Masala 2006

So Masala was yesterday. What is Masala, many of you may ask? It’s a big dance program which showcases types of Indian dancing and culture at the end of the year. We had several Bollywood dances, a garba/raas (that was our dance), several solos, traditional Bharat Natyam dancing, and a very cheesy skit plus corny emcees.

I ended up with a painful back injury, sores on both feet, and an extreme dislike towards all forms of Indian dancing. Cool, right?

At the very last minute, I was pulled into a dance for the Masala program that India Assoc. at Tulane puts on annually. Since I’m on the board, it was not only my obligation but actually my duty to jump in as a backup dancer. Unfortunately, that meant I was learning this dance in two days, practicing non stop, and making a hurt back even worse.

But the results were amazing. I know I missed a lot of steps, but people said we looked good on stage. All the dances were great . . . . . it was such a transition from dress rehersal when nothing quite came together. The most amazing part was the dancers themselves . . . India Association’s program but many of the dancers weren’t even Indian. There were lots of members of IATU participating that were not of Indian background, and lots more observing. It just proved the point that though Tulane is no NYC in terms of diversity, there is definitely diversity and cultural awareness here.

It was a lot of fun, overall. There were so many people there for dinner who congratulated us on our dancing success. I even saw one of my chemistry TAs, and let me tell you–that was one of my favorite experiences this year.

Tulane does diversity New Orleans style . . . . . . slow n easy, but its definitely there.

Jacob and me being too cool


















Our dance troupe- me, Chandni, Puja, Jennie, Rita, Roshni













Doing the Raas














Me pretending that I know what I’m doing . . . .














Look at Chandni smiling while I struggle to remember the next step!