With the pursuit of making a name for themselves on the global stage in the world of hip-hop, Assam’s ‘Unity One Crew’ is now aiming to represent India at the World Hip Hop Championship 2023 in the USA after winning gold at the Indian Hip Hop Dance Championship 2023.
The Unity One Crew is a Guwahati-based dance group led by Abhishek Mahatu. The four-member group—Abhishek Mahatu, Pawan Chetry, Chandan Nath, Suman Kalita, and Biki Hira—was formed in 2015, and since then they have had the honour of representing Assam multiple times in some of the prestigious events.
Speaking to the “truth.,” the founder and director of the team, Abhishek Mahatu, said, “Our crew is one of the first to represent the state and the country at national and international levels respectively. Previously, we won the 2018 Indian Hip Hop Dance Championship, after which we qualified for the World Hip Hop Dance Championship in the USA. However, because our visas were cancelled, we couldn’t go.”
He went on to say that the crew won silver at the Indian Hip Hop Championship in 2021 and finished sixth among the top twenty teams in the World Hip Hop Championship that same year, where they competed online. They won a gold medal at the national level championship this year as well and will represent India in the United States in July 2023.
Abhishek pointed out that the crew is currently having some trouble meeting the fund requirements to go to the World Hip Hop Championship in 2023. “We have to collect at least twenty-five lakhs to be able to go; at present we have gathered about 64,000,” he added.
“This is for our country. We need help from anyone who can contribute. Even if it’s fifty or hundred rupees,” Mr Abhishek said, further highlighting that they want people to recognise ‘hip-hop culture’ and give it the stage it deserves.
Moreover, the team approached the government for financial assistance in 2017-18, but the authorities allegedly dismissed everything stated, claiming that – “Hip Hop is not Indian culture.”
