As of January 30th, the Niles West and North Indo-Pak club announced the decision to change the club’s name to the South Asian Student Association. For many years at Niles West and Niles North, the Indo-Pak club has created a community to celebrate Indian and Pakistani cultures and allows students to connect with them by enjoying activities such as performing at International Night, celebrate holidays and traditions, enjoy traditional foods and music, and many other events.

The decision to rename the club came from a mutual agreement created between the board members of the former Niles West and Niles North Indo-Pak club. Junior Ria Patel, President of the Niles West S.A.S.A, expressed her views on why this name change occurred.

“We decided for the name change to occur now because we have become more aware of the makeup of the board and the club itself. We have people who are not from India and Pakistan, and we believe that no one should feel excluded from being a part of this club as our main purpose is to acknowledge our different cultures and meet people with similar backgrounds,” Patel said. “Initially, the North board brought this issue up to the board meeting, and we both prioritized this issue to be resolved in the best way: renaming our club. We aim to be inclusive and not restrict anyone from joining because they are not Indian or Pakistani.”

The former Indo-Pak club has been around at West for many years and is a culturally vibrant activity where students can engage in Indian and Pakistani cultural traditions.

“The biggest event we host is Indo/Pak Night (now it is known as SASA Night). This was a dancing, singing, and clothing showcase of South Asian culture from schools and groups around the Chicagoland area. We have also held Holi, Garba Night, an Indo/Pak BBQ, participated in International Week and International Night. Our most popular activity is when we sell Samosas during lunchtime.” Mr. Parin Patel, the sponsor of S.A.S.A . said.

South Asia, also known as the Indian subcontinent, is made up of the many countries that fall under the Himalayan mountains, including India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, and the Maldives. Most of these countries are influenced by Hindu, Buddhist, and Islamic traditions, with language stemming from Dravidian, Sino-Tibetan, Arabic, and Persian roots greatly influencing culture as well. With the wide-ranging ethnic backgrounds and cultures that these countries contain, the South Asian Student Association will now have to balance embracing not just a few but many of the different ethnic backgrounds in South Asia.

For Mr. Patel, finding a balance between representing all the cultures of the club will take some work. “The biggest struggle that we have representing different cultures is being knowledgeable about the cultures ourselves. We rely on board members and other club members to help put together a presentation using their own experiences,” Patel said. “This way, we can have authentic and accurate information about different clubs and backgrounds. We are also attempting to get public speakers who represent the community to speak at meetings.”

Although the club is still being held virtually due to the ongoing pandemic, the club members have been able to engage via Zoom and discuss how the name change will impact club activities.

“’I’m one of the creative heads for SASA’s Instagram Page, in which we have and are still in the process of revamping our page! We have a lot in store for the rest of this year and will be introducing several new ideas, like our Member of the Week mentions,” Divya Varkey, one of the Vice President’s of the club, said. “As a club, we are together trying to bring new concepts and series that will not only attract interested students but also allow students a place where they can embrace their cultures and have a variety of cultures within our club itself.”

With the new challenges and opportunities the new status of the club brings, the members are optimistic as to what the future will hold for the S.A.S.A.

“With this new name change, we strive for activities that inform and acknowledge the different cultures that make up the club as we have done right now. Additionally, I hope that there will be more recruitment with this new name change and form a professional stance for outreach purposes,” Ria Patel said. “Consequently, I am hoping for a more diverse community that creates a comfortable environment to share each other’s experiences and culture!”

If you would like to join the S.A.S.A. or learn more about the club, you can contact the members at [email protected].