On 13th August at Interact Hall, KMC – AIESEC and IAESTE joined hands to celebrate International Students’ Day under one roof. The idea behind the event was, that students studying in Manipal could learn about other countries – their customs, traditions and folklore through the interns that are in Manipal via the two organisations. The day started off at 11 am with an opening speech by Dr Karunaar Kotegar, faculty advisor of AIESEC in Manipal University. A fun-filled jiving session occurred after the speech, where dance enthusiasts took the opportunity to showcase their latent talents. 

The hall was filled with stalls set up by the interns from different countries. A huge hit with everyone present, each stall showcased the unique traits of their respective countries. Everyone got to taste delicious local delicacies, see interns in their traditional clothing, and play fun-filled games, giving them a birds’ eye view of the different parts of the world. Many of the visitors praised France’s ratatouille and Philippines’ delicious dark coffee more than the others. There were also stalls of India set up by members of the Local Committee of AIESEC and IAESTE – one each for North, East, West, and South India respectively. 

The 45-minutes long yoga session where the students stretched every muscle of their body.

After the yoga session conducted by Ms Priya, there was lunchtime. At 1:15 pm, the Band Performance started, where Chords&Co proved their flair for music by their melodious vocals and power-driven instrumentation – mastering popular songs like Despacito, City of Stars, and Riptide. A highlight of the day was an event called ‘Amazing Race’  where contestants had to search for different clues by performing certain tasks. Some of which included clicking selfies with strangers and digging for clues in the turban put up for display. After the event, the Presidents of both the organizations talked about the importance of cross-cultural international exchange.

Offering sweet beverages and a bittersweet cup of dark coffee, the Philippines stall was the most crowded.

The ‘Talent Show‘ from 5 pm gave people the opportunity to manifest their talent. Ranging from street dance to a violin performance, with the crowd cheering on all participants. The event ‘Performances‘ happened after that. The interns performed well-rehearsed songs and dances. They also dressed up in Indian attires from various parts of our country. 

The day of celebrating diversity ended with a speech by the Member Committee of IAESTE. A gathering of people from a variety of nations under one roof is something really special. And despite all the differences, everyone laughed at the same jokes and greeted each other with the same smile. 

The interns were seen bonding with each other through the popular game called cricket.