Dancers from more than 25 universities perform at the annual charity dance on October 8.
By Surekha Vijh
Karisma, a Desi student and youth show, captivated New York City last month with an unbeatable energy and enthusiasm. Hundreds of students from different states participated and performed several ethnic dances, including bhangra, dandia, kuchipudi and bhartnatyam, along with modern hip hop to raise funds for various charitable causes.
Representatives from more than 25 universities supported Karisma, an annual charity dance held at Colden Auditorium of Queens College in New York City on October 8. The star attraction of the show was youth sensation, Arjun Kumaraswamy, known by his stage name Arjun. The auditorium echoed his songs, as everybody sang along with him. Many waited to get a photo with him.
The British singer-songwriter and record producer performed many of his most popular songs, including fan favorite Kolaveri. He shot to fame through his online musical performances and became popular by following an R&B cover version of Why This Kolaveri Di. His cover has over 12 million views on YouTube.
Arjun, a Sri Lankan-born Tamil, has a degree in architecture, but decided to instead pursue a career in music music. Arjun won the Best Urban Act at the 2012 UK Asian Music Awards. Playing the role of Luke Lewis in new online drama Steffi, Arjun was chosen by Anirudh Ravichander to perform the song in the movie Vanakkam Chennai. “I’m delighted to be in New York City and performing for a great cause and also for desis,” he said. “It’s wonderful to see how music brings us all together.” Karisma’s co-founder, Meenakshi Krishna, a medical student at Harvard and a past captain of Harvard’s Bhangra team, who started it five years ago with Sonia Joshi said it allowed them to combine their love for the arts and community service.
The event started off as a local talent show with a budget of $500 and a fundraising goal of $3,000. Last year, it raised well over that amount, as it received over $20,000. In 2011, Karisma made a service trip to Nepal and Delhi and worked with students in rural villages who had limited access to education,
“That was where the motivation for our first Karisma and service initiative came from,” said Krishna, a trained bharatnatyam dancer from the age of six.
“Not only do we come together as a community, but at personal levels, our love for dance transcends the individual at this point and becomes an avenue for us to help others,” she added
Last year funds were provided for vocational training for women who were victims of domestic violence and abuse in Nepal. Additionally, it also funded a program that installed over 10,000 skylights in rural Nepal.
The organizers are also working to help children battling with pediatric cancer and women who have been victims of domestic violence and various other atrocities.
The organization is run on volunteer basis, and organizers ranged in age from high school students to graduates.
“We are fortunate to get things easy being the second generation, while our parents really worked hard,” said Krishna.
“Therefore, we all have an ability to give back and to inculcate a sense that dance or singing is not just for competition or for oneself but it is about giving back and creating larger change,” Joshi added.
Krishna’s parents Akhilesh Krishna and Kalpana Jain hosted out of state students and performers.
Karisma brought the best South Asian dance teams from the East Coast together on one platform, including some who have been featured on Fox Network’s So You Think You Can Dance and NBC Network’s America’s Got Talent.