Review: Jashan 2008

By Sruti Pegatraju 5 April 2008 295 views No Comment

Co-Written with Mrinalini Ranjan.

On March 28th, the Indian Cultural Association hosted their biggest event of the semester- Jashan 2008. As per tradition, the theme of the event was an Indian Carnival with tents, balloons, and a range of fun-filled activities. The crowds started collecting in South Mall as the sun started to set on the dusky Friday evening. Unfortunately, the clouds started gathering quite simultaneously, greeting us with a light scatter of rain as the evening progressed.

There were a total of eight entertainment acts that encompassed the two and a half hour show. It commenced with a multi-cultural group who danced to a medley of upbeat Bollywood songs, brightening the stage with bold costumes of black and red. Following this were more cultural pieces from a fresh new dance group ‘Texas Tadka’, who danced to the hit song of ‘Rang De Basanti’, as well as an immaculate performance by UT’s South Indian Classical Dance group ‘Nritya Sangam’. After this came a spicy addition to the show by an all-boy dance group who appropriately named themselves ‘Desi Masala’, and gave an energetic performance to all the latest Bollywood hits that got the crowd cheering.

There were however, a few disappointments during the show. The musical act by ‘HUM A Capella’ group was a bit of a let down . They tended to go a off at times and I felt that they did not do justice to the songs they chose. The female leads were a tad too high pitched and the poor pronunciation of Hindi words sounded a bit awkward.

The MC-ing dragged at times too. There seemed to be too much of an interval between lines and the jokes were old - especially the exaggerated desi accent that would appear from time to time. The MC’s also shifted back and forth from a standard Indian accent to a newly acquired American one. This seemed a bit inconsistent. However, they did try their best to make people laugh - and most of the time they managed to do it quite well.

The evening continued with other acts such as the all-girl dance group with dazzling costumes and bold hand movements, followed by a unique South Indian dance by the group ‘Idli Vada Sambhar’ whose crazy beats and swift steps brought the crowd to its feet. The program ended with a vibrant finale by the ‘Mohini’ dance group who highlighted their professionalism and co-ordination in all their movements.

The group of twelve stalls set up all around South Mall added to the carnival ambience of Jashan. Focusing on various aspects of Indian culture, the subjects of the stalls ranged from Indian travel, Indian Games, Performing Arts, and Indian Business to more fun-filled activities such as a Hoopla stall, Hookah, Palmistry, Henna, Indian languages and the famous ‘Dress Like an Indian’ stall that was an attention-puller for the non-Indian crowd. Food was catered by Bombay Bistro and was immensely satisfying.

What was most inspiring about the event was the perseverance that was prevalent in everyone there, be it in the committee members, volunteers, performers, or the audience itself. Despite the constant drizzling that caused a degree of discomfort for the audience, not to mention the hindrance it was for the dancers who had to carefully handle all the jumps and slides of their dance routines on the slippery stage, there was still a determination to keep the show going. All the acts had run smoothly and even though the dancers had to take extra precautions on stage, the audience still appreciated their energy. Likewise, volunteers and ICA committee members continued to bustle from one end of the venue to the other to assure that everything was running smoothly. Throughout the evening, a crowd about 800 strong was roaming around South Mall, with umbrellas and jackets over their heads, curious to see how much they could learn from the various stalls present. It highlighted the reputation the Indian Cultural Association has gained for its feature events of Jashan in the spring and Jhalak in the fall semester, and the fact that there is a significant population from all over Texas that is interested in seeing what new features Jashan has to offer every year.

On the whole, Jashan 2008 was a commendable effort put up by the ICA. It was an event where the whole UT community could get together and celebrate Indian culture in a fun and light-hearted manner.