The lights dim and a short introductory film flickers to life in UC Berkeley’s Wheeler Auditorium. In the film, a princess and a prince, adorned in Indian clothes and jewelry, stand in front of Royce Hall and proclaim their undying love for each other, only to be separated by an evil king.
After the movie ends, the lights blink on. Fourteen costumed singers, part of a cappella group Naya Zamaana, quickly take their places on stage and launch into a dramatic ballad. Throughout the shifting scenes and music, the princess and prince try to find their happily ever after, all through song and dance.
On Nov. 23, UCLA’s South Asian a cappella group Naya Zamaana won first place at Anahat, the biggest live Southeast Asian a cappella festival on the West Coast. Held at UC Berkeley, the competition featured nine teams from all over the nation, from Stanford University’s Raagapella to Boston University’s Suno.
Naya Zamaana’s set included pieces inspired by both Bollywood and American pop music, such as “Man Mohana” from the Bollywood movie “Jodhaa Akbar” and Taylor Swift’s “You Belong With Me.” In addition to winning first place overall, the 17-member team won best arrangement, co-captain Gaayatri Kaundinya also won best soloist and Carlo Nick Paredes won best beatboxer.
“Last year, when we got second (place), it was a really cool feeling because we had a really talented, fresh team,” Ramamurthi said. “In general, it’s a great feeling (when we) start from nothing and put together a set that just comes together and (we succeed) at what we are here to do.”
Aditya Ganesh, a third-year electrical engineering student and two-year member of Naya Zamaana, said the current roster contains motivated new members, many of whom competed with old members for spots in the a cappella group in a rigorous two-day audition process.
Ganesh said the audition drew a record number of students wishing to join the group, partly because old members were required to audition again to hold their spots on the team.
Ganesh said this decision helped to increase performance quality because the current roster contains those who are passionate about improving Naya Zamaana year after year.
Ramamurthi said the group underwent major administrative changes throughout his four years in Naya Zamaana to find a winning strategy for organizing music, finances, emails and choreography. In previous years, the team largely conferred responsibility on one or two members, leaving the group uncoordinated and inefficient.
This year, the group delegates responsibility to a board of administrators, who oversee specific aspects of Naya Zamaana’s behind-the-scenes administrative workings and in the process streamline the process of performing in an a cappella group.
Nilesh Murali, a third-year chemical engineering student and a three-year member of the team, said the many improvements to the team largely contributed to Naya Zamaana’s win at Anahat 2013.
Murali said even though members must work hard and coordinate their efforts to keep the group running, the team has become a second family through the members’ shared passion for performing and working together on arrangements and choreography.
“When we went into (Anahat), it was really just to showcase who we are as a team,” Murali said. “We were just so proud of the results of our hard work.”