Get ready for ‘Banghra, Bops and Breakups’: Chutney and Chips 2012 comes to Oxford in 7th week. Offering an insight into the experience of British-Asian students at the University, the production promises exuberant music, costumes and dance pieces mixing Eastern Bhangra and Bollywood with modern Western dance, all in the name of celebrating a truly multicultural Britain. Vibrant colours and equally vibrant emotions combine to create Oxford’s own East is East or Bend it like Beckham, with added sub-fusc.
Chutney and Chips Productions was founded to fill a huge gap in the market. While many other universities in the UK have been producing Asian cultural shows for years, Oxford had nothing similar to offer its student community. Each year a new committee is formed to take over Chutney and Chips Productions; writing an entirely new script and finding a fresh cast and crew. One of the most unique and exciting features about the production is that its profits go to numerous charities, as chosen by the committee.
This year’s tale follows two generations as they struggle to assert their individuality in foreign surroundings. Plunged into a world completely removed from that of their parents and tempted with the freedoms of university, both Rupinder in the 1950s and Kiran in 2012 face a choice: should they stick to their parents’ wishes, or should they follow their heart? Should they choose chutney…or chips?
Who am I? Am I Indian or am I English? If I’m Indian why can’t I even speak Hindi? If I’m English, why do I support India against England in the cricket? Integration for ethnic minorities into British culture is imperative. Associating purely with people of one’s own origin, and speaking only in their language can create divisions between communities. Yet, equally one’s motherland culture is just as important. One’s roots and heritage are inescapable, and if you don’t accept where you’ve come from, surely it is not possible to accept who you truly are? Fears of loss of identity through assimilation can be a constant worry for some ethnic minorities.
Luckily, there is a solution and it’s in the title of the play itself: Chutney AND Chips 2012. It is perfectly possible to have the best of both worlds, loving whoever you want and still being proud of your ethnic heritage. This is the main message behind the production. Living in a multicultural society, we can celebrate our heritage whilst considering ourselves British. Indian heritage of gripping stories, harmonious music and colourful dances resonates in Chutney and Chips 2012. If you’ve never experienced this side of Indian culture, what better way of experiencing it than this? This isn’t just a play for those with connections to the subcontinent; it’s a play for anyone concerned about contemporary Britain.
