Iowa State students and faculty will have an opportunity to broaden their cultural horizons this Friday without leaving campus.

“Mirch Masala,” the 1997 Indian food festival, will be held March 21 from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Great Hall of the Memorial Union. Beside getting an opportunity to sample Indian cuisine, visitors will be able to visit booths and displays about the country, see an audio-video presentation and buy a few authentic Indian handicrafts — all while supporting a worthy cause.

“This is a ‘port of call’ event, which means it’s kind of like you’re visiting the country,” said Chidu Chidambiam, treasurer of the Society for Indian Tradition and Arts (SITAR). He said the focus of this year’s event is to highlight the diversity of India through the different dishes and displays. “Over the years, it has grown into a bigger event,” he said.

Each of four different regions of India will be featured with dishes traditionally from that part of the country. Students from each region will be cooking that region’s respective dishes.

Chidambiam said people who might be apprehensive about the taste of the food have no reason to worry. “Don’t be scared that the food will be spicy,” he said, explaining that the spicing has been toned down for the American public. For those who take a liking to the food, recipes of the dishes will be available.

In addition to getting a taste of food from the country, Ravikanth Avancha, a founding member of SITAR, said there will be one display counter for each region. There will also be several audio-video presentations about India and its culture, ranging from the Taj Mahal to traditional dances.

At the event, authentic Indian handicrafts that have been brought back from India by ISU students will be for sale. The proceeds from the sale will support various literary missions in India, via the Literacy Focus Group, a group of ISU students working to eliminate the problem of illiteracy in the country.

“We hope to increase awareness in the ISU community about this problem of illiteracy,” Avancha said. The group is sponsoring two projects in India. Last year, the group raised nearly $2,000 through different projects, and they hope to increase that total this year.

Both vegetarian and non-vegetarian tickets will be available at the door. Prices are $4 for the vegetarian meal and $5 if you want meat.

The event is sponsored jointly by the Government of the Student Body and the Office for International Students and Scholars.