Preview: Mastana 2022

Presented by the Cambridge University Hindu Cultural Society, Mastana is an annual cultural arts show coming to the Corn Exchange in Week 8, promising an evening full of song, dance, and food to close your Lent term off on a high note. I snuck past the porters of St John’s and went along to rehearsals to find out what they have in store.

Mastana 2020 at the Guildhall – Image credits: Andy Cai

As the largest Asian cultural show in East Anglia, Mastana has been the CUHCS’s most ambitious event since it was first hosted in 1997. Committee co-presidents Sonali, Swasthi, and Tara told me the event is all about showcasing the talent and creativity of Cambridge’s South Asian community. Audiences can look forward to a programme of 15 acts, including performances by Cambridge’s Bollywood Dance Troupe, and a solo violin cover of classic Bollywood songs by Tejas Easwar.

As well as modern Bollywood dance, I got to watch Isha from Homerton’s amazing Kathak solo performance – a classical Indian dance form with a focus on footwork and quick spins. Mastana-regulars, the Desinance acapella group, are also due to be performing a fusion of Bollywood songs and Western pop music. With a mixture of modern and classical cultural performances, the event promises a dizzying array of different acts that you won’t want to miss.

Mastana 2020 – Image credits: Andy Cai

Interspersed throughout is a five-act play written and performed by the Mastana committee. ‘Legally Brown’ follows Priya, a teenage girl from India as she goes through the Cambridge admissions process – an experience probably all too familiar for anybody reading this article. Filled with Cambridge in-jokes, the cast’s infectious energy makes Priya’s navigation through the trials of overly-enthusiastic relatives and the joys of online interviews a light-hearted and comedic watch between the various other acts of the night.

All proceeds from the event will be evenly split between the two charities Mastana are supporting this year: CALM, a UK-based organisation working in mental health support and suicide prevention, and the Akanksha Foundation, a charity based in India providing education for children facing poverty. The co-presidents explained that they wanted to choose charities supporting people in both India and the UK; as Cambridge students, they want to support initiatives increasing access to education and mental health support, particularly following the pandemic.

Mastana 2020 – Image credits: Andy Cai

Due to last from 6:00pm until 9:30pm, Mastana will have an intermission during which they will be serving vegetarian food. So, between music, dance, drama, and food, Mastana promises everything you need to an energetic and exciting night out as Lent term comes to a close.

Mastana will be on for one night only at the Cambridge Corn Exchange on Sunday 13^th March at 6.00pm. Tickets are available here.

Feature Image credits: Tara Khanna