Completely Deewana for ISA’s Fall Show

The Indian Student Association smoothly pulls off a crowd-favorite event

By: Sanjali Roy

Bright reds, blues, and golds flashed around the room and the smell of aromatic Indian food filled the air. There was laughter and chatter all around; the sound of old friends catching up with each other, and the sound of new connections being made. A general buzz of excitement could be felt as everyone was anticipating a fun night of performances. 

Each year, the University of Minnesota's Indian Student Association hosts Deewana, their annual fall show. Deewana means crazy or passionate in Hindi; it’s a word often used in Bollywood films, and it invokes a sense of nostalgia for Indians. The show began with the emcees welcoming the audience, followed by the board of the Indian Student Association, who had their own dance performance! All seventeen of them were wearing vibrant Indian clothes; kurtas for the men and salwar kameezes, ghagras, and sarees for the women. The audience cheered for every board member and was supportive throughout the show, screaming out names and offering raucous applause at regular intervals.

The show included several musical and dance performances. Two students had individual musical performances: one played the harmonium and sang a Kannada love song, while the other played a Carnatic classical song on the alto-saxophone. MN Fitoor, the South Asian acapella team on campus, also performed a beautiful medley of songs in English and Indian languages.

Among the classical dance acts of the night were the Nrityalaya Dance Academy, a major dance academy in the Minneapolis area that teaches the Indian classical dances of Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi. Minnesota Agni, UMN’s own Bharatanatyam team, also had an incredible ten minute performance set to the soundtrack and narrative of Harry Potter, which made my heart burst with happiness as it combined two things I love a lot: India and Harry Potter. Beta Chi Theta, the U’s South Asian fraternity, delivered an incredibly entertaining performance that ranged from classic 1990’s Bollywood songs to today’s American hip hop hits. The audience was left in splits because of their parodies of classic Bollywood poses. Minnesota Junoon (meaning passion; see a theme here?), a competitive, co-ed Bollywood fusion dance team, danced with high energy to a mashup of Bollywood songs. Finally, Dhoom Dance Crew closed the show with an invigorating performance influenced by various styles like bhangra and hip-hop. It’s important to give artistic groups a platform to perform and express themselves, because it empowers them. As Garima, a member of Junoon, said, “dance makes me feel alive…, powerful, and strong.” By performing dance or music from our culture, it gives the South Asian community a way to assert that we’re here, and we’re not going to forget or erase our identity, even in a foreign land. 

But the most unexpected part of the event for me was when a representative from SEWA-AIFW gave a speech about their organization. SEWA-AIFW is a non-profit that supports the well-being of South Asian families in the area by providing access to health care, well-being programs, domestic violence resources, and socialization for elders. Having lived in the greater Twin Cities area for the last ten years, I have never heard of resources like these for the South Asian community. The representative openly talked about mental health counseling, which I thought was extremely necessary because mental health is very stigmatized in the South Asian community. Often it is a subject that is neglected and ignored in South Asian households because we are afraid of what other people will think about us if we admit that we have a mental illness. However, this issue is slowly getting better because of the steps organizations like SEWA-AIFW are taking.

A possible question that might arise is what the purpose of shows like this is. Does it help people in any way? I think the answer is yes. This kind of event creates well-needed solidarity within the South Asian community. Without solidarity, migrant communities can become competitive and toxic rather than supportive; I’ve seen it happen before my own eyes. However, shows like Deewana channel our energy towards positive things like music and dance, and it reminds us of the cultural heritage we have in common. It also connects with attendees from outside the South Asian community, and gives them a greater appreciation of our culture. These events are the bridges we need to connect across barriers; these are the bridges we need in the fight against racism. I hope cultural communities at UMN continue to host events like these, so we can spread knowledge, break down stereotypes and celebrate all those things that make us deewana.