.
“Over the past seven years, we’ve had about 30 professors come to MSU from Sri Lanka,” she said. “That partnership grew over the years, and it is what I’ve dreamed of.”
Graduate student Bahodir Eshchanov said he plans to start his own cultural group and attended SLSA’s event to pick up a few techniques for his own association.
“It’s a cool event to meet a lot people from all over,” he said. “I like that the speakers are giving more information and explaining the culture to (non-Sri Lankans).”
By the end of the night, Galhena Dissanayake said those counting the donations were confident they reached their funding goal of $30,000, but the group will not be positive until funds are counted today.
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