Ghungroo’s 37th Annual Production: A Love Letter to the Roots of South Asian Culture

The Agassiz Theatre exploded with color on Feb. 21, immersing the audience in the rhythms of South Asian music and the clinks of the brass bells of the “ghungroo” — an anklet traditionally worn by Indian dancers to highlight the complex footwork in traditional dances. This year’s production, “Ghungroo: Rooted,” marked the 37th year of this cherished student production that hosts more than 300 student performers to honor South Asian culture and welcome the broader community. This year’s theme emphasized the importance of home and personal identity through the celebration of history and art for the South Asian community and beyond.

Through the carefully curated skits, dances, visual arts, and performances, the Ghungroo dancers shined as they transported the audience into centuries worth of stories through the energetic movements of Bharatanatyam to the powerful words of spoken word poetry. The upbeat rhythms and energetic choreography of the Classical Dance and Kathak introduced the audience to the production. However, the acts also included a wide variety of entertainment; the three-and-a-half hour show contained funny skits featuring characters such as Dean Khurana and Vice President JD Vance. Throughout the night, loud laughter filled the room and conversations floated among the audience.

“I feel like it’s really inspiring to see another culture and to learn more about it through their art,” said audience member Amelia O. Fung ’28.

Other audience members shared Fung’s sentiment.

“If you want a show that can cheer you up, Ghungroo will do that,” Ruby E. Condrington ’28 said.

The stories behind each of the 42 different performances gave the audience the opportunity to dive deeper into the culture behind the dances. Performances celebrated the traditions of many regions, ranging from Bhangra, a traditional dance that celebrates the harvest, to Gorshey, a traditional Tibetan Circle dance.

This year, for the first time, Tibetan and Uyghur traditions were included as their own dance in the production, choreographed by Kawsar Yasin ’27 and Tenzin Yiga ’27. The dancers highlighted Tibetan and Uyghur cultures and traditions, emphasizing their hopes for a free Tibet and independent East Turkestan. The costumes were handmade and sourced from a Tibetan store in Virginia — some were made by Tursunay Ziyawudun, a former concentration camp detainee. Yasin and Yiga expressed that their mission for their performance was to bring recognition to the community and challenge the notion of borders, Yasin stating that “identity goes beyond borders.” Their message highlighted the theme of Ghungroo this year, allocating space to spread awareness about their cultures and backgrounds through artistic expression.

“Especially within the Tibetan and Uyghur diasporas around the world, we often find ourselves not fitting into South Asia, East Asia, Western Asia, and even Central Asia. There's not really room for us to fit into one of these categories. We often find ourselves having to create spaces or impose ourselves in spaces that we can represent our culture, because there is no space that's dedicated for us,” Yiga said.

Shaping and curating this production was no easy feat. The production preparations began in September as team members started writing scripts, organizing performances, and coordinating other logistics to bring Ghungroo to life.

“Instead of feeling more nostalgic or grasping onto moments of our past, I think we wanted it to be more of a celebration of the present and a celebration of the history that’s among us,” Ashini A. Modi ’26, one of Ghungroo’s co-directors, said when asked about the message that they wanted to highlight through this year’s production.

“I hope that the audience took that away, and the performers, everyone who was a part of the show sort of really learned how – even though we all have these very different life experiences and we're all from very, very different places – we’re still sort of connected together,” Sreela Chaudhury ’26, another co-director, said.

For the community at Ghungroo, it was more than a production; It was a home.

“Belongingness is there. It’s very welcoming and homely. It has a homely feel to it when Ghungroo season comes around every year,” Davina S. Komaravalli ’26, another co-director, said.

Through Ghungroo this year, Modi, Chaudhury, and Komaravalli executed their mission of celebrating and honoring the vast diversity of South Asian culture. “Ghungroo: Rooted” was a love letter to the community at Harvard and beyond that celebrated tradition through history, words, and dance.