Chetan Chauhan: Not a Regular College Guy

Chetan Chauhan

Chetan Bhangra

Name: Chetan Chauhan

Year: Junior

Major: Finance and Economic Consulting

Hometown: Munster, IN

Dance History: Bollywood, raas, bhangra

Chetan Chauhan arrived at IU motivated to excel in everything he pursued. A finance and economic consulting major, Chetan is heavily involved in the Kelley School of Business, whether it be through the Phi Chi Theta business fraternity, or being a part of the Investment Banking Workshop. Even with all of this on his plate, Chetan decided to join IU HoosierRaas and then HooSher Bhangra in order to sustain his Indian heritage. Since high school, Chetan has been performing a variety of Indian dances. Chetan describes his identity as “American of Indian descent,” because he grew up as a first-generation child. He grew up listening to Indian music as a means to connect with his Indian culture and now uses the raas and bhangra circuits as a way of combining his two identities. After joining these competitive teams, Chetan says he found another family with whom he could relate to. To him, dance is “just a way Indian people express themselves, whether it be through different religious occasions or just for fun." He noted that these dances change depending on whether the occasion is more conservative, which would call for modest and traditional dancing, or more casual, which would allow for “whatever you want because no one’s judging you." Chetan feels that dance “unifies people from various aspects," especially since the competitive circuits combine traditional Indian music with songs that “get the audience hype." He believes that dance is a gift to the world and is happy that so many people respect cultural dance forms. For Chetan, the “intoxicating” nature of bhangra and raas have “really help[ed] [him] explain something that is completely different about” by making him stand out in the crowd as not just a regular college guy.