The South Asians students at Tufts University put up a grand colorful cultural extravaganza on Saturday, March 1, at the Cohen Auditorium. Aptly named 'Chandini' or Moonlight, this show created the perfect ambience for the star performers to shine. The artists, who are undergraduate students at Tufts University brought their incredible artistic talent and energy to every presentation.

The culture show by TASA (Tufts Association for South Asians) has become a Tufts tradition. The trademarks of TASA's culture show were all present: festively infectious beats, colorful and beautiful costumes, electrifying energy from the cast as well as from the audience, and what the culture show is known for - Bhangra.

Chandini, directed by Pavan Aujula, Narmadan Kumarswamy, Dhenu Maru, Sapna Maru and Neelesh Batra used creative artistry to mix the modern with the traditional and the Indian with the American. Spirit of Brown choreographed by Kapil Dargan and Himanshu Verma combined Bhangara with Hip-hop while Fiesta del Andemaaj aur Maja choreographed by Afsan Bhadelia and Asma Pandit combined Indian, Arabic and Spanish dance and music to create an energetic piece with a lot of beat and shaking. Raji Iyer and Radhika Thakkar did a fusion of North and South Indian classical dance and music to create an interesting Medley.

Bollywood found its pride of place in the many dance items including Dhola Re and others. The skits, like in most culture shows, were specifically entertaining to the portion of the audience that understood the cultural jokes. However, jokes pertaining to generational differences, Tufts, and American pop culture were universally humorous. The skits all followed a South Asian-American young man trying to understand his more conservative uncle and South Asian culture. They touched on South Asian and South Asian-American issues creatively with spoofs of Seinfeld ("the housemate switch" and "curry Nazi") and American Idol (with Ozzy Osbourne and the uncle as judges.)

Music group Tarana played traditional South East Asian music with vocals and 'Desi Dhamaka' played a mix of eastern and western music that included incredible drum solos, which received uproarious applause. The fashion show, "Shattered" showcased exquisite traditional and modern wear.

The fitting finale was the 'Senior Dance' choreographed by Vanee Siva and Anjana Srivastava in which the seniors combined their energy and artistry to take the culture show stage for one last time. The piece was a medley of songs that showcase the splendor and beauty of various styles of South Asian dance and music.

The hard work put in by the participants was very visible throughout the show. The audience got their share of entertainment and hoped to come back to another energy packed show next year.

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