Holi Hai !
Dear all,
Get ready to be submerged in a deluge of colours this Sunday, as we
celebrate Holi - the Festival of Colours - in the North field! Holi
marks the arrival of spring in the Indian subcontinent and celebrations
include playing with coloured powders, spraying coloured water and of
course tasty snacks. Feel free to bring along your family and friends
too!
- Date: April 13, Sunday
- Venue: North Field
- Time: 11am - 1pm
This event is co-sponsored by the Graduate Student Council, and by Associated Students of California Institute of Technology (ASCIT).
Bollywood dance party !
After the success of the first
Bollywood Dance Party, we're back with another one on popular demand !
Wanna learn how to shake it like a Bollywood star ? Come dance with
us! Get some samosas and win a prize too!
OASIS proudly presents Bollywood Dance Party, an evening featuring foot
tapping Bollywood dance music including folk music like Bhangra and
Dandiya.
- When: Friday, February 1, 10:30pm
- Where: Winnett Lounge (Above Caltech Bookstore)
This event is co-sponsored by the Graduate Student Council and the
Associated Students of the California Institute of Technology.
Indian Republic Day 2008
Indian Republic Day
The Indian Republic Day was celebrated on 26 January with flag hoisting in the morning.
Dear all,
We will have the Republic Day flag-hoisting at 8am on Saturday (26th Jan)
in the lawn opposite Winnett Lounge. In case of rain, we will move to
the courtyard just below Winnett Lounge (beside the ATM machine).
Hope to see you all there.
Regards,
OASIS team.
Diwali Celebrations
Diwali 2007
Some photographs from preparations for the event... event pics will be up soon !
Dear All
OASIS brings to you Diwali, the festival of lights. Come hang out
with us for an evening of music and dance, followed by an ethnic Indian
dinner. We will have student performances, traditional 'diya' lighting,
henna tattoos, as well as an opportunity for the audience to learn a
folk dance.
- Date: December 1, 2007
- Venue: Beckman Courtyard
- Time: 5:30pm
This event is co-sponsored by the Graduate Student Council.
OASIS Ice cream social
OASIS Ice cream social
Get together, eat ice cream, chat, play games... thats life ! Everyone met the incoming students at this event.
Dear All,
We are hosting an Ice Cream Social to welcome our freshers
starting 9pm TODAY (Oct 26) at Winnette Lounge. The menu includes
desserts, ice cream and mango lassi. There will be games and music as
well. Don't miss out this opportunity to get to know our incoming batch
better :)
Freshies, this might be your last chance to chill out before the
midterm week!
Hope to see you there,
OASIS Team
Bollywood night and Dance party
Bollywood night and dance party
The bollywood night was a success, and attracted several students from outside the Indian Subcontinent, too! (Photos by sujit)
Wanna learn how to shake it like a Bollywood star ? Come dance with
us! Get some samosas and win a prize too!
OASIS proudly presents Bollywood Dance Party, an evening featuring foot
tapping Bollywood dance music including folk music like Bhangra and
Dandiya.
- When: Friday, October 12, 10pm
- Where: Winnett Lounge (Above Caltech Bookstore)
This event is co-sponsored by the Graduate Student Council and the
Associated Students of the California Institute of Technology.
Club Fair and Carnival 2007
OASIS had a table at the Caltech Club Fair to welcome new members of the caltech community to our organization. We had been contacted by several incoming students when they arrived to caltech, but we still got a big list of signups at the clubfair. Photographs from the clubfair are available at the
Club Fair and Carnival, 2007 website.
Hon. Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam's Caltech visit
Dr. Kalam Visit
Hon. Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, former president of India, had a special lunch with OASIS members on Saturday, 22 September 2007
Dear all,
Dr. Abdul Kalam is visiting Caltech from Sept. 19 to Sept. 22 to attend the "50 years in Space" conference organized by GALCIT. Registrations for the conference are free for members of the Caltech community. Please visit: http://www.galcit.caltech.edu/space50/ if you would like to register for the conference.
We are proud to announce that OASIS, in association with GALCIT and Indian faculty members at Caltech, will be hosting a lunch meeting with Dr.Kalam for OASIS members from the Indian subcontinent currently affiliated with Caltech.
