Hindi A Cappella Pioneers Perform at UT

By Nimisha Mittal 5 March 2008 385 views No Comment

When eleven guys walk out in front of a waiting crowd, and the crowd’s anticipation unleashes applause and deafening cheers, you can expect them to be either a) the Indian Cricket Team or b) Penn Masala.

The Men in Blue have yet to make an appearance on Longhorn territory, but until then, UT knows how to keep its South-Asian population entertained. Two of the biggest cultural student organizations, the Indian Students Association (ISA) and the Indian Cultural Association (ICA) came together on March 1st 2008 to present Penn Masala, the world’s first Hindi a cappella group founded at the University of Pennsylvania in 1996.

The members of the group quickly found a niche for themselves in the musical kingdom by brilliantly fusing South-Asian and Western style music to produce melodies that are familiar, yet refreshingly different from what our ears are accustomed to. They were featured in the soundtrack of ‘American Desi’ (2001), and have released five full-length albums. They frequently perform at college campuses all over the US, and have also performed in London, Toronto, and Mumbai.

The show, held at the Union Ballroom, had an overwhelming turnout - besides UT students, the audience included people from Baylor, and Penn Masala alums. To say that the show was a success would be an atrocious understatement. Dressed casually in jeans and shirts, the members of Penn Masala had the audience enticed from their very opening song, a Hindi/English fusion of ‘Used to Love You’. The songs that followed included favorites such as ‘With or Without You’, ‘Mere Mehboob Mere Sanam’, and masterful fusions such as ‘Jaane Kahaan Kab Kisee Ko’ and ‘Ain’t No Sunshine’. When ‘Aicha’ came around, the audience added to the music with its own rhythmic applause.

The performance was spectacular; the talent on stage was obviously polished to perfection. The transition between songs was easy and clean, and the fun that the singers were having during the show was evident. It was easy to forget that no musical instruments were being used, and that the guitar, drums, and synthesizer sounds originated from human throats. Each of the singers had his own distinct style, and the crowd quickly picked its favorites, but cheered for everyone.

The group took a short break and returned with renewed vigor, crooning Fray’s ‘Over my head’ and the classic ‘Kya Mujhe Pyar Hai’. Representing variety not only in their songs but also in their outfits, the group had changed into sherwanis*, as they moved into the more Indianized segment of their performance. Pardes’ ‘Tasvir se Nikal ke Saamne Aa’ earned them a few hundred smiles from the audience, while a fusion of ‘Where The Streets Have No Name’ and ‘Roobaroo’ elicited a good response too.

Post intermission, Penn Masala surprised the crowd with a club/rap sequence, for the benefit of those who may have been tired of too many love songs. Many more songs followed; the singers continued to follow their set pattern of having one or two lead singers, while the others gave the background music. Instead of tiring with time, the performers’ energy on stage was almost tangible, and on the rise. When they were done, the crowd gave them a well-deserved standing ovation, and demanded an encore.

If there was an encore of an encore, they deserved that too.