Utsav ’04 to hit USU Tuesday
The Consortium for Indian Culture (CIC) wants to display “the rich heritage of India” next week.
Utsav (Hindi for “festival”), will be presented at Utah State University on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. in the Kent Concert Hall, and will attempt to display that heritage.
“It is one of the oldest civilizations on Earth, and we take it as a responsibility to share it with others,” said CIC member and USU business major Ram Swaminathan.
Utsav, produced by the 5-month-old CIC, will feature Vidyalakshmy, a dancer from Seattle who has studied traditional classic Indian dance with a world-renowned guru. There will also be glimpses of yoga postures called Sun Salutations, from the simplest to the most complicated poses by Swaminathan himself.
The combination of Indian and Western culture will feature “fusion music” wherein classical Eastern music will be fused with Western rock including music by Ozzie Osbourne and Crazy Train, Swaminathan said.
Also, an American opera singer will perform a number in Tamil which is derived from Hindi, the primary language spoken in India. With the blending of Eastern and Western elements, Swaminathan said Utsav will set a cultural and artistic precedence at USU.
Through Utsav, Swaminathan said the CIC hopes not only to relate aspects of Indian culture through music and dance, but also to increase their involvement in the community.
On a local level, a portion of the proceeds will go to the Center for Physically Disabled Children. Partial proceeds will also be sent to an organization in India called Shishuadhar, a foundation for orphans.
Tickets to Utsav are $3 for students and $5 for community members. Every $25 will support one orphan in India for an entire year.
-vanessak@cc.usu.edu