2B —Thursday, October 12, 2017
Arts
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

COURTESY OF SAHANA
COURTESY OF SAHANA

Bharatanatyam, Kathak, Kuchipudi: Preserving 
a tradition on a college campus through dancing

B-SIDE LEAD

As global citizens in this 

day, interdisciplinary thinking 
has become more important 
than ever, and places that bring 
together 
multiple 
disciplines 

are crucial. At the University 
of 
Michigan, 
the 
Michigan 

Sahana has combined culture 
and performance art of classical 
Indian origin to create a unique 
collaborative space.

Michigan Sahana is a student 

organization founded in 2003. 
Originally formed as the Indian 
Classical 
Dance 
and 
Music 

group on campus, the focal 
point has been on classical art 
forms of India. The members 
work throughout the school 
year to showcase student talent, 
educate members of their own 
culture and spread awareness of 
the diversity of classical Indian 
music and dance forms. Styles 
presented by Michigan Sahana 
include Hindustani and Carnatic 
music, as well as dance forms 
like Bharatanatyam, Kathak and 
Kuchipudi.

Michigan Sahana has three 

pillars that drive its mission 
of 
cultural 
and 
community 

enrichment: cultivating talent, 
mounting performance concerts 
and creating a safe space for 
people to come together.

LSA 
senior 
Shalini 
Rao 

is the current president of 
Michigan 
Sahana. 
She 
said 

the organization has a breadth 
of resources available to its 
members, which is a strong point 
of the group.

“It really does allow you to 

cater to your own interests and 
prioritize whatever aspects of 
Sahana you want to prioritize 
— 
whether 
it’s 
bonding, 

performance or a little bit of 
everything,” Rao said. “It does 
fulfill a cultural role for me and it 
also fulfills an arts role. … One of 
the ways I can stay in touch with 
my culture is through practicing 
and learning more about this art 
that I’ve been doing since I was 4 
years old.”

As the president of Michigan 

Sahana, Rao emphasized her 
goal to provide these resources 
and networks for other members. 
Since January, she has worked to 
maintain and broaden the scope 
of this support system.

“Whether that means giving 

them particular performance 
opportunities 
or 
connecting 

them with local teachers, if 
they’re here for that purpose of 
improving their performance 
and their art form, we want to 
be able to fulfill that,” she said. 
“There are people that are really 
passionate 
about 
spreading 

awareness — I want to make sure 
that Michigan Sahana can grow 
its campus presence.”

Along with the wealth of 

resources, the organization is 
unique in its approach to the 
performing arts.

Business junior Manasvini 

Rao is the treasurer for Michigan 
Sahana, and a longtime Carnatic 
violin player. She spoke about 

the group’s commitment to the 
traditional performance form, 
something that sets Michigan 
Sahana apart from other cultural 
groups on campus.

“I think we’re one of the few 

organizations that stays really 
pure in terms of the arts — we 
don’t do any Bollyfusion, we 
don’t combine with any modern 
interpretations, we try to stay 
true to our roots,” she said.

Manasvini’s 
years 
of 

experience in and appreciation 
for classical Indian performance 
art 
is 
not 
uncommon 
for 

members of Michigan Sahana. In 
fact, many members carry more 
than a decade of training before 
even starting college, such as 
LSA senior Naveena Thota..

“I’d always liked dancing 

along to music. When I was 
little, my parents noticed that 
I really enjoyed dancing on my 
own,” Thota said. Subsequently, 
Thota’s parents put her in 
classical dance classes to learn 
a popular style among the 
diaspora.

“I feel like a lot of parents feel 

like it’ll bring their kids closer to 
their roots,” she said.

Thota spoke about her lifelong 

commitment to classical Indian 
dance until college. Her story 
aligned with other members 
who 
also 
traveled 
far 
and 

dedicated extensive hours to 
rigorous 
training. 
However, 

Thota mentioned her dedication 
faltered in college with the busy 
lifestyle.

“It’s been a struggle trying to 

keep it up, but again, because I’m 
passionate about it, I’ve kept it 
up as much as possible,” she said. 
“I think what’s more important 
to me is being associated with 
arts and the art form in general 
— understanding that even if I 
can’t be dancing all the time, 
I’m understanding other things 
about 
classical 
dances 
and 

classical music and 
I’m learning about 
the 
history 
and 

significance.”

