By Shreya Parikh and Radhika Sarlashkar
This year, Thomas Jefferson University’s South Asian Student Association (SASA) held their annual Garba celebration with Temple University’s South Asian Students Society (SASS). The event welcomed over 250 guests as they embarked on a night of tasty food, music, and traditional Indian dancing. Garba is a dancing celebration lasting nine days originating from the Indian State of Gujarat, which celebrates folk concepts like the winning of good over evil.
“It felt incredible to have such an amazing turn out and see everyone enjoying themselves with the food, music, and, of course, dancing! I am so thankful for the best E-board for making the event as great as it was,” said SASA President Priya Modi.
Sources by Shreya Parikh
SASA President Priya Modi and Urja Team Captain Shreya Parikh pose for a picture; Smit Patel and Dhruv Patel smile in front of food served at Garba.
“It was a pleasure collaborating on such a great event with Jefferson SASA. What a beautiful and fun way to celebrate Desi culture,” said SASS President Jonathon Daniel.
On the East Falls campus, the community is so diverse while at the same time, tightknit, which offers its students the opportunity to stay in touch with their cultural roots and spread joy with others. This event was a gathering of not just universities but also other South Asian groups on campus. Jefferson’s competitive Bollywood fusion dance team, Urja, performed a segment as part of the celebrations.
Sources by Shreya Parikh
Eshita Bhatt, Purva Salvi, Radhika Sarlashkar, Lahari Babu get together for a picture; the SASA board celebrates; Urja takes a group picture; students at Garba dance the night away.
“I am beyond proud of the team for putting in the work to pull this off on such short notice. We had so much fun performing at Garba, and the entire event was so much fun,” said Urja Team Captain Shreya Parikh.
Garba marked the commencement of SASA's exciting lineup of events for the year, with many more to come. Through these events, SASA hopes to recognize how diverse cultures can be celebrated and embraced in academic settings, which allows open conversation and creates an enriching environment for students and staff alike.
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