South Asian Society

South Asian Society (SAS) is a non-profit, socio-cultural organization that has been created to promote unity and awareness amongst South Asian students at the George Washington University, from countries such as Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Activities sponsored by SAS encourage exploration of the South Asian culture, advocate solidarity, and serve the community. 

Annually, SAS strives to support and work with various community and international charitable organizations as well as to maintain funds in its own endowment - The South Asian Society Scholarship Fund. The endowment provides a scholarship annually to a member of the South Asian community. It is the mission of SAS to actively create programs and lectures representing the cultural diversity of South Asian countries.  However, we also are determined to increase political activism and awareness of the South Asian community on campus.  Toward this end, SAS has worked in conjunction with other student groups to develop the university's South Asian curriculum.  Further, SAS has begun to actively work with other organizations such as the Indian American Center for Political Awareness (formerly the India Abroad Center for Political Awareness) and the Indian-American Political Awareness Committee.

 

Bhangra Blowout™ is an international intercollegiate South Asian dance competition featuring a high-energy style of dance. Bhangra is a style of music and dance that originates from the region of Punjab, which lies within Northern India and Pakistan. The dance is performed to celebrate occasions such as Vaisakhi (the beginning of the harvest), weddings, birthdays, and other auspicious events.

Quite simply, Bhangra can be described as an exciting and beat-intensive music and dance style that has existed for centuries. It currently enjoys growing popularity worldwide. Since its conception in 1993, Bhangra Blowout™ has become an annual tradition that has grown from a local cultural show to one of the most anticipated South Asian events in North America. This event has one of the largest impacts on the student and young adult demographic within the South Asian community.

Being one of the largest South Asian events in the country, Bhangra Blowout™ continues to attract crowds from around the world. Bhangra Blowout™ has surpassed any and all expectations each successive year. The event fulfills its anticipation as one of the largest events in the history of the George Washington University and one of the largest student run South Asian events of its kind in the United States.  In recent years, Bhangra Blowout™ has received national recognition from world-renowned publications such as the New York Times, the Washington Post, Forbes Magazine, and various local cable TV networks.