Incorporating elements of Bollywood into Babson · Babson’s thoughts and actions
At 7 p.m. Wednesday, a group of friends are standing in the lobby of the Sorenson Center for the Arts, scripts in hand, waiting to take the stage.
Tonight is the final rehearsal for AMAN’s fall performance. The friends are performing the skit they wrote, feeling varying degrees of confidence because this is their last chance to tweak and perfect it.
Taryn Badwar ’27 loves making people laugh and has always dreamed of performing in front of an audience. This is his first time for him. “I feel good, but I don’t want to get too confident,” he says.
The skit’s director, Neeraj Adnani ’26, doesn’t seem too alarmed. True, the script was completely revised only three days ago, but it doesn’t matter. “The whole script was changed,” he says. “It’s not an obstacle for us. We’re well prepared for tomorrow.”
The student organization AMAN celebrates South Asian culture and is one of Babson College’s largest student organizations with approximately 200 members. Every semester, we host a show filled with skits, dance, and fashion. “It’s like the depiction in a Bollywood movie,” says Sonia Kamitkar ’24, president of AMAN.
But it takes a lot of effort to put on that show, and tonight’s rehearsal is expected to be long.
feel like home
In the Sorenson lobby, two dancers, Rewa Purohit ’27 and Anya Sawanska ’27, are eating dinner across from a group of friends performing a skit. They choreograph one dance and perform another in the show.
The show’s run-through was scheduled to begin at 7 p.m., but the start was postponed to 8 p.m. due to technical issues. “They said they might keep us here for a while,” Purohit says. “I don’t know when I’ll be on stage.” The delay isn’t surprising. “Once you start practicing, things get confusing,” says Purohit.
For now, the dancers are content to wait. The actual performance is tomorrow, so I don’t have time. They and the other 100 or so AMAN members who appear on the show are focused on doing things right. “We all come together as AMAN for the show,” Sawanska says. “Everyone is trying to work together to get it done.”
AMAN students represent the cultures of five South Asian countries: Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. In addition to shows, the organization also hosts holiday celebrations and career events. “I wanted to be part of something that represented my culture,” says Badwar, who is originally from New Delhi. “It gives me a feeling of being at home.”
That sense of home was something Yashvardhan Rathi ’27 was also looking for. He is also from New Delhi. “This is the first time I’ve been so far away from his family,” said Rati, who is part of a group of friends who perform skits inspired by the popular Indian reality show Bigg Boss. Their version is called “Babson Boss”.
Rati feels ready for the real thing. Again, his role is not important. “I’m more of a supporting character here,” he says. “There are only four lines.”
Stage light appears
AMAN membership includes graduate, undergraduate, international, and domestic students. Mr. Kamitkar, AMAN’s president, is of Indian descent and grew up 40 minutes from Babson’s campus. “I wanted to meet people from the same culture as me,” she says. She said, “I wanted to create an event that created a sense of home and a sense of community.”
Kamitkar said the students are grateful to be able to express themselves at the AMAN show, but acknowledged that the weeks leading up to the show can be stressful. You need to complete the script and choreography and memorize your lines. During the last few days of the show, rehearsals can extend into the wee hours of the night. “I always have a hard time during rehearsals,” she says. She says, “When I perform, I breathe a sigh of relief.”
During the final rehearsal at 8 p.m., Kamitkar moves around the theater, talking to people and checking details. On stage, tape is laid down to mark spots and microphones are checked. Finally, the venue lights go down and the stage lights come on.
No matter how busy rehearsals and preparations are, Kamitkar is grateful to his fellow AMAN members. “Despite all the stress and turmoil, we are like a family,” she says. “We all get through stress together.”
Posted in the community
More from the community »