Manasvini 

also finds ease in 
maintaining 
her 

Carnatic 
violin 

practice 
with 

Michigan Sahana. 
She 
explained 

her family’s rich 
history 
with 

classical 
arts, 

ranging 
from 

singing 
and 

dancing to visual 
arts.

“I wasn’t sure 

about 
my 
skills 

and if it would 
be up to par with 
what 
Michigan 

Sahana 
produces 

in 
concerts, 
but 

I 
found 
such 
a 

supportive 
group 

of people who were 
willing to put me 
in,” Rao said. “I 
think 
because 
I 

kept playing, I had 
my 
one 
artistic 

outlet in college. 
Honestly, 

I would probably go insane 
without it.”

As a student in the Business 

School, 
Manasvini 
spoke 

about her everyday life being 
immersed in quantitative or 
qualitative work, rather than 
the humanities or arts. For her, 
Michigan Sahana is a break from 
the regular obligations of school, 
but she is not alone in finding 
freedom in Sahana.

Engineering senior Raghav 

Muralidharan was also exposed 
to Indian classical music at a 
young age and joined Michigan 
Sahana, 
following 
his 
older 

brother. Even before college, he 
knew he too wanted to be a part 
of the community of friends the 
organization provides. Now in 
his final year, he finds in joy in 
mentoring newer members and 
helping them find their roots in 
the Sahana family.

“Arts 
in 
general, 
musical 

expression, 
is 
a 
rest 
from 

school,” 
Muralidharan 
said. 

“They complement each other 
in a way. In music, there’s a lot 
creativity and improvisation, a 
lot of working with other people. 
While the feelings and actual 
expression is different, a lot 
of what I do in engineering is 
similar in those themes. I feel 
like it has made me think better 
as an engineer.”

The interdisciplinary nature 

of Michigan Sahana doesn’t end 
there. The organization is an 
active collaborator with other 
cultural 
groups 
on 
campus, 

performing in at least one large 
colloaborative production every 
year.

“Even 
though 
this 
title 

as being an Indian classical 
organization, we do welcome and 
accommodate a lot of different 
people from a lot of different 
backgrounds. 
I 
think 
that’s 

something we can all take away 
as a lesson from Sahana, that 

being inclusive is always a good 
thing,” Thota said. “You can only 
learn from being inclusive and 
getting to know other people.”

Given the current political 

climate 
and 
recent 
racist 

incidents 
on 
campus, 
this 

inclusivity 
is 
perhaps 
more 

important than ever. Michigan 
Sahana’s 
president, 
Shalini 

Rao, reiterated this openness 
and acceptance as a start to 
dissolving tensions on campus 
and healing the afflicted.

“Personally, 
it 
is 
very 

important because we are a 
student organization primarily 
composed of minority students,” 
Rao said. “We want to make 
sure that not only our students, 
but every student who may be 
experiencing similar challenges 
on this campus, know that 
Sahana is at least one place they 
can find that solidarity with 
fellow community members — 
whether or not they look like us, 
dance like us, sing like us. We are 
that space.”

Krithika 
Balakrishnan, 

Shalini’s collaborator and vice 
president of Michigan Sahana, 
echoed these sentiments on the 
group’s unique campus presence. 
She said Michigan Sahana’s dual 
role as an arts and culture group 
allows it to facilitate dialogue 
on campus through music and 
dance.

“Even 
though 
different 

types of performance arts from 
different countries or cultures 
are vastly different in how 
they appear on stage, there’s 
still 
commonalities 
within 

the 
music 
or 
movements,” 

Balakrishnan said. “It’s this 
common medium where people 
don’t necessarily need language 
to relate to each other. Because 
it conveys emotions and feelings, 
something 
that’s 
universal 

across so many cultures and so 
many people, it’s a unique way to 

bring people together.”

Balakrishnan also spoke about 

her own goals as vice president. 
Although 
Michigan 
Sahana 

already emphasizes diversity, 
she is constantly working to 
bridge the gap between different 
cultural groups on campus.

“I want to do a lot more collage 

with other organizations and 
bring about more discussions 
about diversity on campus,” she 
said.

