Map South Asia

In South Asian culture, there is a special dance, song or way of dressing for almost every special occasion. Explore South Asia’s rhythmic traditions for a look into this rich culture, or rent a Bollywood film and see it all unfold on screen.

Sounds

South Asian people are diverse and so is their music. Check out these types of music—they’re the most popular and you may have even heard some of them before:

Filmi

Composed for song and dance routines in Bollywood movies, filmi music uses a blend of traditional and modern instruments, with vocal styles and melodies taken from Indian folk and classical music.

Bhangra

Bhangra (pronounced bhung-gra) originates in the Punjab region of northern India and eastern Pakistan. It’s a lively form of music and dance that has become so popular internationally that you will probably recognize a few songs. If there’s a large South Asian community in your hometown, there are probably bhangra dance troops with performances you can go watch.

Rabana Drumming

In the traditional music scene of Sri Lanka, different drums are used for different kinds of dances and celebrations. One drum is called the rabana (pronounced rah-bah-nah)and is commonly played at New Years. The biggest of the rabana is played by two or more people at a time, usually women.

Bollywood

South Asia has its own booming film industry, which makes even more movies than Hollywood—it’s called Bollywood, and it’s based out of Mumbai (formerly Bombay), in India. Bollywood films feature song and dance and are shot in Hindi, the most widely-spoken South Asian language.

Bollywood movies stand out from other movies because of the exaggerated acting style, elaborate sets and huge casts. A Bollywood movie is truly a spectacle you have to see to believe.

These movies are favorites with Hindi-speaking people all over the world, and the more popular movies are translated into other languages, like Arabic and even English. You might be able to find some at your local video store.

Learn the Lingo

Practice these phrases in Hindi, a common South Asia Language. Click on the words to hear how they are pronounced.

Hello / Namaste

How are you? / Tum kaise ho?

My name is / Mere naam __ hai

Will you be my friend? / Mujhse dosti karoge?

How much is this? / Is ka daam kya hai?

I love you / Females say: Mein tumse pyar karti hoon, Males say: Mein tumse pyar karta hoon