By Grey Winn, student writerThe academic circle was alive with the sounds of the Far East April 6 as students arrived at Turner Auditorium for the SAATH club’s annual “SAATH Night” culture celebration.Hosting numerous events throughout the semesters, the South Asian Awareness Through Humanities or “SAATH” club brings each year to a climax on SAATH Night, showcasing a variety of unique cultures represented in Campbell’s diverse student body.”Each year we try to make it better,” said SAATH President Priti Patel. “This year we even pushed back the date, because we wanted it to be the best production possible.”The event drew record numbers, featuring students from around the world performing a play comprised of several original scenes intertwined with popular Indian and South Asian dances.”Last year, we had dances and a fashion show and events designed just to show the clothing,” said Patel. “This year, we wanted to make it more entertaining for everyone by incorporating the dances into a skit.”The skit told the story of an exchange student from India and his struggle to fit in at Campbell. Santosh Patel received hails of laughter as he played the part of the confused newcomer, who searched for friends in everything from sports groups to music players.”The biggest surprise for me was just how funny and original the performance was,” said student Stephen Craig. Craig said expected the night to be enlightening, but not necessarily humorous.”The best part of the night was the excellent performance by Santosh,” he said.At every scene transition, the skit flowed seamlessly into performances themed in South Asian culture. One student teamed up with another musician to play small hand drums, while others teamed with groups to dance to popular Indian and Asian music.”We just thought it would be nice for everyone to come together and have a good time,” said crimson-clad dancer Dhara Vaghani.According to SAATH’s president, the night was an unprecedented success.”I knew it was a success when people came up to me said, ‘It was so good!'” she said.”It was a huge success,” added Vaghani.”Most importantly, we learned about togetherness, which is what we were trying to exemplify,” said Patel. “That’s what SAATH is all about.”
SAATH Night draws record turnout