Even 
though 
the 

organization’s 
work 
on 

expanding its campus identity is 
ongoing, the unwavering bonds 
within Michigan Sahana are 
apparent from the continued 
emphasis on a sense of family.

“As a person of color, the social 

climate and campus climate has 
been disconcerting. I’m glad that 
I have a community and I’m glad 
for others to express what they 
need to express,” Muralitharan 
said.

However, the profoundly deep 

effects of Michigan Sahana go 
beyond the University campus 
and local community.

Michigan Sahana members 

share an interest in classical 
Indian performance art, but their 
exposure and experiences with 
it vary significantly. There are 
Indian-American members who 
have been raised exclusively in 
America, international students 
from India itself, those who 
don’t have any prior exposure to 
Indian culture and everything in 
between.

“With 
globalization 
and 

having 
immigrated 
and 

assimilated into new cultures, 
I think it’s really important 
that cultures don’t get lost 
somewhere in the mix,” Thota 
said. “Just because everything 
is globalizing and everyone’s 
getting to know other cultures 
doesn’t mean that we need to 
become one big mainstream 

culture.”

Despite 
this 

diversity 
within 

its 
members, 
a 

common theme in 
their stories is a 
deep appreciation 
for their roots.

“Growing 

up, it was really 
important to my 
parents and to me 
that I didn’t lose 
any aspect of our 
culture, 
because 

it really is who I 
am,” 
Manasvini 

Rao said.

She 
described 

her life speaking 
her mother tongue 
while 
growing 

up, eating Indian 
food, 
dressing 

in 
traditional 

clothing 
and 

celebrating 
national holidays. 
However, 
Rao 

said music was the 
easiest medium for 
her to talk about 
with 
relatives, 

especially 
her 

grandparents 
in 

India.

“For me the reason why 

roots are so important to stay 
connected with through Indian 
classical music and Michigan 
Sahana is because it’s the best 
way for me to keep a part of 
myself intact and not lose it in 
the business and craziness of 
school,” Rao said.

Balakrishnan 
echoed 

these 
sentiments 
of 
finding 

deeper 
connections 
with 

distant 
relatives 
through 

performance art. Balakrishnan’s 
grandparents played classical 
Indian instruments and sang as 
well.

“That 
is 
something 
I 

remember 
a 
lot 
from 
my 

childhood. Every weekend I 
would call up my grandma and 
sing a song for her,” she said.

“I’m Indian and we talk and 

have friends who are Indian, but 
at the same time, looking back 
at my culture, Indian classical 
music helped me do that because 
I don’t live in India and I don’t 
see the rest of my family,” she 
said.

There is something unifying 

and special about the medium 
of performance that allows for 
deeper connections to form — 
even with those who are not 
physically present to watch, like 
many of the members’ relatives 
still residing India. There is 
something in practicing an art 
form to achieve a perfection 
that doesn’t exist, and passing 
down this work ethic that seems 
to strengthen the bond within 
families.

“When talking about today’s 

climate, when so many people 
aren’t open to diversity and 
are saying things about illegal 
immigrants, 
I 
think 
a 
lot 

of that fostered by a lack of 
understanding of culture and 
people. By using the arts or 
poetry, I think we foster an 
emotional 
connection 
that’s 

deeper,” 
Manasvini 
said. 

“There’s more of an emotional 
connection, which is why I think 
organizations like ours can get 
such a multicultural audience 
to come to our shows because 
so many people can enjoy it, 
whether they understand it or 
not.”

And beyond the pure joy that 

is elicited from live performance, 
it becomes clear that Michigan 
Sahana cultivates a profound 
empathy — from encouraging its 
artists to look back to their own 
heritage 
and 
simultaneously 

looking to their present and 
future 
community. 
LSA 

sophomore Sunanda Adibhatla, a 
Sahana member, said connecting 
to her culture is important 
because it helps her stand out.

“Staying with your roots helps 

you explore other people’s roots 
and understand other cultures 
as well. It’s important to me 
because 
it’s 
something 
that 

makes me different,” she said. 
“Learning about my culture and 
my roots is a way for me to know 
more and also be able to teach 
more to other people if they’re 
interested and spread the beauty 
of Indian music.”

YOSHIKO IWAI

Deputy Statement Editor

COURTESY OF SAHANA

