It has been more than two years since Missouri Southern celebrated India as a themed semester. On Feb. 21, students will get another taste of India.

Sandip Burman, popular Indian Tabla player, is making a return to Southern.

“This was one of the most popular events of the 2002 India semester,” said Chad Stebbins, director of the Institute of International Studies. “We received an overwhelming response to the concert and his music. He happened to be putting together another tour and it worked out he could make a swing through Joplin.”

The free concert, publicized as “Sandip Burman and Friends” will take place at 7 p.m. Feb. 21 in Webster Hall Auditorium.

Burman’s 2002 performance drew a crowd of around 300 students and faculty, as well as people from the community.

“It was great,” Burman said. “There were a lot of Indian people in the audience.”

Stebbins said he is encouraging people outside the University to come to the performance.

“We’ve invited the local Indian community,” he said. “This is another way of touching base with them again.”

Stebbins also wants to touch base with the University.

“Very often we tend to forget about the country after we focus on it,” he said. “Whenever possible, we like to remind the campus we did celebrate India; we haven’t forgotten about it and here’s another chance [to experience it]. Whenever we get the opportunity we like to revisit it.”

The opportunity presented itself when Burman put together another a new, 72-date spring tour.

This tour will feature new original music composed by Burman.

He recently collaborated and toured with Béla Fleck and the Flecktones. Their new Grammy award-winning album, Outbound, features Burman as a guest artist.

Born in Dunbar, India, Burman began his musical career at the age of six, apprenticing for Indian tabla maestro Pandit Shyamal Bose.

Stebbins is hoping for a decent crowd. Judging from the last performance, he is positive about the turnout.

“Some classes are coming over on Monday night,” he said. “I think we’ll have a pretty good crowd.”

Stebbins said he encourages everyone at the University and in the community to take advantage of Burman’s return.

“I think it’s a unique and interesting style of music for people in Joplin to experience,” he said.

Burman said he is glad he could bring Indian culture to Joplin.

Burman will be playing with guitarist Craig Green, Leonice Shinneman on gatham, Jonathan Moser on violin and percussionist Kurt Gartner.