Their name in lights from Philadelphia to Bollywood

Most people dream of touring the U.S. and performing at venues with hundreds of fans screaming their name.

Yet for Penn Masala, this is their reality.

Blazing the trail for the Indian-American community, Penn Masala connects mainstream American music with Indian undertones and influences.

Comprised of 10 male Penn students, the group has taken both Penn's campus and the international scene by storm.

Compared to other a cappella groups, Penn Masala is relatively young -- it was founded in 1996 -- and distinguishes itself as the only all-Hindi group on campus.

Yet the group has managed to gain as much, if not more, recognition than many other University a cappella groups that are decades older.

In October, the group won the Creating a Voice Award from the national organization Project-IMPACT. The group, which is dedicated to promoting South Asian culture, recognized Penn Masala for its contributions to the young South Asian-American community.

Also, the group had the opportunity to perform at the Bollywood Awards ceremony in India -- similar to performing at the Academy Awards -- which was televised all over Asia.

In addition, Penn Masala performed for the New York Bollywood Music Awards.

Penn Masala member and Wharton junior Adarsh Shah, whose family lives in Africa, says, "My parents watched the show in Kenya. That was the first time my parents got to see me perform."

With the release of their latest album "Soundcheck," their music has spread to the Internet.

"Kazaa has been great to us. We have been getting orders for CDs from Malaysia and other places where we have never toured, and it's because of Kazaa," says Penn Masala President and College and Wharton senior Indranil Guha.

Penn Masala has already produced two other CDs, "11 PM" and "Awaaz."

Despite their prominence, the members are still students. In fact, at one point last year, they passed up an international performance opportunity because its date conflicted with their exam schedule.

In addition to their classroom curricula, Penn Masala allows members to have hands-on business experience, tapping into marketing, organizing logistics and team dynamics.

With the popularity of a cappella groups on campus, Penn Masala undoubtedly stands out.

"Singing in a different language automatically sets us apart," says Guha, who adds that simulating Indian percussion is especially difficult.

As Indian music is finding its way into mainstream American music, Penn Masala's sound is starting to appeal to people outside of the South Asian community.

Also, as new members join the select crew, their individual music tastes affect the sound of the group as a whole.

And according to Management and Technology sophomore Samir Amrute, the group is trying to expand its audience to include people in their late 20s and 30s.

Penn Masala sets challenges for itself that reach beyond music. With every performance, they feature comedy sketches.

"Being funny is a hard business -- especially structuring the skits and putting it together as a show," Amrute says.

Currently, Penn Masala is practicing every day for two to three hours in preparation for their upcoming show in March.

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