SAASA UNVEILED: A Look Inside UC SAASA Events and Community
- Ravi Patel
- May 25, 2024
- 7 min read
Updated: 3 days ago
Intro
Today, I am collaborating with four gifted photographers at UC, known for their phenomenal precision and accuracy when capturing photos. I'll also collaborate with SAASA's PR Chair, known for creating artistic social media posts. We will let you in on one of the premier student organizations on campus, SAASA (South Asian American Student Association). UC SAASA aims to hearten and unite South Asian Pacific Americans by uplifting their genuine passion for South Asian cultures, traditions, and communities. At UC, people widely recognize SAASA, along with other organizations like Midwest Dhamaka, GlobeMed, and UCPASO.
I will bring SAASA's main events into the limelight, SAASA Mela, Garba, Fall Formal, Mock Sangeet, and Holi while providing exclusive content about my experiences. Riddhi Patel will supply pictures of SAASA Mela and Garba. Atharv Revankar will illuminate life with his photographs from Fall Formal. Maaz Khurram will bestow photography from Mock Sangeet. Meanwhile, Perry Li and Vic Patel will deliver an exclusive collection of photos from the festival of colors, with additional pictures from Riddhi. However, before we begin, let me introduce you to our remarkable SAASA Fam!
23-24 SAASA Fam
Exec:
President: Sneham Patel
Committee President: Yamaan Ahmad
Fundraising: Sohan Shah
Secretary: Ravi Patel
PR: Riddhi Patel
Treasurer: Shiv Patel
External: Ishani Roy Chowdhury & Vamshi Singidi
Internal: Sanniya Khan & Shloka Nair
Committee:
Fundraising Committee: Siddhant Nagar, Ankith Kalathil, Naveen Chettiar
Secretary Committee: Srithan Mopuru
PR Committee: Anjali Sudhir
Treasurer Committee: Garv Patel, Raiyaan Tariq
External Committee: Atharv Revankar, Sahana Khanna, Maanya Naveen, Adi Shivakumar
Internal Committee: Iniyan Ramasamy, Adrian Fernando, Maithilee Teredesai
SAASA Mela
"It was an amazing mixer that allowed me to meet so many new people and see old friends whom I hadn't seen all summer." – Sneham Patel
SAASA Mela (known initially as The Luau) is an under-the-radar event we deliver early, kicking off SAASA with a splash. SAASA Mela usually happens outside the College of Arts and Sciences building. This event includes water games, a thrilling relay race, and delicious popsicles. In my opinion, Mela is the most underrated SAASA event. This event lacks a paranormal turnout like Garba; however, Mela still offers people extraordinary opportunities. At Mela, you can make new friends and feel nostalgic about field day if you have attended field day in elementary school.
My experience with Mela includes having fun, arriving in a Spider-Man Pointing Meme button-down T-shirt, and getting a bucket of water dumped on my head. If you're participating in Mela, you must showcase strong instincts for evading water balloons, as sometimes they'll not break. This event also pre-dates our creation of the SAASA committee, so potentially expect an expansion of this event by our future SAASA Fam. Additionally, I wanted to pay homage to the SAASA fam from nearly 5 years ago, hence the final picture of the gallery. We still love you guys, and we will never forget you!
Garba
"I thought Garba was a fun experience! I got to interact with so many different people and had so much fun." – Riddhi Patel
The most popular event in SAASA is Garba. This event has an enormous turnout, significantly more than any other SAASA event. At TUC Great Hall, about 800-900 people attend Garba yearly. Garba opens with pooja, followed by a presentation by SAASA exec, and then the actual Garba. Later, we do Raas Dandiya, and the night ends with open dancing. Notably, the feasibility and coordination of this year's Garba wouldn't have been possible without our fantastic external VPs, Vamshi Singidi and Ishani Roy Chowdhary. Shoutout to them! The aura Garba holds is immaculate, and from my perspective, witnessing everyone from the TUC stage makes me feel like I'm in a band overlooking a concert.
On October 1st, 2021, I walked to TUC Great Hall for Garba, dressed in a fancy green kurta, ready for a fantastic night presented by SAASA. I barely knew anyone and didn't have a friend group to dance with when open dancing came around. One Year later, I was still far away from the dance floor. However, an incredible opportunity came my way: I stood on stage with the SAASA exec, overlooking the crowd! Notably, I wasn't even in SAASA during my junior year. Still, Treasurer Shiv Patel gave me behind-the-scenes access to be on stage, and other executive members made me feel welcome. Now, I am on their executive team as secretary, helping run this magnificent event. My journey has come full circle.
Fall Formal
"I had a blast at Fall Formal! The theme, Starry Night, was a creative idea, and my friends all loved it. We all danced the night away, and we made many memories together." – Meet Patel
The Fall Formal is our second extravagant event of the Fall Semester. Fall Formal is a yearly dance in venues near the UC campus (like The Mockbee and Martinos). The theme of this dance varies every Year. Fall Formal is where to go if you're looking for a spectacular night of dancing with friends. This event allows you to make fond memories and have a pure vibe. The 2022 Fall Formal was instrumental in growing closer with my friends and the SAASA fam. The event was "roaring" at The Mock Bee, as the theme was Roaring 20s. The 2023 Fall Formal felt bittersweet for me as a senior since my second Fall Formal would probably be my last. However, it was still a "Starry Night" nevertheless.
