International night

The evening was equally magnificent, if not more. It was the International night for all students together with their partners. Dressed in traditional Indian attire, as I walked in, I was overwhelmed by the variety of colours and shades. Diversity was visible in the language and skin colour, in mannerisms and traditions, and also in the dresses. However, diversity becomes meaningless when it comes to passion. Passion is eternal and is the same for everyone, everywhere. The passion that was exuded by each student to come dressed in their national costume was the overarching trait of the evening.

The buzz in the hall in Cranfield Management Development Centre (CMDC) was reverberating. My eyes could hardly capture one beautiful sight when the next one appeared. Be it students or partners, all were at their traditional best. Charlie in his pin-striped suit and bowler hat was the quintessential English gentleman while John McIntyre, dressed in a flowing robe took me back to the middle ages of British history. Then there was Veronica Tapia showing off her Mexican dress, complete with ribbonned plaits and Rola Mikati in her traditional long Lebanese dress. Divya, Seema and Aparna – the Indian women - attracted equal attention with their traditional bright sarees. It was quite a pleasant sight to see Gautam Sharma dressed in a black Achkan (an Indian jacket) with a red rose on his lapel, reminding one of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (India’s first prime Minister).

Well, those who weren’t there indeed missed something very special.