By Manisha Jain
BOSTON–Hindi Manch did it again – a soul-uplifting evening of musical confluence and community bonding that brought together people from not just different states and countries, but even continents.
On popular demand and after the resounding success of the first program, Hindi
Manch-Sangeet Vibhag orchestrated Part two of the unique virtual event, ‘Ek Nagar – EkSinger’ on Sunday, May 31, from 4:30pm -7pm.
The eager audience was treated to the melodious singing of 12 amazing singers from 10
different cities in the US and Canada, shortlisted by the Sangeet Vibhag team after much
research and deliberation. The entire team worked really hard to invite singers from 10
cities/states that were different from Ek Nagar, Ek Singer – Part 1.
This series has really showcased the immense talent in the South East Asian Community throughout the USA and Canada. Instead of just solos, a major highlight of this event was that it had some duets as well, including a father-daughter duet!
This truly was a star-studded event, with Bollywood celebrity Shweta Subram as one of the singers, who enhanced the evening with her singing and presence. Here is a youtube link for the promotional video created by the Hindi Manch IT
department, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vz02TZP9wGU
During the event, Kumkum Pareek Malik, Ajay Jain, and Ajay Jaisingh from Hindi Manch made a heartwarming presentation about one of our newest initiatives, Saathi Haath Badhana or Lend a Hand, an initiative that brings the community together to deal with the Covid-19. It uses a three-pronged approach, bringing together people who like to help, people who are working on a good cause, and people who are in need due to Covid -19.
For more information, please visit http://www.hindimanch.org/saathi-haath-badhana/
Preetesh Shrivastava, the anchor for the event, engaged and entertained the spectators in his own inimitable style. His fun quizzes regarding each song and his efforts to reach out to every member in the audience went a long way in creating a sense of togetherness during these times when we are all socially distant. The event had an outreach of sixteen thousand people between Facebook live, Watch party, and YouTube live/video.
With no dearth of musical talent in New England, it was heartwarming to see local celebrities join the event to encourage and appreciate the esteemed singers.
According to music and technology guru, Jawed Wahid ji, “Hindi Manch has found the silver lining in the Covid 19 cloud. Making use of technology Hindi Manch has brought the melodious voices of many singers from different US cities to listeners in all parts of
the world. A great way to continue the spread of our culture.”
Music is a universal language of mankind not restricted by social or cultural boundaries. This self-evident fact is demonstrated amply if we just take a quick glance at the list of states represented: we had Ipshita Roy from Jacksonville, FL, Apoorva Mudgal from Jersey City, NJ, Rita Naik from Pine Bluffs, NC, Sonia Keshwani from Seattle WA, Sriram Subramanyam from Phoenix, AZ, Jai Sovani from Milwaukee, WI, Vasu Chakkera from Washington DC, Probodh & Sunidhi Chiplunkar from Richmond, VA, Narendra & Madhuri Kulkarni from Los Angeles, CA.
Bollywood celebrity Shweta Subram set a high standard for the musical quality of the program and each singer met the challenge, treating the audience to a range of songs from Sufi masters to foot tapping beats to dance songs to old classics. There was something for everyone, and one audience member reported that she “did not stop humming all evening.”
In the words of Madhu Mathur Anand ji, a respected singer, recording artist and voice coach in New England, “The Saregamapa team went to great lengths to create a lively, fast moving, streamlined show. Kudos to all teams who made substantial efforts towards the success of this phenomenal program.”
Such a program is created only through intense passion and hard work. The Sangeet Vibhag is grateful for the IT, Sound, Membership, Publicity, and Public Relations teams as we could not have done it without the seamless knitting together of all of these
departments.
The sole mission of Sangeet Vibhag of Hindi Manch is to connect hearts through music. Many people know that the Sa Re Ga Ma Pa music competition, hosted by the Sangeet Vibhag, is the flagship event of Hindi Manch and one of the most prestigious events of the New England community.
Ever since its first successful event in 2010, Sangeet Vibhag has continued this legacy taking it a step further providing a non-biased platform for everyone to showcase their
talent and passion.
During this tough time of social isolation, it is also important for our community to stay happy, connected and strong. Towards this end Hindi Manch is organizing these unique online events.
In the words of community leader and music aficionado, Harish Dang ji, ““I am always amazed at the energy and enthusiasm of the Hindi Manch team. Your commitment in bringing talent from all over America is extraordinary.”
We owe our gratitude to the tireless and passionate Hindi Manch Team members –
Steering Committee: Preetesh Shrivastava, Anish Khanzode, Jharna Madan, Raksha Soni, Ajay Jain, Sneh Jaisingh.
Sangeet Vibhag Members: Sneh Jaisingh- Steering, Manisha Jain- Chair, Dr. Meena Sundaram- Co-chair, Namita Deshpande, Mouli Lala, Harish Dang, Madhu Mathur Anand, Jawed Wahid, Rakesh Chauhan and Pankaj Shah.
Hindi Manch will continue these endeavors and keep coming up with ingenious initiatives to
keep our community engaged during these socially distanced times. Whether it be through
Sangeet, Sahitya, or Naatak, or through our Baal vibhag, we will keep the essence of
communication alive through this virtual platform. Please stay tuned for exciting upcoming
events, we are always grateful for your support!
(Manisha Jain is Chair of Sangeet Vibhag of Hindi Manch.)
