By Shaireza Jaafar
GOMBAK, 29 May 2023: The Secretariat of English Language and Literature (ELITS) had organized the BENL Raya celebration on 21 May 2023 in the Multi-Purpose Hall (MPH) of Mahallah Hafsa of IIUM Gombak.
The event was tied to the essence of Raya’s spirit as it featured participants in their traditional Raya attire. The event took off with singing performances highlighting the diversity of student cultures, showcasing their Raya experiences.
Du’a recitation from Br. Hakim and welcoming remarks from Dr. Ainul
The opening ceremony was blessed by a du’a recitation from Vice President 2 of ELITS, Muhammad Hakim bin Abdul Malik, and welcoming remarks from BENL lecturer, Dr. Ainul Azmin binti Md. Zamin.
There was a singing performance and awards given to best dressed male and female participants.
The celebration continued with Raya-themed entertaining games, followed by a lucky draw and a surprise announcement of the best Raya attire for male and female participants where winners received amazing prizes.
The male best-dressed winner, Muhammad Anas Halimi bin Mohd Halimudin, shared that he “enjoyed the arrangement of this event and tasted many delicious foods. As a first-year BENL student, it was special for me to be celebrating Raya with my friends here for the first time.”
Committee member, Nur Amirah Atirah Maulat Ishak said the event was filled with glee and “it was because of the collaboration among the committees that we managed to deliver a memorable celebration.”
“Initially, we were planning to conduct this event at Wadi Budi on a much larger scale, but due to some unforesceen circumstances we had to search for other available places and the only venue we could secure is MPH Hafsa,” said the President of ELITS, Fathin Naufal binti Nizam.
“Although there were many challenges, we were still able to work together and successfully realize the event,” she further expressed.
“I hope that we can get more participants involved in this kind of programme in future and target a much larger committee,” she concluded at the end of the interview with IIUMToday.
The event was attended by 130 students mostly from the BENL programme and jointly participated by some BENL lecturers and alumni.***
Exquisite moments of participants at the event.