The Memorial Union Building (MUB) is more than just a place to hang out, get work done or grab a bite to eat to thousands of students, staff, and faculty members.
Besides getting a game on in the pool room, engaging in a group meeting for one of UNH's eclectic majors, or simply relaxing on some free time, the MUB offers a plethora of relevent educational events concerning religious and international issues.
"Students should never complain there is nothing to do," said MaryAnne Lustgraaf, the director of the MUB. "We have over 13,000 events a year in this building. When you erase all the meetings, it's still 4,000 events," she said.
A series of events in particular, Cultural Connections, is funded by the MUB and The Office of International Students and Scholars. This series encourages international UNH students to present information about their culture.
This past Friday, Sharmistha Mitra, an international UNH senior, gave an interesting presentation in the Entertainment Center titled "Baul- The Mystic Minstrels of Bengali Culture," which brought light to a tradition consisting of a group of Baul people from the Indian state of West Bengal and the independent nation of Bangladesh. The presentation consisted of specific perspective or philosophy on religion in the country she represents. She is one of many international UNH students with a background that deserves to be shared with the public.
Their beliefs are said to stem from Vaishnavism, Sufi Islam, Tantra, and Buddhism. However, it's a philosophy and not considered an official religion.
"One can reach God, the Devine, only through human form," said Mitra in her presentation.
The Baul's philosophy on God is practiced through their rituals. For example, they play music through an ektara, a one stringed instrument; a dugi, a small drum; and their own voices. The purpose of the music is to express their inner joy and simplistic love for life.
The Baul's are a group of wandering minstrels representing a Hindu term 'Vayu,' which means 'like the wind.' This term stems from the connection that the Baul people are like the wind because they move from village to village.
They never marry or procreate since they're celibate. They're very humble and poor, but accepting to those joining their follow. They're strong believers of karma with an absolute emphasis on the human being and "putting man at the very center of the universe," said Mitra.
Prior to Mitra's presentation, there have already been five presentations this semester.
"It's a forum for the students to be able to share their culture in an informal and accessible way," said Leila Paje-Manalo, director of the Office of International Students and Scholars, in an interview. "We normally tell the students to prepare for 30 minutes, because they're no experts."
Paje-Manalo went on to say that students can provide food relevant to their presentations and the expense will be reimbursed by the Office of International Students and Scholars. The MUB absorbs the other costs of the events and prints flyers.
Generally, the students who present are here on scholarships. They're required to lead an exploration into their culture to benefit expansion of mind and perspective.
Muge Hurkal an international UNH senior from Cyprus, an island country in the Eastern Mediterranean located south of Turkey, has previously made a presentation.
"I wanted to learn a second language, and they gave me a scholarship," explained Hurkal about her education in the United States and at UNH in particular. "But if you're not smart enough, it's not easy," said Hurkal with a snicker.
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