A statue of Sarasvati, Indian goddess of art, sits at the door to welcome children as they walk into a spacious music room decorated with Indian musical instruments like Harmonium and Tabla, arranged on the floor spreading an authentic traditional vibe. East India Music Academy, is the first Indo-Caribbean non-profit music school in the United States that carries a unique motto of ‘spreading spiritual awareness through music and language’
“Music is one of the best ways to make people aware of Hinduism,” said Guy Beck, a musicologist who teaches Hinduism at Loyola University. “It’s the idea that music is equally a spiritual practice like Vedic sacrifice, or Pooja or any type of worship practices.
Hinduism is a major world religion that is very diverse and has deep layers. According to Beck, there have been many waves of trend in the history where non-Indian people are accepting Hinduism all around the world. However, popularity of the religion was not as evident in New York city as Christianity, Islam and Judaism dominated the demographics’ religious identities.
Until now, where a small community in Queens is acting as ambassadors of Hinduism by engaging followers though devotional music.
The major educational methodology in Hinduism is the ‘Deeksha’, a ritual of guidance that a seeker receives from his religious mentor, his Guru. It is this ‘Guru-Shishya Parampara’, literally translated as ‘teacher-student relationship’, that forms the basis of the pathway to the religion. Depending on the Guru, there are different ways to performing the ‘deeksha,’ like bowing down, presenting offerings to the guru and the deity in form of flowers, food, or in this case, a dedicated artistic piece in context to music.
The Indo-Caribbean academy is holding on to this ancient tradition and taking it forward to the future generations. They believe in the ‘Bhakti’ movement which lays a foundation that in Hinduism, spirituality is for everybody. One does not have to be born into a Hindu family or be an Indian to seek Bhakti, a devotional worship dedicated to the supreme deity.
“Over the years we’ve seen parents from all profession like lawyers, doctors, contractors and engineers, as they are pursuing their profession, they make sure to send their kids to our school because they want them to have the spiritual balance through the music and provide them the opportunity to connect to their culture,” said Avirodh Sharma, faculty and legacy of the founder of the academy. “No matter now tech-savvy you go, you must still promote your religion and it’s traditions to develop yourself spiritually and culturally.
Never leave your identity, and especially cultivate it here in United states.”
Deeksha, for a student at this music academy, start from basic of Alaap-Taan which is recital of notes in patterns, and gradually moves towards performing higher more complexed compositions like the verses from the religious texts.
Past week, Varuna Sahabir of Trinidadian origin, a graduate of the academy and a Juris Doctor by profession, presented a composition on ‘Vyaas’ and recited a discourse on the Bhagavatam in form of a musical as a tribute to her faith. “Nothing is wrong with modern times, there is a lot of good thing it offers, but one cannot lose their traditions and the culture in process,” said Sahabir. “You have to take the best of both worlds.
It is when you over assimilate into certain things, then you lose your identity.”
Due to the historical events, Indian traditions are very strong in the Caribbean region, especially in Trinidad, Guyana, and Surinam. As their ancestors left India during the colonization in the 1800s, the values and believes they carried are still preserved and passed on through generations, even as many of these families migrated to United States.
“In last 15 to 20 years, whatever they knew back home, the older generation would raise their kids on the same belief system and mindset,” said Prue Paltooram, a local resident. “Even though we were growing up in America, we were growing up as if we would back in the Caribbean.
A lot is happening around and now I think it’s just the matter of maintaining our religious identities and values.
“Over the past few years, I can say we have been through a renaissance period,” said Vinda Lalchan, a local business owner of Guyanese origin. “The nineties helped to shape the cultural perspective here in New York, especially in the west-indian community.”
“A few years earlier, there were not many west-indian temples in the city and there was no one to help with the functioning of the temples. But now, there are more than two hundred temples between Bronx, Brooklyn, and Queens,” said Samantha Singh, a devotee at the Laxminarayan Temple. “What makes it special is that, these are different from Indian-Hindu temples, although branched from the same religion.”
“People are wanting to be more eastern because they realize the essence of the Vedas that presents a practical way of living and that they’re always relevant,” said Mala Karran, a Guyanese origin parent. “That is why we can be doing what we are doing.
Because we are doing it by choice, not by expectation.” While the Indo-Caribbean community believes themselves to be the cultivators of Hinduism in the city in a unique manner, some of the experts have a different opinion on the topic. “It’s a common story about how religion changes and evolves over time,” said Jonathan Edelmann, a professor of religion at University of Florida. “It’s the kind of the way that religion and culture and ethnicity intersects globally.”
Rasika Rane 