Author: Samir Rohira

It’s the South Asian Holiday Season, and we all know what that means — amazing food, decor, and SASA’s annual Diwali-Eid Banquet!

Join us THIS FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 8th at 7 PM in the Fields Center for a night of music, food, performances and fun! Picture Perfect will have a booth to capture the splendor so come decked out in your colorful traditional garb if you have it, but for those of you who don’t, worry not because we’ll have plenty you can borrow!

Tickets can be bought for $5 at Frist, and will also be sold at the door. Space is limited and fills up quickly, so be sure to grab your tickets in advance to guarantee a spot!

Since one of the core elements of both Diwali and Eid is giving, a portion of the proceeds will be donated to Guria, an organization partnered with Princeton Bridge Year that fights sex trafficking in India’s redlight districts. Please support us in our efforts by bringing some spare cash!

Happy Diwali and Eid Mubarak… we can’t wait to see you on Friday!

Nalini Ambady is a beloved friend, renowned researcher and professor at Stanford University, and the active mom of two teenage daughters, Maya and Leena. She is also fighting for her life. Just a few months ago, Nalini was diagnosed with a recurrence of leukemia, which she first battled in 2004. Now, she urgently needs a bone marrow transplant from a genetically matched donor. Someone out there is a perfect match, but they may not be on the registry yet. That someone can save her life – and it could be you.

And it is not just her – there are hundreds of people out there who need donors. Please consider joining the National Bone Marrow Donor Registry. For members of racial and ethnic minority groups in the US, like Nalini who is South Asian, the chances of finding a donor are significantly lower. It’s more likely that a match will come from someone with a shared ethnic background, but everyone has the potential to be a match.

This Tuesday – Wednesday, April 23-24, Princeton’s South Asian Students Association is partnering with HLA Registry, UHS, and SHAB, to conduct a drive in honor of Nalini. Come stop by our table in Frist Gallery any time between 9:30AM and 4:30PM to join us in our efforts to serve patients diagnosed with leukemia and other fatal blood disorders.

This is purely a registration drive. Registrants must be in general good health. This drive is open to everyone, regardless of ethnicity. You can also join the Registry of the National Marrow Donor Program by clicking here.

The South Asian Students Association is proud to bring you our annual tradition — The Diwali-Eid Banquet!

Named after the two fall harvest festivals of the Hindu and Muslim faiths, respectively, the banquet focuses on bringing people together during the holiday season to celebrate South Asian food, music, culture, and tradition. This year we plan on making the banquet bigger and better than ever before. And we must remember that in our time of celebration to extend the warmth of charity to all of those in need. We’ll be doing our first ever silent auction in which our board will auction everything from a coffee date to cooking you a meal. Princeton’s new student agency, Picture Perfect, will be on site to capture all of you in your hottest fashions. In addition, we’ll be having a special entertainment program featuring our newest members and Princeton Bhangra, an experience that is sure to get everyone on their feet. Sunshine Restaurant will be catering the event with a delectable spread. Join us at 7:30PM at the Carl A. Fields Center for one of SASA’s biggest nights of the year. $5 Tickets are available now in the Frist Ticketing Office. At 10PM, we’ll open up the event free of charge for a night of dancing with DJ Magic Mike.

We hope to see you there. This is something you won’t want to miss.

Princeton University’s South Asian Students Association presents Holi 2012:

2 – 4 PM
May 9th
Alexander Beach

We will have water balloons and holi powders, so wear old clothes and bring your friends!

8PM – 11PM 
Friday, April 27, 2012
East Pyne Courtyard

Have you heard of Taiwan’s famous night markets? Common throughout all of Taiwan, they attract crowds of people to their intricate alleys full of cheap and delicious food stands and shops. You can find the latest styles of clothing, cute accessories, and even glasses and phone cases for the lowest prices (if you know how to haggle.) Join TASA and other student groups as we create a Princeton version of Night Market!

Come to the SASA stall to enjoy some delicious bhel puri (puffed rice), masala dosa (Indian crepes), and mango lassi (milkshake)!

Get 2 tickets for FREE with PUID/pre-frosh ID!

Also, come meet VSA, CSA, Accion Latina, MASA, AASA, Persian Society, KASA, SASA, TASA, and JSA, and enjoy performances by Mree, Bhangra, Emi Nakamura, High Steppers, VTones, Sympoh, Taiyee Chen, Bodyhype, Triple 8, Steve Kuei & Stephen Kuo, Chaos Theory, and Tora Taiko, MC’d by Quipfire! Don’t forget to bring your prefrosh for an unforgettable night of culture, food, music & fun.

Sponsored by Projects Board, PIIRS, DICAB, and departments of MAT, ORFE, MAE, and ELE

Thursday, April 26, 8 pm
McCosh 10

An interfaith comedy experience.

Fresh from a 7-city tour of India, standup comedians Rajiv Satyal & Azhar Usman bring their brand of stereotype-busting peace-building humor to Princeton

Free for PUID holders & Pre Frosh. $10 all others. Tickets available at Frist Ticketing Office or at door.

Sponsored by the Office of Religious Life, Hindu Life Program, Muslim Life Program, Muslim Students Association, ODUS, Pehchaan, Princeton Hindu Satsangam, South Asian Students Association, the South Asian Studies Program, and the Anthropology Department.

Friday, April 27, 2012
12 – 5 pm, Poe Field 

Primarily celebrated in the province of Punjab in Pakistan and India, ‘Basant’ is the colorful kite flying festival that marks the arrival of spring. People put on their brightest clothes and gather on their rooftops with their friends and families to spend a day filled with competitive kite flying, delicious food, and great music.

Come watch an AWESOME Bollywood film (with English subtitles) with all the love, action, drama and hilarity that you expect from Bollywood’s finest!

For those of who may not know, 3 Idiots is the highest grossing film Bollywood film OF ALL TIME. Rotten Tomatoes gave it a 100% “fresh” critics rating, and 20,000 audience viewers gave it a 92% rating. Join us on Friday night to see what everyone has been raving about!

Rocky Theater
Friday, April 6
8:00pm to 11:00pm

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1187043/
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/3_idiots/