This week, I conducted two interviews. One was with Shammim Siddiki–a singer, community organizer, and Cultural Secretary of the Church-McDonald Bangladeshi Business Association. He spoke to me the role that music plays in uniting the neighborhood, educating the community, preserving Bangladeshi culture, and providing free public entertainment. Siddiki also discussed different genres of Bangladeshi music, song, and dance. He runs Media House One, a Brooklyn-based Bangladeshi media organization in Kensington, Brooklyn.
Shammim Siddiki grew up in Dhaka, the capital and largest city of Bangladesh, where his interest in music developed from an early age. He started singing as a child, and began his career as a child singer on Bangladeshi radio. Now, he has lived in Kensington, Brooklyn for over thirty years. But Siddiki also plays a pivotal role in the community through his cultural organizing. Siddiki works with NGOs to educate the next generation on Bangladeshi music by hosting charity concerts, arranging events, and working with local TV stations and programming.
When asked about what role the arts and music programming does for the community, Siddiqi explained that these concerts create a free opportunity for people to alleviate stress caused by the chaotic urban environment. These free performances also bring people from all ages and demographics together to learn more, have fun, and watch Bangladeshi music in a public setting. Ranging from benefit concerts to street fairs, these events attract a diverse audience. As a central figure in the community, Siddiqi has a wide knowledge of Bangladeshi musicians, singers, and dancers across the three boroughs. He explained to me that many Bangladeshi groups tend to cluster in places like Kensington, Brooklyn; Parkchester, Bronx; Jamaica, Queens; and Jackson Heights, Queens.
Siddiki primarily performs classical and folk music. But he also explained other genres of folk and classical songs including; Bhatiali (a form of folk music inspired by rivers), Rabindra Sangeet (songs composed by Rabindranath Tagore), Polli Geeti, Majhraat, among others.
Siddiki also expressed concern over the lack of recognition for the Bangladeshi arts community. He spoke about how the Bangladeshi groups are a minority who tend to be under-represented by the media. As a result, the Bangladeshi arts community lacks the logistical and financial support needed to really expand their network and programming. Siddiki cited the strong tradition of community gathering through music in Bangladesh as the reason for the community’s strong organization and dedication to the arts. Despite a lack of city funding, South Asian immigrant communities are extremely devoted to putting on accessible cultural events. They host a wide range of vibrant public performances that have garnered a diverse audience.
I also spoke with Bharati Kemraj, former Community Assistant of Community Board 11 and founder of BHARATI Dance Academy at the Vishnu Mandir Hindu Temple. Working with Community Board 11, Bharati organized festivals, street fairs, Bollywood performances, and events at the Vishnu Mandir temple and other cultural centers. She currently holds a position with the office of the Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr, where she is working to bring South Asian cultural festivals to the public.
Bharati is Guayanese but immigrated to the Bronx when she was seven years old; she now lives in the Grand Concourse Area. She is a dance teacher and choreographer.
Bharati raised some important questions about the South Asian music community; She asked me if I was strictly looking at Bangladeshi musicians or South Asian artists in general. She explained to me that various South Asian groups (Bengali, Pakistani, Indian, and Caribbeans of Indian Descent) in the Bronx come together through Bollywood music and dance. Bharati explained that although South Asians come from a diverse range of religions, languages, and traditions, there is a lot of overlap amongst the music and arts societies.
When I asked Bharati about how music can unite communities and ease tensions between different demographics, she gave me an interesting answer. While South Asian immigrants may not share the same creed or traditional music, she explained, many can relate to the messages, beats, and sound of music and dance. Bollywood, in particular, has a widespread popularity that resonates universally within these groups because many people grew up with these songs.
When I asked Bharati about different kinds of performances, she told that the music played, outfits worn, and colors emphasized depend on the time of the year. Her answers echoed some of the same sentiments expressed by Siddiki. Many of these festivals are not explicitly pitched as a way to unite various members of the community but they end up cross connecting different groups and attracting a diverse audience.
I’m glad you got these interviews! I’m guessing that Bharati Kemraj is from CB 11 in the Bronx, not Brooklyn? I’d love for you to upload your interviews to this site when you can. I’d be interested in hearing the whole interview — and certainly others will be too! What is it about these geographical areas that attracted South Asians? Did your informants have any ideas? Was it just affordability? Obviously, once there is an established community, others will follow because there is familiarity among people from the same place — but what was the initial draw? The point that different South Asian communities overlap in the Bronx is a good one — emigration to the United States (or anywhere) tends to minimize difference because similarity and familiarity are so craved.