UMD ANOKHA
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Where it Began

"Founded in the fall of 2001 by Lopa Sisodia and Monica Parekh. We tried out for a cappella groups but found that we couldn't find what we were looking for. We wanted a group on our campus that represented our culture, our heritage, and our voice. We contacted the Indian Student Association and the Asian American Student Union to get an adviser and learn the ropes of starting our not yet defined organization. We didn't know what we wanted exactly so at our first meeting we encouraged anyone with a musical interest to join.

We had singers and musicians; tabla players, guitarists, pianists, and violinist. The majority of our singers had never been trained and just enjoyed the pleasure of singing. More importantly we had a common interest. We started off as a diverse collection of ideas, desires, and visions to form Anokha: the first South Asian a cappella group at the University of Maryland, College Park. We chose the name because of its roots and meaning; it defines the identity of our group and is always what we strive to be, UNIQUE and EFFERVESCENT: Anokha"


– Lopa Sisodia, Co-founder, University of Maryland Class of 2005

Anokha Now

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1st Place at Awaazein 2023
Currently, Anokha is growing in popularity nationwide. The team travels throughout the country to perform at several competitions within the Association of South-Asian a cappella (ASA) circuit as well as the esteemed International Championships of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCA).  In 2023, Anokha placed second at Steel City Sapna and first at Awaazein, along with winning multiple individual awards throughout the season including outstanding soloist for a South Asian and Non-South Asian song, and outstanding vocal percussion. In 2024, the team made Anokha history by winning 1st place at two ASA bid competitions, Mehfil and Awaazein, and winning all five individual awards at these two bid competitions! As a result, they qualified for the national competition All American Awaazein and competed in Chicago, Illinois on April 13, 2024. They were also ranked first in the national ASA 2024 ELO standings. In addition, the team performs for several occasions on campus such as cultural events and our spring show. 

 Anokha aspires to advocate youth leadership and service to our community. In the past, Anokha has contributed a portion of the proceeds from our shows to various causes in our community and in India. We hope to continue reaching out to the world through our music and helping hands!

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  • Home
  • About
  • Music
  • Auditions
  • Members
    • Current
    • Alumni
  • Contact Us