Armed with an Indian mace, McCormick junior Tarak Shah won the throne of ancient India on Saturday by defeating Weinberg junior Aditya Chawla in a duel.

The staged battle, based on a popular Hindu epic, was part of the Mela, an all-day fair in Patten Gym celebrating Hindu culture. Dancing, Indian food and guest speakers were among the fair’s featured attractions.

The event, organized by Om-Hindu Students Council, attracted Northwestern students as well as people from throughout the Chicago area. It began with the Ganesh Puja, a Hindu offering ceremony.

Seema Shah, Mela coordinator, said the fair’s purpose was “to raise awareness among students and the Northwestern community” about the Hindu religion and culture. She said it was equally geared toward Hindu and non-Hindu students.

People from many different cultures came for dance and music workshops, hear speakers about the Hindu faith and eat Indian food.

The Mela culminated with the Raas-Garba, a Hindu dance featuring colorful attire. Between 200 and 250 attended, said Seema Shah, a Weinberg senior.

The first Mela was held last Spring Quarter.

“We’re still kind of experimenting,” said Seema Shah, who noted that this year’s Mela was shorter than the first.

Seema Shah expressed happiness with the turnout — a few hundred throughout the day — but added that they always like to see more people.

Cassandra Osinga said she came to learn more about the culture of her roommate, an Indian student. Osinga, a Communication sophomore, already had learned new things about Hinduism from the numerous information booths set up in Patten, such as one about the origins of the caste system.

“It’s interesting how the whole caste system evolved,” she said.

Hindu author Bansi Pandit said the caste system arose from the Indian social system, not from the Hindu religion.

Pandit addressed other common misconceptions about Hinduism while giving an audience of about 30 people an overview of the religion.

“It’s the unity of everything,” Pandit said.

Pandit said karma, the law that the energy from a person’s positive or negative actions will return to him, is one of Hinduism’s most frequently misunderstood facets.

Pandit said many non-Hindus believe karma denies free will. In reality it is simply a law of cause and effect.

Pandit also emphasized the inadequacy of the English language to express Hindu concepts that were written in Sanskrit. He cited the difference between Hindu and Judeo-Christian beliefs about God as an example, contrasting Judeo-Christian separation of God and the universe with the Hindu concept of unity.

After Pandit spoke, the Mela’s focus shifted to the numerous booths and activities throughout the gym and lobby. Colorful tapestries hung overhead as people took part in music and dance workshops, browsed the colorful booths, and sampled a variety of Indian cuisine.

Weinberg sophomore Rakesh Baruah, a Hindu who came because he “wanted to support the (Hindu) community,” found the booths especially informative. He said that even though he grew up with Hinduism, he learned new things from seeing the information organized and in context.