"Hullo, my name is SASA."

Brown SASA is the University's largest cultural group. As a registered Category III organization with the Undergraduate Council of Students, we regularly work with other student and departmental groups at the University to plan new events that promote South Asian & South Asian American culture.

First founded in 1982 as the "Cultural Association of South Asians" by Melanie Mahtani '86 and Beena Sarwar '86, we were renamed as the South Asian Students Association in 1988. Since our incorporation over two decades ago, we have organized hundreds of lectures, community service opportunities, workshops, dances, shows, and much more!

Our two biggest events each year are the Dinner Dance and the Cultural Show. The Dinner Dance, which takes place each October during Parents' Weekend, is a great place for Brown students and their families to meet and mingle while enjoying delicious food catered by nearby South Asian restaurants. After dinner, guests spend the rest of the night dancing to lively South Asian music including garba, raas, and bhangra — dance tutorials are provided!

And the SASA Cultural Show is our most visible event on campus and has never failed to fill Salomon Hall to standing-room-only capacity. Held in March of each year, the show includes a variety of performances to showcase South Asian culture, ranging from dances to musical renditions to spoken word performances to funny videos prepared by the show's MCs. The finale of the show every year is the Freshman Dance, a great opportunity for freshmen interested in South Asian culture to get to know each other and perform for the entire student body.

How to get involved

Interested in getting involved with SASA? It's really easy! No matter where you hail from or what your ethnic background, an interest in learning about or showcasing South Asian culture — or just a love of samosas — is really our only requirement for members. What are some easy ways to get involved with SASA?

• Come to our next GB meeting! SASA normally holds its general body ("GB") meetings once or twice a semester (check our announcements page for more information about the next meeting). At our general body meetings, we discuss upcoming events and provide a forum for members of other student groups to discuss events that might appeal to SASA members. Snacks are always provided!
• Participate in our cultural show! Our yearly cultural show is always a blast, and we'd love to have you be a part of it! If you're interested in performing/organizing an act for the show or would like to join one of our open dances (time commitment normally around 2-3 hours per week — no prior dance experience needed!), contact us and we can give you more information.
• Join one of our committees! You don't have to be a member of our e-board to help play a role in planning future SASA events. Our various committees are composed of Brown students who are interested in making SASA even better than before. Working with the e-board, these committees help bring new speakers to campus, plan and advertise our events, and organize service opportunities that bring us all together in the spirit of helping others. We'd love your help! More information on each committee is listed below.

Lecture Series Committee

The Lecture Series Committee is engaged with bringing issues affecting the South Asian and South Asian American community to the University. In the past, our committee has sponsored lectures, film screenings, and plays about topics ranging from human rights to urban development to the Diaspora. At the behest of the Lecture Series Committee, dozens of scholars, activists, policymakers, businesspeople, and founders of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have come to speak at the University. We welcome your help and support in finding and soliciting these speakers to share their insights with the Brown community.

Events Committee

The Events Committee is the fun committee to serve on! We work with the e-board to organize and publicize all of our events, especially the SASA Dinner Dance and the annual Cultural Show. That means designing publicity materials, painting banners, and deciding on our show names — Lotus? Khazana? Raaz? You help us choose! We especially encourage freshmen to join our committee, as it's a great way to meet other students and help leave your mark on campus.

Community Outreach Committee

The Community Outreach Committee performs an extremely important role for SASA and its members — we have been blessed with many opportunities in our lives as students so far, and helping others to unlock their own opportunities is our way of giving back. Specifically, the Community Outreach Committee reaches out to the community in the greater Providence area by helping in any way we can. Events like National Gandhi Day of Service as well as trips to area soup kitchens are fun ways to work to implement change. Our community also organizes fundraisers throughout the year (often in conjunction with other student groups or non-governmental organizations) to raise money for important causes in South Asia ranging from proper sanitation to health care to education. Joining our committee will help us all to help others.