The VST echoed with the rhythm and beats of a musical genre different from the familiar sounds of SJS performing ensembles. On March 21, the Upper School gathered in Lowe Theater for the South Asian Affinity Group assembly and caught a glimpse of South Asian multicultural diversity.

Senior Aatiqah Aziz and her SAAG co-leaders chose cultural diversity as the theme for this year’s assembly. 

“The assembly gave us an opportunity to highlight how South Asia is more than a monolith,” Aziz said. 

The assembly began with a video about how SAAG members engage in their families’ South Asian cultural traditions. The presentation described their celebrations of religious occasions like Eid and Durga Puja and social festivals such as Rakhi and Holi.

The assembly then featured traditional Indian music and dance as well as fusions of South Asian and Western music. Freshman Sid Dasari, one of the performers in the assembly, felt that being part of both the American and the South Asian cultures positioned him to create a blend of melodies. 

“I chose to play the cover of a Hindi song from a popular Bollywood movie (Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander) on the piano,” Dasari said. “It was an opportunity to celebrate both my cultures.”

Senior Isai Melendez, who sings the Mexican genre of Ranchera, felt that language was not a barrier to enjoying the performances. 

“I loved how each performance in the assembly was quite different yet came together to form a cohesive story filled with color,” Melendez said. 

For Melendez, the assembly gave him insight into his South Asian peers’ cultures without being intrusive. 

“I learned about Rakhi and how some South Asians have a dedicated day celebrating sibling bonds,” Melendez said. “The slides showed me the special foods and the family traditions my classmate follows on this special day.”

SAAG leaders began the planning process for the assembly months before its occurrence. Aziz, along with other SAAG board members, scheduled meetings to brainstorm the slate of performances and worked to collate submissions from group members for the introduction video. 

“Scheduling the practices was perhaps the most challenging since SJS students juggle multiple tasks,” Aziz said. “But we worked together as a group and with our sponsors to pull it off.”

Over the past few months, Dasari has found it easy to connect with other South Asian students through events organized by SAAG. 

“We have bonded over a Bollywood movie night and events such as Rangoli in the Plaza and Samosas and Laddoo in the Great Lawn during the year,” Dasari said.

Aziz feels a strong sense of community among the younger members of SAAG.

“I hope they continue with the tradition of Bollywood movie nights and other SAAG events to celebrate our culture and showcase our diversity for incoming SJS students,” Aziz said.