Are you interested in Henna? Well, Aanchal Kumar, who is the president of the Henna Club, urges students to be involved with the Henna Club in hopes of educating students on different cultures while focusing on the Indian Culture. In her second year running this club with the help of Vice President Jasmine Yiu, Treasurer Hui Zhong, and the advisor Mary Liberge, the Malden High School librarian, Kumar is attempting to educate students and highlight Indian culture throughout Malden High School.
Kumar is the founder of Henna club and has been running it since last year. Not only did she start it to help educate others on Indian culture, but she looked forward to giving people an opportunity to learn something new and experience the importance of henna. Kumar believes that many people have assumptions on henna and Indian culture as she states that “some think of [henna] as a tattoo,” but in her opinion, she thinks that henna has “its own aspects,” and is “something more than that.”
Kumar’s interest in Henna sparked when she was a child. From growing up watching her mother create what she called “beautiful and traditional designs,” she decided to learn how to fabricate these images herself. Compared to last years turn out, Kumar claims “[they] also have a ton of students on the remind app,” so her goal was to help all of the students learn who did not have the helpful materials or the opportunity given to them.
As for Treasurer Zhong, it was something else that grabbed her attention for henna. She believes it “allowed [her] to have a design on [her] hand without having it be permanent.” Not only was henna temporary, but it gave her room to experiment with different designs. Zhong claimed that she joined this club out of pure curiosity for her friends culture. She has many friends in this club and enjoys being a part of it.
Yiu, the Vice President of the Henna Club, is interested in henna because of the wide varieties of designs. She was not originally a part of the club, but she soon became Vice President because Kumar trusted her and her responsibility. She believes that “henna is a very unique art and should be appreciated more.” Yiu looked forward to gaining experience in a new style of art when she chose to join.
Kumar states that the group is planning on hosting a henna competition very soon. This competition will result in a mystery prize and all Malden High students are encouraged to attend. Dates are still being finalized but students can contact Aanchal Kumar at akumar20@maldenps.org to buy henna cones.
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