Where it began...
Fall semester, 2001: It all started because Monica Parekh and I wanted something more. We had tried out for a cappella groups but found that we couldn't find what we were looking for. We wanted a group on our campus that represented our culture, our heritage, and our voice. We contacted the Indian Student Association and the Asian American Student Union to get an adviser and learn the ropes of starting our not yet defined organization. We didn't know what we wanted exactly but knew we wanted something different. At our first meeting we encouraged anyone with a musical interest to join. We had singers and musicians; tabla players, guitarists, pianists, and violinist. The majority of our singers had never been trained and just enjoyed the pleasure of singing. Most importantly we had a common interest. We started as a diverse collection of ideas, desires, and visions to form Anokha; the first South Asian a cappella group at the University of Maryland, College Park. We chose the name because of its roots and meaning; it defines the identity of our group and is always what we strive to be, UNIQUE and EFFERVESCENT: Anokha.
~ Lopa Sisodia, Co-founder UMCP Class of 2005.
~ Lopa Sisodia, Co-founder UMCP Class of 2005.
Where we are today...
Founded in 2001 by Lopa Sisodia and Monica Parekh, Anokha has grown to perform all over the University of Maryland Campus during university-wide cultural events as well as at other venues, such as George Washington University, University of Virginia, Washington D.C., University of Pennsylvania, North Carolina State University, PennState and Johns Hopkins University.
In 2008, Anokha was nationally recognized as a Youth Venture. As a venture, Anokha aspires to advocate youth leadership and service to our community. In the past Anokha has consistently contributed a portion of the proceeds from our shows to various causes in our community as well as in India. We hope to continue reaching out to the world through our music, donations, and our helping hands!
In 2008, Anokha was nationally recognized as a Youth Venture. As a venture, Anokha aspires to advocate youth leadership and service to our community. In the past Anokha has consistently contributed a portion of the proceeds from our shows to various causes in our community as well as in India. We hope to continue reaching out to the world through our music, donations, and our helping hands!
