Chai Party becomes tradition

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It’s Friday night and the party in apartment 313 in Cedar Village is in full swing. Music blares inside the crowded room. People mingle and smoke hookah. There’s only one thing missing: alcohol.

What has become an annunal event known as the Chai Party has become an unexpected tradition since it first began in 2006 by several roommates — all MSU students — who wanted to know if it was possible to create a party atmosphere without the drinking.

“We had no idea what it was going to be when we set it up,” said Qasim Shakeel, one of the party’s founders and an MSU alumnus. “At MSU, a lot of people choose to drink, and that’s fine, but personally I could function better without it, and even if I went to events that served alcohol, I could communicate with people better when I’m sober.”

The group decided to throw a party where the main beverage was chai — a type of tea made from loose leaf tea as well as milk, sweetener and other spices. Lyman Briggs senior Garrett Nelson, who hosted this year’s event, made the chai tea from a secret recipe.

“Most of us are from South Asia or (are) Middle Eastern, and chai in our culture represents people getting together,” Shakeel said.

Although Shakeel and his roommates graduated in 2008, the party has lived on.

“When we graduated, I thought that was going to be the end, but people liked it so much that they did it again,” Shakeel said.

Nelson, who first experienced a Chai Party in 2007, said he has waited all year to host the event.

“(I was attracted by) the whole concept of the Chai Party, embracing the South Asian culture in respect to India and Pakistan and how they carry out social events,” Nelson said.

There was a distinct South Asian feel to the Chai Party. Tapestries covered the walls.Food for the guests included baklava and samosas — bite-sized fried dough containing potatoes and lentils. American pop songs such as “Tik-Tok” were interspersed with Indian songs. When a song called “Desi Girl” from the Bollywood movie “Dostana” came on, a group of girls began to bounce to the rhythm of the music, singing along to the lyrics.

Although the party has South Asian roots and is an alcohol-free event, it still maintained the atmosphere of a typical college party. Music blasted, people mingled, a smoky corner contained two hookahs and a few party guests brought their own. There was silly string, singing, gossiping and dancing couples.

“You come and you’re drinking chai,” said political science junior Shereen Hamed, who attended the event.

“In every other way it’s like a regular party.”

Although this year’s event attracted more than 125 people throughout Friday night, organizers have not attempted to move it to a more spacious venue, and the tradition is likely to continue, Nelson said.

“The whole tradition of the Chai Party has been to keep the party in Cedar Village,” Nelson said.

At about 1 a.m. Friday, the party still continued as new people arrived at the apartment.

“I didn’t expect this at all,” Nelson said. “This isn’t my expectation — it exceeded it.”

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