What defines a home? Is it the soil where we are born and raised? Or is it the roots that weave within us?
“Rooted” marks the 37th year of Ghungroo at Harvard, an annual tradition that has grown to become the University’s largest student-run production. As Harvard’s premier showcase of South Asian culture and heritage, Ghungroo is not just a performance, but a love letter to South Asian and diaspora culture, blending music, dance, spoken word, skits, and visual arts. It embraces the enduring bond that ties individuals to their roots—cultural, familial, and ancestral.
This year’s theme, “Rooted,” explores connection and legacy, reflecting on the influence of ancestral experiences and the collective yearning to connect with our histories that can feel both immediate and distant. Ghungroo is the culmination of countless hours of dedication and passion from more than 300 members of Harvard’s South Asian community and broader student body.
“Rooted” was staged over three days at the Agassiz Theater in Radcliffe Yard, with four performances comprising an array of acts. The show featured eight skits, four spoken words, six musical performances, and 20 dance numbers, each a testament to the diversity and richness of South Asian cultures.
For the show’s executive producers, Aditi Kona ’26 and Nurayn Khan ’26, the task of organizing a show of this magnitude was no small feat. Their role encompassed all logistics beyond the creative aspects of the show, including marketing, ticketing, safety, and coordinating special guests. This year especially, they accomplished something special: three of the weekend’s four performances were completely sold out in advance, a testament to the show’s immense popularity and the intentional effort of the team behind it.
What did audiences experience at “Rooted?” Kona and Khan highlighted several exciting new additions to the show: “We’re seeing a bunch of new dances and bringing in acts that haven’t been done before. So like, Tibetan style.”
Throughout the show, viewers had the opportunity to witness acts that reflect the vast cultural tapestry of South Asia. The theme “Rooted,” to Kona and Khan, means honoring ancestral cultures, whether from the “homeland” or the diaspora: “The show is just really about honoring so many aspects of the diverse cultures of South Asia, because there are just so many,” shared Khan.
The show is a celebration of the unique ways these cultures come to life in the contemporary world, from hip-hop-infused fusion dances to emotionally charged spoken word performances that reflect the individual experiences of performers.
Behind the scenes, the producers faced the logistical challenge of managing a production with over 300 performers and a large, dedicated team. Kona and Khan found ticketing to be especially challenging. “I would say with any show where you have 300 performers and you need to sell out 3/4 times, which is what—1000 plus tickets with two producers—that’s going to be a challenge,” they said.
The two attributed much of their ticket sale success to the support of the Ghungroo Executive Board and the Harvard Undergraduate South Asian Association. “We couldn’t have done it without [the] SAA board. Super thankful for them,” the two expressed.
Kona and Khan also acknowledged the collective effort required to pull off a show of this scale, especially with the added complexity of being Harvard students with many other commitments.
Beyond the performances, “Rooted” also represented the sense of community and support within the South Asian community at Harvard. As Kona and Khan prepared for the show, they frequently found themselves reflecting on the personal connection that made the event so meaningful for them.
For Kona, seeing friends and fellow students support one another is a highlight: “It’s just cute to see people supporting their friends,” she said. Both producers were also particularly excited to welcome several generations of past SAA presidents to the show. “This year, we have four or five generations of SAA Presidents coming to watch the show and for [us] that’s just so exciting because we feel like they’re people that we look up to and people that have been our mentors,” said Khan. “It is going to be so gratifying, just really being able to have that connection with the history of SAA.”
At its core, “Rooted” is about more than just music, dance, and entertainment. It’s an opportunity for Harvard’s diverse student body to deepen their understanding and appreciation of South Asian culture. Kona and Khan hope that audiences leave the show with a greater appreciation of the richness and complexity of South Asian traditions.
“I hope [viewers] take away an appreciation of the South Asian culture. I think a lot of the time in people’s heads, South Asian culture is just a couple of Bollywood songs they know, or maybe the Indian food at HUDS. But really, it’s so diverse,” Khan emphasized.
Kona added, “It’s so nice to see other people bringing in their own experiences and opinions and history, with creativity, with dancing, and combining with what we already know,” she said.
“Rooted” is about celebrating the shared human experience—the connections we forge with each other, with our backgrounds, and with the diverse cultures that shape who we are. After the show, I longed for nothing more than a hug from my Nanno, a dance session to the Dostana soundtrack with my mom and Khala, and my favorite gulab jamun and paneer biryani from my neighborhood Pakistani restaurant.
As the performers took the stage this past week, they all carried with them not only the weight of their legacies but the strength of a community united in a celebration of its roots.
Rania Jones ’27 (rjones@college.harvard.edu) wrote this article listening to her all-time favorite Bollywood songs.