The South Asian Student Association (SASA) held its 43rd annual dinner this year on Nov. 22. Every year SASA hosts a dinner to serve South Asian cuisine and perform in Larison Dining Hall. This year, the theme was an abbreviation of marriage traditions from eight different South Asian countries: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.

In the spirit of the theme, the SASA members demonstrated a cultural wedding celebration. Audience members were invited to the marriage of two members, Aakash Shah ’16 and Sarah Hayakawa ’17. With mood enhancing lights strung around Larison Dining Hall and tables decorated with rose petals and doilies, the scene was set for the wedding.

There was dancing, music, and food, and audience members were able to experience and learn about several South Asian cultures. Attendees even had the opportunity to do a bit of dancing themselves when asked to come up on stage and learn a few dance moves.

“This was my second time participating in the SASA dinner and I had a great time. All members are encouraged to be in performances despite their dance skills, so I shared my lack of experience with the audience. Despite the hours of rehearsing, it was still obvious who could do the moves effortlessly. As a member of the executive board, the days leading up to the event varied greatly from last year. I felt a new sense of responsibility for working with the rest of the executive board to make the event the best it could be,” Ayesha Lilaoonwala ’17 said.

There was a variety of food served at the event, such as Lamb Curry, Channa Masala, Mutter Paneer, and Chicken Tikka Masala, which seemed to be a favorite among diners.

“SASA was a great way to experience the cultures of some of the students at Bucknell. It opened my eyes to the many different religious and cultural traditions that celebrate marriage. It was awesome to see some of my friends perform. Plus the food was really delicious,” Liz Semeraro ’16 said.

The members of SASA had put a lot of preparatory work in the performance, but as exemplified by the bloopers that they played on screen at the end of the show, there seemed to be a lot of fun that came out of it as well.

“We put a lot of work into it, but we spent an equal amount of time just being idiots together. Everyone was really dedicated and most of the members chipped in, in whatever capacity they could, and it brought us all closer together,” Anushka Mehrotra ’16, participant and member of SASA, said.

“[The dinner] was a great way to integrate the whole Bucknell community with the members of SASA. I’m already looking forward to next year’s dinner,” Erin McDowell ’16 said.