Food, song, dance spice up Indian celebration The Utsav event Saturday night showcased India's cultural wealth and extensive diversity BY MORIAH BALINGIT NEWS REPORTER Mark T\vain once said: “In religion and culture, India is the only million aire! There is only one India! ” On Saturday night, Students of the Indian Subcontinent got the chance to showcase the subcontinent’s cultural assets with Utsav, a celebration that featured song, dance, stand-up come dy and, of course, Indian cuisine. “There’s not many events in the Northwest like this,” stage manager Taimur Khan said. Sophomore Jessica Nair, the pro gram director, said Utsav was a chance to educate people about various as pects of Indian culture. “We do it to give them a taste of our entertainment, clothing and food,” she said. The program treated the approxi mately 350 attendees to masala, chicken curry, and naan, an Indian flatbread. For dessert SIS served gu lab janum, balls of cooked flour in syrup. After dinner, performers of all ages highlighted the diversity of Indi an culture for an audience that filled the EMU Ballroom. The event also drew students from Portland State University and community members from Portland. Graduate student Ishwinder Kaur said the two-hour performance barely scratched the surface of India’s culture. “This is nothing compared to the di versity of India,” she said. “There’s not enough representation of the whole of India in Eugene.” The show featured dances and per formances from different parts of In dia. Bhangra, a folk dance from Pun jab, and the Bharatnatyam, a temple dance from South India, were among the performances. Bollywood, India’s immensely pop ular film industry, influenced many of the dances. And although it was collo quially named for its counterpart in southern California, Bollywood pro duces far more films per year. “It’s bigger than Hollywood,” Kaur said. “And I guess it’s a culture in it’s own right.” Nair said in Bollywood films much of the story is told through song lyrics and dance. “The music is kind of telling a story and we act it out through the dance,” she said. Other dances fused the East with the West. In one dance, four perform ers danced in long traditional linen shirts and pants before changing into black slacks and white ties to segue into a dance set to a Bhangra singer’s adaptation of Usher’s “Yeah.” Portland State University student Vishal Jhaveri, who performed in the dance, said a whole business has spawned from infusing American pop songs with Indian lyrics. “It’s an industry in its own,” he said. Two emcees polished off the evening with a bevy of jokes, which drew mixed responses from the crowd. However, a cue card that said “laughter” signaled the audience when necessary. The performance concluded with a fashion show that displayed the vi brant spectrum of the traditional wardrobe. Women wore long silk tu nics and scarves in rich oranges, pur ples and greens, many adorned with sequins and rhinestones. Jhaveri said the performances are often joint efforts with SIS students from a core community in Portland. “We’re all community members and we usually perform,” he said. Nair said performers from outside the University helped put on the show because the University’s population of Indian students is not that large. Junior Simon Saleem, one of the show’s coordinators, said one of the purposes of Utsav was to help dispel stereotypes. “Indians are portrayed as having that deep accent like Apu, from the Simpsons,” he said. “This basically showcases the beauty of the culture.” moriahbalingit@ daily emerald, com j 150% ^CC bubble tea w/ purchase of pita Coupons valid until 3/10/05 j Buy 1 | slice of pizza i Get 2nd| 50% OFF! I Coupons valid until 3/10/05 Campus Shack (formerly Campus Pizza) Open til 3 am • We Deliver Fast + Friendly Service Try our Delicious Pizza & Healthy pitas tervlna bubble tea • "OUK DUNKS NAVI BAUS" . Call “The Shack" at: 343-7492 884 E 13th Ave. • UO Campus • Across from Bookstore .tybfiuu! FRIDAY FEBRUARY 25 AT 8 PM - SILVA tickets: $12 students www.HultCenter.org HULT CENTER PRESEN TS 541.682.5000 My Soul Is A Witness Civil Rights stories of passion and courage. Protest songs—Soaring gospel music This is powerful theater! ySU^ • v« Interested in Health Education? 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