Samsara 2025: South Asian Arts Showcase

By Mahek Uttamchandani ‘26

On Saturday, Feb. 15, Wesleyan’s South Asian Student Association, Shakti, presented their annual Samsara performance. The showcase reached new heights with an impressive array of dances, musical performances, and even an emcee duo whose playful banter evolved into an unfolding stage romance.

The night was a celebration of South Asian arts and culture in all their variety. From the Bollywood numbers performed by students in each class year to Nepali dances and fusion music acts, Samsara displayed a diverse range of performances, reflecting the vibrancy and tradition held by Wesleyan’s students.

Kaustabh Vasudevan ’26, vice president of Shakti and one of the evening’s many performers, reflected on the event’s growth over the past few years. “Thinking back to my freshman year, it was a much smaller production,” Vasudevan said. “We were only able to reserve the ’92 Theater, and as far as participation goes, we really didn’t have the same kind of numbers we have today. But what I’ve seen since then is this community of South Asian students bonding and clicking in a way that has translated into Samsara’s growth and success.”

That success was evident in the show’s energy, as well as its scale. For the past two years, Samsara has taken place in Crowell Concert Hall, allowing for bigger performances, larger audiences, and a more expansive vision for the event. As a result, Vasudevan says, “We’ve had more and more student music and dance groups forming, such as WesMalai and Atman. What we’ve done this year has been one of the best parts of my Wesleyan experience.”

Integral to this experience is Suchita Sridhara ‘26, who has choreographed the Class of ’26’s dance since her first year. She initially volunteered to do this as a way of forging connections among her South Asian peers.

Sridhara’s connection to South Asian arts runs deep. “One of the most major parts of my life has been Indian classical singing,” she said. She has been learning Carnatic singing since she was 4 years old, and through Samsara she was encouraged, alongside Vasudevan, to form their band Atman. The band began as a simple duet during his first year at Wesleyan—just him on piano and Idenya Bala-Mehta ‘25 on flute. Over time, the group expanded, incorporating Sridhara and instrumentalist Samvit Singhal ‘27, forming a quartet with a distinct fusion sound. “We started having jam sessions, and it just clicked,” Vasudevan said. “Since then, we’ve played gig after gig, getting better and better. I love how Atman has grown in parallel to Shakti.”

Beyond Samsara, Vasudevan sees a bright future for South Asian music at Wesleyan. “Wesleyan probably has one of the best South Asian music programs in the country,” he said, citing the university’s strong academic emphasis on South Indian music and the contributions of faculty members like Adjunct Associate Professor of Music and Global South Asian Studies B. Balasubrahmaniyan and Adjunct Associate Professor of Music and Global South Asian Studies David Paul Nelson. “Since Atman started, I’ve seen more momentum for student-led music in this field, and I think that’s only going to grow over time,” Vasudevan said.

Sridhara concurred, saying, “It’s so great that we as South Asian artists at Wesleyan are finding new ways to explore these music and dance traditions that have been in our culture for so many centuries.”