Mock Sangeet
"I initially attended this event thinking it was just a mock wedding, hoping to meet new people and enjoy some dancing. To my surprise, while the wedding itself may have been fake, the friendships I made were the most genuine and meaningful." – Raiyaan Tariq
Mock Sangeet is debatably our biggest event of the Spring Semester, an incredible mock pre-wedding celebration. This pre-wedding consists of either two brides, two grooms, or a set of two brides and two grooms, varying every Year. The pinnacle of Mock Sangeet is the mesmerizing dance performances throughout the night; whoever is performing is looking to put on a show. It includes SAASA exec, committee, brides and/or grooms, and gen-body members. This event closes with open dancing, similar to Garba. The Mock Sangeet "couple" plays various wedding games throughout the night, entertaining the audience. The terrific MCs for the 2024 Mock Sangeet were Sneham Patel and Sahana Khanna. Shoutout to them!
Mock Sangeet is my favorite SAASA event! Two years ago, Ajit Venkatakrishnan and I got behind-the-scenes access to see both grooms, Shiv Patel and Aneesh Kathula, practice their incomplete dance. In my SAASA exec audition, I even included footage of their dance in my presentation, believe it or not. Last Year, I danced in a segment with The Brown Avengers, a team comprised of me, Adi Shivakumar, Achi Kaw, Vishwa Ramu, and Sarim Siddiqui. This year, I was selected as a groomsman with Indranshu Das, as well as brides Somya Sharma and Shloka Nair. I performed in an exec dance, a bride's/groom's dance, and a segment with The Nakhra Boys (consisting of Adi, Achi, and Siddhant).
Holi
"It was my first time participating in Holi; it was amazing! My friends convinced me to join, and I'm glad I did. The colors, laughter, and energy were so uplifting. It helped me get ready to finish the semester strong." – Maaz Khurram
Holi is SAASA's most astonishing event of the school year. The stunning festival of colors has always occurred outside Sigma Sigma Commons with packages of Holi powder, water balloons, and even a water hose. At Holi, you have an open field outside Sigma Sigma to toss Holi powder and celebrate its' festivities. This Year, we collaborated with TSA (Tamil Student Association). They helped us disperse Holi powder. Shoutout to TSA!
I had never participated in Holi until two years ago, a somewhat surreal moment. As a "rookie" partaking in Holi, my inexperience showed. I accidentally got Holi powder in people's eyes and was also on the receiving end of it. Last year, for Holi, I discarded my contacts, believing it would be better for me. Was it better for me? Unfortunately, I still received a dose of purple powder in my eyes, so note-to-self-stick with contacts, as it'll block out some Holi powder. Last Year, I had an even better Holi experience. I participated in Holi with my friend group, heightening my excitement and joy. One notable moment I had this Year was catching a water balloon strike from Srithan in the palm of my hand without it disintegrating.
Closing
I'm glad I could provide exclusive content on one of the premier student organizations on campus and allow you to scroll through high-quality pictures of UC SAASA's events. Thank you, photographers Atharv, Maaz, Vic, and Perry! Thank you, public relations chair, Riddhi! It was my first major collaboration, and I enjoyed it. I'll provide links below to see more of their fantastic content. I loved being a part of SAASA, so making this blog post feels special. Additionally, I recommend checking out the short Epilogue, as there is a new organization on campus that I would love for you to read about!
Epilogue: PSA
The Pakistani Student Association debuted as a UC student organization for the 2023-2024 school year, and they're one of the up-and-coming organizations. What is PSA? PSA is an organization founded by Meher Samad and Hajra Munir. PSA personifies celebrating Pakistani culture, encouraging belonging and inclusivity, and promoting socializing for people of different backgrounds through their excellent events. SAASA assisted with their Cultural Iftar event, and I admired PSA's dedication to making their event delightful. While I can't describe how phenomenal this event was, our dedicated SAASA Internal Chair can! Here is a statement she released regarding their Cultural Iftar event:
"Ramadan is one of the most important times throughout the Year for the Muslim community, so I was excited for SAASA since they were one of the hosts for the PSA Iftar. Going to an event full of people celebrating Ramadan was amazing, the event helped spread knowledge, while also allowing students to have a lot of fun, meet new people, and enjoy great food. One thing I loved was that there were many different faces and people from different cultures and communities coming together to break their fast. Overall, PSA (alongside UC MLA, UCincy NASA, SJP, and ASA) did a great job planning the event, and I look forward to more meaningful collaborations in the future!" – Sanniya Khan
Instagram Handles
@perryhli
@perrylimedia
@niles.vic
@atharv_revankar
@maaz__khurram
@riddhi.patel29
@ucsaasa
@ucincypsa
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