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The Student News Site of Saint Louis University

The University News

The Student News Site of Saint Louis University

The University News

Sangam Plans

First Cultural Show

Sangam, the Indian Asian Student Association, invites the Saint Louis University community to journey “Through the Looking Glass” and learn more about South East Asian culture through an exciting evening of dances and skits.

The entirely student-run production is Sangam’s first ever cultural show.

Seema Chacko, president of Sangam, said, “Putting on a cultural show has been a goal of our organization since we founded it. One of the main goals of Sangam is to spread South East Asian cultural awareness throughout our campus, and this show is one way of doing so.”

Sangam, which means “union” in Hindi, was founded in 1998.

The group is open to students of any nationality who want to learn more about South East Asian culture.

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South East Asia encompasses India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and Nepal.

In the two years since its founding, Sangam has become an active and integral part of the SLU community.

Ram Kumar, former vice president of Sangam, said, “We have always felt it is important to bring Indian culture to campus and putting on a cultural night is the most visible and entertaining way of doing so.”

The show consists of various styles of Indian dances, fashion shows displaying different types of traditional Indian clothing and humorous skits dealing with South East Asian life and culture.

Sangam’s Cultural Night is not unique to just SLU.

Many colleges, such as Washington University and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, have an established tradition of Indian cultural shows.

Sakshi Hingle, a freshman participating in the show, said, “It is really exciting to be in the first ever cultural show at SLU.”

She added, “We are starting a tradition we hope continues and grows stronger every year.”

Many of the students participating in the show are of South East Asian descent and have been born and raised in the United States. The title of the show signifies this dual heritage.

Chacko explained, “The title `Through the Looking Glass’ is the reflection of our South East Asian heritage upon our American upbringing.”

Chacko continued, “This show is the culmination of a semester’s hard work put in by all of our members. They have spent endless hours practicing and perfecting their performances.”

Mayuri Bhakta, social chair of Sangam, said “The colorful array of costumes and incredible dances are definitely worth seeing.”

The show is on Saturday, April 29 at 7 p.m. in Xavier Hall Auditorium and seating begins at 6:30 p.m.

Free Indian food and refreshments will be served.

Tickets are $7. All proceeds go to charity. Tickets have been selling fast, and as of now, only 70 tickets remain, so it is advisable to purchase tickets beforehand.

Tickets can be bought in the Lower Level of BMC or from Seema Chacko at 535-5699.

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