PDF
Written by: Sindhu Palaniappan
This past Saturday night, the South Asian Student’s Association went over the top with hosting their spring show, Bollywood Blowout. The event was held in the candlelit EDR complete with a lit stage, hand-made decorations, catered ethnic food, and of course a cash bar.
Since it was a charity ball, audience members were encouraged to don semi-formal attire, which went well with the accompanying red carpet. The event was comprised of two main segments: a dance portion for the first half and a date auction for the second.
Overall, the event managed to raise $4,020 for the Haiti relief effort. Treasurer of SASA Monil Kothari said, “SASA was very excited to have thrown a successful event that provided a night of entertainment but also raised over four thousand dollars for the Haiti initiative.”
The first half of the ball consisted of three dance acts choreographed and performed by both Bentley and non Bentley students alike. Pavan Patidar, a junior here at Bentley and captain of the competitive BizRaas Garba team, performed first and got the crowd going. They were followed by Bentley’s own Supreme Bhangra Unit, spearheaded and co-captained by senior Abhi Sehli and junior Apoorva Goel. The third act was a Bollywood dance and skit performed by all Bentley students and choreographed by Akhil Chimnani, who was all smiles during and after the performance. “It was super exciting,” he said, “and a lot of hard work but a lot of fun.”
After the dances and a brief intermission where audience members were encouraged to enjoy food, dance, and socialize, the auction began. Sixteen different groups and individuals were auctioned off, including the president of SASA himself to yours truly.
The dates weren’t your average dinner and a movie, though. A few groups sold their cooking talents and promised to make dinner instead of just going out. Others promised a night at the hookah bar and good company. One group advertised a game night, filled with taboo and twister. The captains of the various dance teams offered private lessons to those willing to buy them.
The president of SASA, Ashish Kumar, summed up the night neatly, saying, “I think it was an all around success. We managed to put on some very professional performances while keeping the atmosphere lively and dynamic, having incorporated a cash bar, a full dinner, and entertainment.”
“I am so glad that it turned out to be such a huge success,” said Sucheta Desai, the event coordinator for SASA. “We were able to raise an incredible amount of money, all for a good cause. Hopefully this is something we can turn into an annually recurring event.”
Comments on this entry are closed.