GMU Pakistani Student Association hosted their annual Fall Show “Hungama” on Saturday, Nov 20. From 12 A.M. to 12 P.M. in Dewberry Hall. Various vendors showcasing Pakistani artifacts, clothing, jewelry and food were present from 12-6 p.m. People had the opportunity to purchase their desired items and put henna designs on their hands. The fall show and Eid festival was open to everyone and anyone of all ages from Mason and the community. The show hosted by Marcus Johnson commenced at 6 P.M.

“The fall show was definitely the best in years. While working hard, the cabinet members pulled off an awesome event and enjoyed every minute of it,” said Rizwan Sheikh, GMU PSA secretary.
The show displayed many talents from the local community before the main Punjabi singer Bikram Singh started performing. The show kicked off with the national anthem of Pakistan. The next act was of the comedian, Tom Achilles who brought quite a few laughs for the audience. Following that, many male and female local singers performed contemporary and classic famous songs. The show was very interactive as not only the hypnotist and the magician startled the audience with their talent, they also took quite a few volunteers from the audience. Besides singers and interactive stage performers, local dance teams performed as well. University of Mary Washington’s (UMW) bhangra team called Eagle Bhangra and UMW Breakers performed. The Arab Student Association at GMU also did a fashion show and their traditional debka performance. Departing from the traditional cultural dances, the a local Capoeira (Karate dance team) also performed. The very own PSA dance team, “2NV”, was the last act before Bikram Singh.

Besides the diverse stage acts and performances, GMU PSA also held two fashion shows featuring traditional male and female Pakistani clothing. The fashion shows were organized by GMU PSA’s Events Coordinator, Ume Habiba, and it displayed clothing from Needlez Collection and designer Maryam Kazmi.

Though entertainment was such a crucial part of the show, the main purpose of the show was to raise awareness for multiple charities. These charities included Mera Dil, Save the Children, WE care (Wizards Charity by Asad Naqvi), Islamic Relief, and Chaudhry Waqar Mehar's 'Proposal of Youth Senate Pakistan.' Also Saadia Yasmin and Nadia Janjua are artists who sold their paintings are donated $700 to Islamic Relief for their cause.

"I am just glad to have put together an event where not only the Pakistani community but the American community had an outlet to come celebrate our culture with us. Overall, the focus of the show was to raise awareness for different charities, so every 3rd act we had a different charity go up and present their ideas of how they could serve the community," said GMU PSA President, Israr Mirza.

The show provided a common ground for all people to come and celebrate the Eid festival with the PSA before heading off to Thanksgiving break. Since the show was a sell out and more than 500 people attended, GMU PSA was not only impressed by the turnout but encouraged to host similar events like this in the future. To check out future PSA events, please visit www.gmupsa.com or simply add ‘GMU PSA’ on facebook.

By Maha Tanveer - Photography by Tarek Ahmed