Winona State University’s Nepali Club hosted its third annual Nepal Fusion on Saturday night. Attendees packed in Winona State’s East Hall at Kryzsko Commons to take in an evening of entertainment and food.
Manish Nepal, Nepali Club President said the primary purpose of Nepal Fusion is to promote Nepali culture. The secondary purpose is for the 56 Nepalese students who attend Winona State to be together, have fun and enjoy their culture while they are away from home.
This year’s theme was “The City of Temples,” because in Nepal, there is a temple on almost every block, said club Webmaster and treasurer, Danish Shrestha. There are more temples than grocery stores.
The theme was illustrated through a hand painted backdrop of temple silhouettes expanding the length of the stage and through the tables named after famous Nepal temples.
Michael Bowler, the Nepali Club’s faculty advisor who has been to Nepal said temples and the landscape of Nepal go together nicely as their shape mirrors the shape of the Himalaya Mountains.
“If you go to Nepal, there’s no going back; you’ll fall in love,” he said.
Many of the international clubs host events similar to Nepal Fusion. Shretha said the format is usually about the same for all the events.
“We wanted to do something different,” he said.
Instead of having an emcee talk between the dances, music and fashion show, as other international dinners had done, Nepal Fusion 3 was unified by a skit with three acts.
Before the skit got underway, the audience listened to two Nepalese students rock out to “Mercedes Benz” with electric guitars. Rock and Roll may not be what one would expect from an evening of Nepali culture, but according to Nepalese students, there are a lot of things Americans don’t expect to find in Nepali culture.
Winona State junior Shridhara Dahal said someone asked her if they had escalators in Nepal and she just laughed.
Another student, Karishma Sitoula said she also finds it ridiculous when people ask her if people in her country speak English or have cell phones. She has been learning English since kindergarten. Shretha says cell phones are actually more advanced in Nepal and that people are getting new cell phones every six months because they aren’t locked into contracts like in the United States.
Both Shretha and Sitoula also said that Nepalese dress more fashionably and are more trendy than most people in the United States.
The themes presented in the skit, written by student, Prapti Binisha echoed what the previously mentioned students said about young people in Nepal being westernized.
Despite westernization, much of traditional Nepali culture remains. Shretha said they still have a lot of traditional celebrations in Nepal and wear bright colored saris like many of the students wore at Nepal Fusion.
Another thing that sets Nepali culture apart from American culture is that a couple of hours are devoted to preparing and eating meals daily. Meals are always eaten together and at the same time every day.
In Nepal, curry and rice are commonly served foods; both were served at Nepal Fusion. Chartwells was able to provide most of the food that student-chef Jolyen Ghimire and his helpers needed in order to prepare the Nepal Fusion feast. To acquire some of the extra hot spices, students made a trip to Rochester Wholesale.
Dahal, who was a part of the first Nepal Fusion, said the Nepalese population at Winona State has decreased by about 20 students since the first Nepal Fusion, but the number of people attending increases every year.
Manish Nepal said that by Friday afternoon they had already sold 200 tickets, far more than expected and far more than any other year. The club’s hope is that the event continues to grow and the Winona State community continues to learn about Nepali culture.

Questions or comments?
Contact Lydia at
LCOglesb@3075@winona.edu