Venue: The Athenaeum
Time: 11:30-1:30pm
Day: Saturday, September 22, 2007
Program: Lunch Buffet, followed by half hour talk by Dr. Kalam, and a question-answer session.
This event is only open to Caltech students, staff, postdocs and their spouses. Unfortunately we will not be able to accomodate children. OASIS has a total of 80 spots which will be filled on a first-come-first-serve basis. To sign up for the event please visit : http://oasis.caltech.edu/kalamvisit/ (Page will be available only during registration period listed below)
The site will be open for sign ups from Monday morning, Sept. 17 at 8:00am till Tuesday night, Sept. 18 at 11:30pm. Please note that signing up does not ensure you a spot at the event. We will send out a confirmatory email to those who have a guaranteed spot.
We hope that a lot of you wil be able to take advantage of this unique opportunity for an informal meeting with Dr. Kalam.
Regards,
The OASIS committee
Farewell Potluck Dinner (14 Sep 2007)
Farewell Potluck Pics
OASIS held a potluck dinner in September as a farewell for the members leaving caltech this year...
Hi all,
We are planning to have a potluck this friday (14th september) at 7pm
in the North Cats rec-room. It will be also be a nice opportunity for us
to bid farewell to some of our members who are leaving Caltech in the
near future. Kindly RSVP by thursday and if possible, mention what dish
you plan to cook, so we can ensure variety in the menu.
Hope to see you on friday!
20 - 24 August 2007: South Asian Flood Crisis
Some of the worst floods ever have hit parts of India, Bangladesh and Nepal. The current floods in India are being considered as the worst floods in living memory (UN). They have affected nearly 20 million people in India, 8 million in Bangladesh, and several hundred thousand in Nepal.
OASIS is trying to play its role in reaching out on behalf of the Caltech community, and we need your help ! Your donations will be forwarded to UNICEF
Reach out at :
- Venue : Red Door Cafe
- Date : Monday, 20th August to Friday, 24nd August.
- Time : 11 am to 2 pm
More information
15 August 2007: Flag hoisting
OASIS members hoisted the Indian and Pakistani national flags to commemorate the Independence Days of the two countries. Flag hoisting was done at 8 am in the lawn between Winnet Center and Firestone. See more pics of the event here.
Hoisting the Indian and Pakistani flags on 15th August 2007
15 August 2007: Independence party
Independence Party
Hoisting the Indian and Pakistani national flags on 15 Aug 2007, followed by an Independence party in the evening.
OASIS is pleased to announce that we will now provide support to members for national celebrations of all 7 countries represented in our organization.
We will start by celebrating the Independence Days of India and Pakistan by hoisting their flags in a ceremony on Wednesday, August 15, at 8:00am on the lawn between Firestone and Winnett center. See more pics of the event
here.
The same evening at 7:00pm, we will host a celebration dinner at the Central Catalina Rec Room, with delicious south Indian food (for 40-50 people!) catered by Tirupathi Bhimas. There will also be board games and a movie for everyone to enjoy :)
Celebrate with OASIS by coming to one or both of the day's events! Everyone is invited! If you anticipate bringing a large number of people to dinner, please reply to this mail and let us know ASAP so that we can adjust our food order accordingly.
In summary : Celebration Dinner:
- Venue: Central Cats Rec Room
- Date: Wednesday, 15th August.
- Time: 7 pm onwards
11 August 2007: Weekend trip to Joshua Tree
Joshua tree star party
The first big event of 2006-07 academic year, a trip to Joshua Tree park with a stargazing session the same night
OASIS is planning a weekend trip to Joshua Tree in August. It'll be a
fun excursion with picnicing at the Salton Sea, hiking in Joshua Tree
and stargazing in the clear dark desert sky. If you've never seen the
milky way or the rings of saturn through a 12" telescope, now is your
chance. (At the end of the trip you will also know some of the
mythological stories associated with various constellations and how the
Romans used to test their soldiers eyesight just by asking them to look
up in the sky.) The main highlight for this trip will probably be the
annual Perseid Meteor Showers forming a spectacular astronomical
firework. The shower will be at its best starting around midnight till
early morning with usuallly around 60 meteor strikes per hour at its
peak. We are also fortunate to have a new moon this year, at the time of
this trip.
