Cultural Journey

  ANGIE LEVINE Members of the Indian Student Union rehearse
for their culture show, "Yatra: A Journey Through India," showing
at Royce Hall on Saturday. Dances range from contemporary hip hop
(top) to traditional Indian dance (below right).

By Michael Rosen-Molina
Daily Bruin Senior Staff

UCLA students don’t have to visit India to learn about its
culture ““ they can just drop by Royce Hall.

The Indian Student Union will present its culture show
“Yatra,” the Hindi word for journey, tomorrow evening
at Royce.

The show consists of about 15 different acts tied together
through a play about a young college graduate who travels to India
to learn about his roots. His adventures are used as a springboard
to launch the dance and musical numbers in the show.

As the graduate travels through India he encounters the diverse
people and cultures of the country’s different regions.

“At first, he doesn’t like it at all,” said
Asim Mandhai, a fifth-year political science student and ISU vice
president. “He originally wants to travel through Europe, but
his mother buys him a ticket to India and insists that he go. He
travels from Bengal to Delhi and discovers all of India’s
unique culture along the way.”

Among the dances featured in the show will be the Marathi dance
from coastal India, a dance frequently performed by fisherwomen to
relieve stress. Other dances include the Rajasthani dance from
Rajastan and the Bhangra dance from Punjab.

“The Bhangar will be performed by UCLA’s Bhangar
Team,” said Raj Kanani, a second-year chemical engineering
student and ISU cultural chair. “Their stunts and energy will
really just blow everyone away.”

The Raas folk dance from Gujarat will also be performed. Raas
dancers work with large sticks in the traditional dance.

“The Raas is a very old folk dance, going back to the time
of Krishna,” said fourth-year economics student Puja Pathuri.
“Krishna used to dance the Raas in all the old Indian
mythology.”

  MARY HOLSCHER The musical pieces will make use of
traditional Indian instruments such as the sitar, the veena, the
violin, the flute and the tabla ““ a drum played with the
hands.

Between dances, members of the Indian Student Union will appear
on stage to read quotes from famous Indian freedom fighters,
including Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru.

Kanani said that after each dance a spotlight will appear on one
corner of the stage and a speaker will emerge to deliver the
quote.

The Indian Student Union began preparing for “Yatra”
during fall quarter. This is the first year that the annual event
will be held in Royce Hall.

“A lot of talent went into making this show,”
Pathuri said. “We want people to see that there’s an
interest in this culture and an interest in sustaining
it.”

One of the show’s goals is to draw attention to
India’s diverse culture, aiding ISU’s campaign to
establish a stronger South Asia curriculum at UCLA.

“We’re trying to get some work done on getting a
South Asian minor started,” Mandhai said. “We want to
get professors to come and get interested. There are a lot of
classes listed in the catalog about South Asia but they are never
offered. We think that if they could be used as credits toward a
minor, professors would be more likely to want to teach
them.”

Currently, about 35 South Asian studies classes appear in the
UCLA course catalog, but usually only one or two are offered every
quarter.

Mandhai said that this year’s presentation will differ
from previous years in its focus on diversity. “Yatra”
is designed to emphasize that India is more than a single
homogenous mass, and is actually composed of many unique cultural
groups, all of which contribute to the diversity and vitality of
the Indian nation.

“Last year, the show gave a very monolithic view of Indian
culture,” Mandhai said. “This year we want to show that
India is a country with many diverse peoples.”

Just as the different regions within India contribute to the
country as a whole, India has much to give to the world. Kanani
said that “Yatra” seeks to dispel the stereotypes of
India that people often form through a limited Western
perspective.

“The theme of the night is that to really see the beauty
of India, you have to look at it in a new way,” Kanani said.
“We want people to see what India has to offer the world. You
can’t look at India with a Western mind-set; you have to look
deeper to really see the true spirit of India.”

EVENT: “Yatra” takes place in Royce
Hall tomorrow at 6 p.m. For ticketing information call the Central
Ticket Office at (310) 825-2101.