Food, music, and dancing creates philanthropy.At 7 p.m. Saturday, the South Asian Student Alliance will host its first formal A Night in Bollywood in the IMU Main Lounge. Dance group Taqaat will take the stage and offer dance lessons, multilingual South Asian music will pour from the speakers, and guests will chow down on authentic South Asian dishes. As with every Alliance event, all proceeds made at the formal will be donated to charity.

Shipra Verma, a co-director of the event, said she wanted to ensure it was as inclusive as possible while also introducing South Asian food and music to those who may not have previously experienced it.

“I’m just excited to see how my American friends will enjoy the different aspects of cultural stuff,” she said.

Founded in September, the Alliance is a new student organization to the UI campus. Verma said she loves to speak about her culture, and she was elated to become a part of the group.

“A lot of the Asian organizations on campus are more country-based,” she said. “There wasn’t really one that encompassed all of South Asia. So we have Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka, and Pakistan, and India combined. They all come together with our group.”

In preparation for the formal, the organization partnered with the Pakistani Student Alliance for Henna Night. Event codirector Tejasvi Kotte said it is customary in India and various other areas of South Asia to get Henna designs on hands and limbs the night before a big party. Henna Night will be held in 256 IMU at 7 p.m. Friday.

By incorporating a Henna Night, the South Asian Alliance ensured that people received the full South Asian experience of celebration, Kotte said.

“A lot of Indian culture you see nowadays is about Bollywood movies or dancing or outfits, so a formal is great way to incorporate all of that while having a good time,” she said.

However, the event does not merely serve as an opportunity for fun South Asian authenticity, Kotte said. All proceeds collected during A Night in Bollywood will be donated to the Brighter Dawns charity, a foundation that aims to provide access to clean water and improve sanitation in impoverished areas of Bangladesh.

Kotte first learned about the organization in high school and said she was eager to propose it to the Alliance philanthropy directors.

“They make a lot of changes. They install wells and toilets that people in Bangladesh wouldn’t otherwise have,” she said. “We take for granted that we have clean water here, but it’s really kind of a blessing.”

A representative from Brighter Dawns will speak at the formal to further discuss the work the charity is doing. Arham Pasha, the Alliance president and cofounder, said he hopes the group will inspire other UI student organizations to take on a solely philanthropic approach as well.

“I believe that as students we have the opportunity to make positive change in the world,” he said. “I look forward to being able to simultaneously connect those who enjoy South Asian culture and those new to it, while we all donate to help benefit those in need.”

CULTURE
What: A Night in Bollywood Formal
When: 7 p.m., Saturday
Where: IMU Main Lounge