Berklee's South Asian Scholar Association Celebrate First-Ever Concert at Brighton Music Hall

Berklee's South Asian Scholar Association Celebrate First-Ever Concert at Brighton Music Hall The show wasn't just a concert-it was a celebration of identity, community, and collaboration. For many, it marked a turning point-not just for SASA, but for the broader South Asian community on Berklee's Boston campus.

By

Vanshika Arora

July 25, 2025

Berklees South Asian Student Associations performance of Mehfil at Brighton Music Hall

Image by Thomas Wang

On April 20th 2025, Berklee's South Asian Scholar Association (SASA)-a student-run collective under the Berklee India Exchange (BIX)-made history with its first-ever large-scale public production: Mehfil-A Coke Studio Tribute. Held at the iconic Brighton Music Hall, the concert became a standout celebration of South Asian culture and music, showcasing a rich tapestry of languages, genres, and traditions.

A few minutes before the show, the entire team (performers, arrangers, board members, production crew) along with Zahara (Annette Philip, the Artistic Director of Berklee India Exchange), got into a huge circle with their arms around each other. At this moment, the President of SASA, Deeptha Ganesh, made her way into the middle of the circle. Jumping in excitement, she yelled, Guys, as of this moment, we are officially sold out! This was the happiest everyone had seen her in a while. There was nothing more left to say. The energy backstage quickly shifted from nervousness to excitement.

The Music Director of the show, Vanshika Arora, quickly exchanged a proud parent look with Deeptha, while holding back her tears of joy. We are ready to take over, her expressions suggested. As the show opened with a metal arrangement of the Mahishasura Mardini stotram, with the performers head banging and the audience chanting along, you could feel a divine feminine presence that filled up the room with a fierce, majestic, glorifying energy.

Watch highlights from Mehfil below:

What made Mehfil especially powerful was its musical diversity-nine songs performed in eight different languages, each representing a unique cultural thread from across South Asia. From the soulful energy of Jugni to the vibrant rhythms of Khalasi, every piece served as both a tribute to Coke Studio's legacy and a statement of the performers roots and creative identities. You could feel the pride in the room-not just from the audience, but onstage and backstage too. The Production team leaders-Aasmi Gambhir, Aditi Solanki, and Serena Jalan-along with their entire team, were running around ensuring everyone is ready in their positions, while simultaneously coordinating the technical aspects of the show. There were quiet whispers of motivation and encouragement amongst the team during transitions.

The number of people involved in every part of the show was truly commendable. Over 50 SASA members came together to bring the show to life, coordinating every detail from music direction to production. This was truly a historic moment for SASA, Vanshika shared. It's the first time a student organization at Berklee has pulled off something of this scale. The energy, the unity, the music-it was all magical.

The audience agreed. Wow! The SASA showcase concert at Brighton Music Hall totally blew me away, said Susan Whitehead, Chair emeritus of the Board of Trustees at Berklee. The music was varied and sophisticated, really showcasing the huge talent on stage. They were pros, and the energy and vibe were fantastic!

For many in the crowd, it wasn't just about the music-it was about connection. Deepti Nijhawan, Executive Director of Project Prakash Foundation and one of the attendees, shared: Music has the capacity to move us deeply, and like laughter and smiles, transcends language barriers. At their first public event, the SASA musicians did just that-move us deeply. We may not have understood the lyrics in Hindi, Bengali, and Gujarati, but the joy and wonder conveyed in their songs made up for it! Thank you SASA!

Zahara reflected on the evening with emotion: In 2021, SASA was created as a safe space for South Asian students and their allies to celebrate, innovate, and tell their stories. When I first came to Berklee as a young student, there were only three South Asians here. Fast forward to tonight, seeing Brighton Music Hall packed to the brim with so much South Asian representation-on and off stage-full of music, movement, joy, and power it's overwhelming in the best way. In a moment when the world feels increasingly uncertain, especially for international communities, this kind of solidarity isn't just beautiful-it's essential.

After the show, everyone was scattered around for a bit-meeting and greeting audience members, collecting all the well-deserved gifts from their friends and family. Once that was done, the entire team gathered their belongings, ready to head out, when Zahara called everyone together for a last-minute group photo. YOU DID IT! The energy in the room was electric. Everyone was riding a rollercoaster of emotions-pride, happiness, joy, exhaustion, relief, burnout, and everything in between. But in that moment, they had never felt closer to one another.

They had found a family away from home, and that was all that mattered.

Mehfil wasn't just a concert-it was a celebration of identity, community, and collaboration. For many, it marked a turning point-not just for SASA, but for the broader South Asian community on Berklee's Boston campus. As students slowly packed up instruments and hugged each other backstage, the glow of the night lingered-a signal that this was just the beginning.

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