If you would like to join us, please RSVP to
by
Tuesday (July 24th) so that we can reserve the campground and camping
gear from Caltech-Y. Do let us know if you will be bringing along any
guests. As always, we need people to carpool. So if you have a "nice"
running car which can go places with working AC, please volunteer to
drive and let us know how many people you can take with you. And please
save your gas receipts for reimbursement.
Cheers and have a nice day.
OASIS Team
(As always, OASIS is always welcome to suggestions/comments/tips from
you all. Feel free to drop by a line if you have any ideas for future
events etc.)
- When: August 11, 9AM (leaving Caltech) to August 12, 3PM (return to
Caltech)
- Cost: $10 per person
- Links:
Disclaimer: As with all outdoor trips, there are inherent risks. By
coming on this trip you waive Caltech, OASIS and its office bearers of
responsibility in the event of a mishap and you accept the risk of
injury or death. Just like many of you, we are not professional hikers,
and cannot guarantee absolute safety.
Roo-Ba-Roo (Annual Cultural Show 2007)
Roo-Ba-Roo
The OASIS annual cultural show is the biggest OASIS event of the year. Roo-Ba-Roo comprised of two plays and two dances.
A tete-a-tete with the culture and traditions of the India subcontinent!
The annual OASIS cultural show that happens in May showcases the
different aspects of life in the subcontinent - past and present. Last
year's event included a Kathak performance - a classical dance form that
dates back several hundred years, a play set in an typical urban family
in India and a humourous skit on the travails of an Indian undergraduate
freshman at Caltech! The mouth-watering Indian food served at the end of
the show, is ofcourse an added attraction.
More details about the dances and plays and links to photo albums are given below.
A video of the entire show is available
here.
Roo-Ba-Roo: Classical Dances
Classical Dances
Radhika Marathe performed classical dances based on Kathak, in two parts
Shiva Stuti: Kathak is a North-Indian classical dance form characterized by fast footwork, spins and subtle movements of the face. Dating over 2000 years ago it originated as a form of story (katha)- telling in Hindu temples where the dancers transmitted knowledge of religious epics and mythology to evoke devotion in the audience. A performance begins with such an invocation to the Gods, particularly Lord Shiva, the Lord of dance, in the following Shiva-Stuti.
Kahe Chhed: Around the 15th century, Kathak underwent a drastic change in style. Due to Persian and Mughal influences, it was transformed from a temple ritual to courtly entertainment. This performance is based on a piece from the Bollywood movie Devdas which originates in the same period. Although the story still involves the mythological characters of Krishna-Radha, there is a marked transition from an expression of devotion to that of youthful teasing in a romantic encounter.
Roo-Ba-Roo: Plays
Absolutely FOBulous
The humourous story of a student Fresh Off Boat, confounded by the different cultural setting.
Agantuk: A play based on the acclaimed Satyajit Ray movie by the same name,
Agantuk (The stranger).
The play is centered around an unexpected visit by a long lost relative of an average middle class couple in the city of Calcutta. The relative claims to be the younger uncle of the wife, but she has never met this supposed uncle before and therefore the couple is skeptical about the "relative's" authenticity. But, as it turns out, this relative turns out to be a very knowledgeable and well traveled person, who holds an unconventional view of civilization and life in general, which draws the wife and son closer, and makes them want to believe him. This insightful play seeks to bring out the insecurities in the minds of average people and presents an opportunity to reflect on what civilization means.
Absolutely FOBulous: A humorous play based on the experiences of a "fresh off the boat" undergraduate Indian student at Caltech and his experiences as he gets accustomed the crazy life of an undergraduate at Caltech, and learns to live with an inevitable "culture-shock".
Based on the collection of short stories penned by
acclaimed author, R.K. Narayan, the serial focuses on the trial and
tribulations of a small Indian town of Malgudi. According to R.K. Narayan,
Malgudi is a town "habited by timeless characters who could be living
anywhere in the world" and is located on the banks of river Sarayu and
surrounded by the Mempi Hills.
