Students crowded inside the Asian Culture Center on Tuesday evening to attend a mehendi workshop. Mehendi, also known as henna, is a form of body art originating from India and South Asia.
Mehendi involves applying henna paste to create temporary tattoos. It is traditionally done as a pre-wedding celebration, especially to identify the bride. This was the ACC’s first henna workshop of the semester, which allowed students to come and learn basic techniques, but the center has hosted the workshop for a few years.
The ACC purchased a new box of henna cones for the event. Students shared cones and practiced on one another. Some checked Pinterest for inspiration while others drew various floral designs.
The workshop volunteer was IU freshman Utsavi Gilder. Gilder told the ACC during new student orientation that she did henna, and it asked her to help at some of its events. She did henna at CultureFest in August as well as the ACC’s open house.
Gilder began the event by demonstrating how to hold the cone and a basic flower design with lines and dots.
“I just want people to be more educated about my culture,” Gilder said. “I'm very proud about my culture, and henna is one of the things that is very much associated with the Desi culture. I love it and want more people to be exposed to it.”
Linda You, the ACC program associate, graduated in 2023 with a degree in international relations and Chinese through the Hamilton Lugar School. Since then, she has worked at IU in the Chinese program and took her position at the ACC at the end of October 2024. As a program associate, she does financial administrative work and programming events like the henna workshop for the center.
“I was like, it'd be cool to give it a try and work with student life and also fulfill ACC's mission of promoting more awareness of Asian American Pacific Islander issues and histories around campus,” You said.
The ACC also has programs like cooking demonstrations, calligraphy and language tutoring to teach students about different Asian cultures.
“Our center hosting this specific kind of workshop to foster more interaction and engagement among our community, we think it would be a good way to just kind of detach them from their phones and learn about and enjoy new cultural experiences,” You said. “I think overall, these culture activities such as henna can be a fun way to introduce students to different traditions and cultures.”
Members of Delta Sigma Pi, a co-ed business fraternity at IU, were connected to the event through their organization’s vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion, freshman Sofia Scott. Scott said she has always been passionate about DEI and became interested in the position when she joined the fraternity.
“I've been looking into all the culture houses for different opportunities for the brotherhood, and then I saw henna at the ACC,” Scott said. “This is something that I've always heard about because I have a lot of Asian friends here and back home. I wanted to not only learn because of myself, but to have people that I'm friends with that are connected to the culture be able to teach me.”
IU sophomore Jack Carmody is also a member of Delta Sigma Pi. He had experience with henna in elementary school and was excited by the opportunity to experience it again in college. Carmody got the Delta Sigma Pi Greek letters hennaed on his right hand.
“In elementary school, I had a lot of friends from India, and around the Indian holidays their moms would come in and give us really cool, intricate dots on our hands,” Carmody said. “I found out that this was happening at the Asian Culture Center, and I was immediately intrigued and knew I wanted to come and learn more about it now that I'm in college and can experience it once again.”
TOP LEFT Two event attendees watch as one attempts to pipe a fish onto the other’s hand Feb. 25, 2025, while attending the Asian Culture Center’s henna workshop. Although henna is traditionally designated for brides and bridal parties, anyone can experiment with it. TOP RIGHT An event attendee practices a floral mandala design on a paper towel before putting it on skin Feb. 25, 2025, while attending the Asian Culture Center’s henna workshop. Attendees were encouraged to practice before committing to the design on their skin because henna can last for multiple weeks. BOTTOM LEFT Freshman Ellise Jensen raises her henna cone while practicing Pinterest designs on her paper towel Feb. 25, 2025, at the Asian Culture Center’s henna workshop. Attendees were encouraged to find henna inspiration on the internet to base their design on. BOTTOM RIGHT Freshman Utsavi Gilder clears out clumps from her brand-new henna cone Feb. 25, 2025, at the Asian Culture Center’s henna workshop. The piping hole on the cones was so small that she had to stick a pin into it when not using it.
From start to finish, the workshop was alive with students sharing their knowledge of henna. They were focused on their designs but still took time to interact with everyone else in the center.
At the time of their February event, the ACC didn’t know when its next event would be, but events are regularly posted on its website.
“Hopefully we will do it next month and the month after and hopefully more people will show up,” Gilder said.
By Hayden Kay
Hayden Kay has written for the IDS since 2024. Email
Photos by Emerson Elledge
Emerson Elledge has worked for the IDS since 2024. Email
Design & Development by Sky Angeles
Sky has worked at the IDS since 2024 as a web developer. Email
Like what you're reading?
Support independent, award-winning student journalism.
Donate.