Screaming fans, all across India

When Wharton junior Samir Sheth isn't in Finance meetings, he's performing before thousands of passionate fans in India.

But even though Sheth knew he wanted to join the renowned Penn Masala group since he was in high school, before coming to Penn he hadn't sung solo since first grade.

"The odd thing about me is that I don't have any singing experience," Sheth said.

But that didn't stop him from getting into Penn Masala - Penn's premier Hindi singing group - and singing his heart out at show after show, often decked out in a rainbow of kurtas, traditional Indian clothing.

"A lot of my experience comes from piano and guitar," Sheth said. He added that some of Penn Masala's best singers had no experience prior to Penn.

Formed in 1996, Penn Masala has since evolved into one of the top campus singing groups - and a sensation in India. Singing mainly Hindi songs, the group has received recognition across the U.S., Europe and India.

Masala literally means spices, or a mix of spices, in Hindi. The singing group took on this name because their music is a mixture of genres - different types of Indian and English music.

Sheth himself heard about Penn Masala from his cousins in Chicago, who had seen Penn Masala perform when he was in high school.

"I downloaded a couple of songs off the Internet . got the CD . [and] started listening to them," he said.

This past year, Sheth became vice president of the 15-man group. They have performed at many major campus events, and during last year's winter break they took their second trip to India.

While there, Penn Masala performed in Mumbai and Calcutta for a total of almost 5,000 people. The group also performed at University President Amy Gutmann's inaugural banquet.

"It was a lot of fun," Sheth said. "It was really well received."

Penn Masala has also performed in the UK, and the group was featured on the soundtrack of a 2001 movie about an Indian teenager going to college in America, American Desi - which Sheth said was a hit among South Asian teenagers and families.

Sheth, originally from St. Joseph, Mo., said Penn Masala members come from across the United States and India.

And his parents, Indian natives from Mumbai, are thrilled with his debut.

"They love it," he said. "They've come to our shows here in Philly and in Chicago."

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