By Shane Mead | Staff Writer
The 28th annual Gateway to India, hosted by the Baylor Indian Subcontinent Student Association, will take place on Saturday in Waco Hall.
The Bollywood fusion dance competition, which brings together different South Asian dance teams from all across the country, also features a fashion show and serves food from the region, which director and Dublin, Calif. senior Muskan Bakshi said is a hot commodity among student attendees.
This year, attending Gateway to India will require a ticket fee, which hasn’t been the case in past years. Tickets will be sold at $10 apop for presale and $15 at the door, said director and Plano junior Ananya Mandava.
New ticket prices were decided upon in an effort to raise more money for their philanthropy, Bakshi said.
“Through ISSA, we are partnered with Developments in Literacy,” Bakshi said. “They are dedicated to building and fundraising schools for underprivileged areas in India and Pakistan. Through this event, we take this as a chance to raise and donate money towards that.”
In total, Gateway to India will feature ten different dance teams and organizations coming to Waco to perform in Waco Hall. Four of those teams will be coming from out of state.
“There’s a huge amount of individuals coming to perform,” said director and Maple Grove, Minn. senior Shifa Karim. “We have definitely been able to expand a lot in terms of our reach and making sure more and more people from across the nation are hearing about Gateway India and wanting to attend our competition.”
The large influx of teams coming to perform stems from the inclusivity that’s felt by performers. Karim said this has caused many teams to return — or at least apply to.
“We do ensure that we are as hospitable as possible for each team that comes to Baylor,” Karim said. “We want to make sure it’s an amazing experience for them. The fact we have so many teams that tend to come back year after year, that’s kind of a show as to the experience that they’ve had.”
This year, 32 schools applied to Gateway to India, which made the selection that much tougher since they are only able to accept six to eight dance acts, Bakshi said.
“There is a lot of interest for people,” said Bakshi. “They want to come to Baylor; they want to experience it.”
Gateway to India also serves as an opportunity for South Asian students at Baylor to explore and practice their culture, which Bakshi said is vital at a college with a low South Asian student population.
“We take this as a moment and a chance for us to take pride in our culture,” Bakshi said. “This is a chance for us to showcase what the South Asian culture is about.”
Gateway to India is for everybody since it is a Baylor event, Mandava said. The purpose of showcasing the South Asian culture is not just to celebrate their own culture but to get Baylor students a glimpse into a culture that’s different than what they may be used to, she said.
“This can be a great first experience with South Asian culture,” said Mandava. “It’s going to be really good food, good performances and it gives people an opportunity to see what other organizations are at Baylor.”
