Penn Masala is currently in India for a week-long series of back-to-back performances beginning tomorrow, May 21. The group is set to perform across multiple cities, including Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Pune, and Delhi.
How it all began?
Back in 1996, four students at the University of Pennsylvania founded Penn Masala, an American Indian origin a cappella group that creates music entirely without instruments, drawing inspiration from both Indian and Western music.
Today, the group comprises 12 members from across all academic years, ranging from freshmen to seniors. “We all came together through a shared love of music, performance, and South Asian culture, and over time the group has truly become a family for all of us,” says band member Aryaman Meswani. The oldest member is 22 years old and currently a senior, while their youngest member is 18 years old and a freshman.
Explaining the origin of the group’s name, Aryaman adds, “The name Penn Masala was created by our founders as a blend of our culture, ‘Masala', and our school, 'Penn'. It represents both our South Asian roots and the university that brought us together.”
Expressing excitement about their ongoing India tour, which spans multiple cities across the country, Aryaman adds, “It is super exciting to be able to perform across these cities, because it not only shows us how far our music and content reach, but also allows us to do what we love most: perform and create music while traveling and experiencing it all with our best friends.”
"We already sold out our Mumbai shows much earlier than we expected," he exclaims.
Aryaman feels that one of the group's biggest challenges is managing time alongside academics and extracurricular commitments.
"It all comes down to time management, especially with difficult classes and heavy workloads. On top of that, we all have extracurricular commitments outside of Penn Masala and school, so balancing everything can definitely become a lot at times," he reveals.
However, maintaining their level of performance requires strong commitment from every member of Penn Masala. According to band member Aryaman Meswani, the group practices almost every day for a couple of hours, depending on their academic schedules and upcoming performances.
"Honestly, we have a wide range of musical training among our members. Some members joined the group after singing their entire lives, while others performed and sang for the very first time only after joining the group. A cappella is something many of us were introduced to through Penn Masala and being surrounded by talented and passionate musicians constantly pushes everyone to grow and improve," Aryaman mentions.
Penn Masala reflects a diverse and collaborative lineup, with members bringing different cultural and musical backgrounds into the group. Aryaman notes that the current lineup includes a member of Chinese origin and adds that this is not the first time the group has had non-Indian or non–South Asian members in its history.
He further explains that while only some members are fluent in Hindi, many can understand it along with other dialects. Since their repertoire also includes South Indian songs and influences, the group engages in continuous collaboration and learning, which he says is a key part of what makes the experience so meaningful and unique.
Penn Masala's India schedule
May 21: Hyderabad
May 22: Bengaluru
May 23: Mumbai
May 24: Pune
May 26: Mumbai
May 28: Delhi
Online booking is available on BookMyShow.
