As part of a free lunchtime concert series at Seattle City Hall, check out classical music artist Srivani Jade on Thursday, November 6. See full details of this below.
Here’s a picture of Srivani Jade:
When I heard about this, I immediately thought about the radio station Geetmala.
My mom listened to this radio show every week when we lived in Michigan. She even called in once. Being a little kid and hearing your mom’s voice on the radio is really cool. Me and my little brother went, “OMG! You’re famous, Mom!”
Indian-American in Michigan recollections
Back then we were in touch with a zillion Punjabi families. Indian people like to get together regularly for birthday parties, Diwali, Thanksgiving, Holi, and other stuff, just like pretty much every other immigrant diaspora in these United States of America meets for their original holidays.
It was actually pretty cool, now that I look back on it. You had instant community.
Years later, one of my childhood friends from that era came to my college for an interview and my parents made me show him around. It was weird to reconnect and talk about all these people we knew when we were 8. “So-and-so’s a doctor now. So-and-so’s an engineer.” Et cetera. Actually, you know what? If anyone is interested in the Indian immigrant experience, read The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri. It’s so darn accurate, I actually cried. Believe it or not, it also inspired our work to brand this financial and insurance services company.
Feeling nostalgic, I looked into Geetmala. I found out you can hear it even if you don’t live in Michigan! Thanks to the wonderfulness of the Internet*, every Saturday you can hear Geetmala on WPON 1460AM from 11am to 1pm.
From what I remember about Geetmala, in our old kitchen full of incense trails and wafts of gobi paranthas, this was a very traditional kind of music from India. The old kind. From the 1950s and stuff. If you watch those old movies, they’re the kind where women had tons of mascara and did their hair in updos.
And of course every movie had to have the requisite wet sari scene.
The Geetmala I remember from childhood is different from what I’ve been listening to in more recent years. For most of 2004-5, I was a pretty loyal listener of the BBC Asian Network. Tuned in daily. I thought maybe I could learn Punjabi by osmosis. I didn’t.
City Hall concert on Thursday
Anyway, getting back to the concert at City Hall… here’s the official blurb-o-rama:
On Nov. 6, take a seat on plush rugs for a traditional-style performance of 19th-century North Indian classical music by Hindustani singer Srivani Jade. Jade will be accompanied by Manoj Biswas on tabla drum, Mausam on harmonium (a hand-pumped organ), and Annie Penta on tanpura (a long-necked Indian plucked string instrument). The performance will include a variety of modern, light and semi-classical Indian musical forms. After the show, meet the artist and enjoy traditional Indian desserts from Punjab Sweets. Rugs are courtesy of Pande Cameron.
Srivani Jade
Thursday, November 6 :: 12 to 1pm
Seattle City Hall
600 Fourth Ave
Another free concert, a one-act opera by Seattle Opera’s Young Artists, will be held at the same location on Thursday, November 13. According to a press release, they’ll “perform a costumed production in English accompanied by piano…in an intimate chamber-style setting.”
“In English.” Check.
*Some other time, I can tell you about what I think is the un-wonderfulness of the Internet.
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