Come with Me to Asli Baat’s Senior SCendoff!
By: Sanaa Alam ‘25
Longing to find cultural organizations that embraced my South Asian culture, I turned to USC’s premier South Asian fusion acapella organization, Asli Baat (AB) as they hosted a yearly showcase called AB Senior SCendoff. Not only was this an opportunity for fellow Trojans to listen to the pieces the group has been working on all year, but it was also a goodbye or “SCendoff” for the Asli Baat seniors: each graduating senior said goodbye to their time in Asli Baat by performing a solo song of their choice.
The Asli Baat Acapella Team (Photo courtesy of Asli Baat)
The night began at 7:30 PM when President, Nirav, acknowledged the accomplishments of the graduating seniors along with the progress of the acapella group throughout the school year. To start the show, they sang a mashup of god is a Woman and Tujh Mein Rab Dikhta Hai performed by AB members Hrithika Bhambhani and Radhika Bhuckory. Before the first senior’s solo performance took place, underclassmen took the mic to say a few words about the upcoming soloist’s best memories and contributions to the club. It was heartwarming to see the group smile and tear up looking back at the fun, embarrassing, and emotional moments they shared together. Moreover, the front rows of the audience were dedicated to the families of the graduating seniors, so along with hearing the acapella members get emotional recounting their memories, I could also see their family members smiling with tears in their eyes.
Asli Baat’s Graduating Class of 2022 (Pictured: Melissa Tungare, Radhika Bhuckory, Adya Mohanty, Nitin Sadras, and Romir Karnik.)
Photo courtesy of Asli Baat
Asli Baat continued with back-to-back arrangements made for the senior soloists of the songs: Adiye performed by Nitin Sadras, Deewani Mastani performed by Radhika Bhuckory, Dreaming (an original song written and performed by AB senior Melissa Tungare), Perfect Illusion performed by Romir Karnik, and Happier than Ever performed by Adya Mohanty. Right before the finale, the group members got together to bring specialized posters with photos, decorations, and flowers for each of the seniors. As they presented the gifts, the seniors and audience members were drawn to tears as mixed feelings of love, support, and goodbyes filled the air. Finally, Asli Baat ended the SCendoff by singing one of their famous mashups from this semester, a mashup of Yeh Mera Dil and Toxic performed by Anshuman Pattnaik and Rachit Das.
Throughout each performance, I couldn’t help but get goosebumps as I heard Asli Baat’s beautiful harmonies- their voices blended so seamlessly. Their performances made me proud to be a South Asian student at USC, and it was amazing to hear some of my favorite Bollywood songs being mixed with songs that everyone hears on the radio. All in all, the night was a success and I’m excited to hear what new arrangements they’ll perform next year!
Want more from Trojans 360?
Visit Trojans 360 on Facebook & Twitter to stay up to date with more student content! You can also Ask A Trojan an anonymous question, and we’ll try to answer it in a future post. And don’t forget to follow us on Instagram!
Trojans 360 is USC’s official student-run blog. Content created by students, for students.
