We are very young and think very old. We are a part of MIT, one of the world's great scientific technical institutions, and yet we are an organization dedicated to the arts. We are not a large organization, but we think big. We are an organization with a specific cultural perspective, but we wish to include everybody. What is this dream called MITHAS.

Although the organization with the name MITHAS began in 1993, the idea has been around for quite a while. Thousands of years. Namely, that the performing arts which have been nourished on the South Asian subcontinent have something to offer for everyone, regardless of cultural orientation. For this "other" part of the world is already a cultural blend to start with, having many ethnic and cultural varieties, languages, and religions. Through centuries of change and sweeping political movements, an artistic language has become enriched with the vitality of many tongues and styles, and the essence - the many rhythmic and emotional faces of love, sound, and movement - has been expressed in music, dance, and drama by musicians of every cultural and religious perspective. We think: why should not people the world over participate in this very rich artistic life?

MITHAS was formed by a group of people at and around MIT - faculty, students, alums, and friends - to perpetuate, to teach, to present, to perform, and spread appreciation for the great variety of performing arts and artists who practice in these richly learned and refined traditions.

We host concerts, we give lectures, we visit schools, and we hold classes and music demonstrations. We want all people in the greater Boston area to be able to hear and drink deeply of these arts. We want to raise the consciousness of our corner of the world to see the accomplishments and dreams of all artists who would speak in these exalted tongues. We dream of implanting here at this most prestigious and important center of science and technical studies, a permanent center for the teaching of South Asian languages, history, and culture. Our goal is to increase the ease and facility of our communication with a part of the world which is in fact our own cultural legacy, regardless of global origin.