Anokha blends South Asian and American influences to create a sound all its own

Anokha

What do you get when you mix South Asian music with modern-day hits? Anokha, this university’s only South Asian-American a cappella group.

“We recognize that music is something that unifies people from all over the world, and each culture has so much to offer like different beats, different instruments and different sounds,” said Niti Dharwadkar, a physiology and neurobiology major and Anokha’s president.

Anokha means “unique” and “inimitable” in Hindi, Dharwadkar said. The sound the group seeks to achieve is indeed unlike any other on the campus: Established in 2001, Anokha highlights the different cultures that coexist in the South Asian region, while blending Eastern and Western styles together. They often sing mash-ups that feature songs from many genres — and often languages.

At last year’s performance in the Memorial Chapel, the group performed songs by Kanye West, Coldplay and A.R. Rahman, among others. Their diversity is a talent they wish to showcase and share.

“We try our best to reach out to a broad range of audience members by picking songs that are relevant and new as well as creating memorable mash-ups with some songs that we grew up listening to,” said Anokha’s music director Sara Mahmood, a junior psychology major.

In August, Anokha finished editing and mixing what is now its first studio album, Unleashed. The group has also competed in the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella and Gathe Raho, a competition specifically for South Asian fusion groups.

“We’ve made so much progress in the last few years,” said Anokha Vice President Sanjay Chainani, a physiology and neurobiology major. “This makes it fun to be in Anokha. Every member of the group contributes to the group’s direction. I think that’s pretty cool.”

Members are diverse in background and training, but according to Chainani, they all take music seriously.

“Anokha is a really special group and joining the team is an opportunity to create awesome music,” he said. “That’s a goal we’re willing to put our time and effort into.”