The TASA Culture Show, presented by Tufts Association of South Asians (TASA) on Saturday in Cohen Auditorium, was a high-energy blend of bright colors, dance, song and video. The theme of the show was “My Big Fat Bollywood Wedding” and was directed by sophomores Sanya Pradhan, Kanav Jhunjhunwala and Sidhant Chadha.
Amidst the festivities, however, senior Avneet Soin and sophomore Natasha Karunaratne from Tufts’ South Asian Political Action Committee (SAPAC) added an element of seriousness with a speech that addressed how the American political climate is affecting South Asian people. They spoke of racial profiling, spikes in hate crimes against Sikh and Muslim people and harassment toward people who wear hijabs and turbans. The representatives from SAPAC urged the audience to take action against these issues by volunteering and donating to civil rights organizations, and the speech prompted a powerful moment of reflection during a celebration of South Asian art.
The first act was a South Indian classical music performance in which senior Bhavna Sivasubramanian sang two Carnatic pieces accompanied by Tufts professor Layth Sidiq on the violin. The duo first performed a melodic bhajan composed by Meera Bhai that praises Krishna. The second piece was a fast-paced thillana, a highly rhythmic piece usually used in classical Indian dance performances.
Storytelling was an important theme of the night. Pulse, Tufts’ nationally competing Indian classical dance team, performed a piece in the styles of Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi that told the story of Persephone, Demeter and Hades. The dancers’ gestures and facial expressions perfectly captured the myth’s wide range of emotions.
Tufts’ competitive Bollywood Fusion dance team, Tamasha, performed a dance that told the story of a woman’s immigration from India to the United States. During the dance, snippets of her inner monologue and conversations with new acquaintances played over the speakers. One of the clips included a snide New Yorker’s comment about immigrants, which tied back to the speech given by Soin and Karunaratne. The blend of dance and storytelling conveyed an immigrant woman’s feelings of apprehension, alienation and eventual contentment with her new home.
JumboRaas, Tufts’ only Garba and Raas team, performed a dance inspired by “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.” In an introductory video that was projected onstage, members of the dance team assumed the personas of various characters from the story, such as Augustus Gloop, Charlie Bucket and Violet Beauregarde. Giant cardboard chocolate bars and other props were incorporated into the dance and added an extra element of fun.
Two seniors delivered a unique musical performance that combined Maroon 5 with a song from a Bollywood film starring Shah Rukh Khan. The songs blended together beautifully and the singers proved their musical dexterity by switching back and forth between different languages and vocal techniques.
Other performances of the night included the first-year and the sophomore dances, during which underclassmen flooded the stage and filled the auditorium with energy. Tufts' Bhangra team debuted a new set in one act and collaborated with JumboRaas in another. Dancers from different groups also came together to perform a fusion dance that meshed Bollywood music with Ed Sheeran’s “Shape of You” (2017).
Though admission to the show was free, all proceeds raised from the sale of samosas and mango lassies went directly to the Saheli foundation, a Massachusetts-based women's organization that provides resources, support and legal empowerment to meet the specific needs of South Asian women.
TASA Culture Show prompts moment of reflection
