Aishwarya Week 2: Harmonising Reconnection
Photo by Hans News Service.
When I was video chatting with my relatives in India, I was overcome with a sense of excitement. After 7 years, I was finally able to reconnect with them while yearning for the moments of the memorable trips to the salon with my cousin and the mesmerizing aroma of my aunt’s potato-filled dosa every Tuesday. During those 7 years, I was eager to share with my relatives the many experiences that had colored my life during that time. But, when I started to talk on the phone, their faces grew blank, and everything felt like I was speaking a foreign language to them, as though my vibrant stories were vanishing into the vast silence of disconnectedness. For one thing, I do not know how to speak my cultural language, Kannada. Since I grew up in California, I could not learn my native language, making it difficult for me to communicate with my relatives; even worse, I felt like I had lost a part of my identity.
When I encountered Sid Sriram on YouTube, an artist who grew up in Fremont, I could hear the power of his voice echoing across the concert hall in the video as he sang songs with spiritual meaning. As he began to perform songs in India, he became famous. Despite not being fluent in his native language, he was still able to connect the audience to the culture expressed through the language of these songs.
It was then that I found my passion in singing Carnatic Music. Carnatic Music opened a gateway for me to deepen my connection with spirituality and literature of the culture through understanding the meaning of the lyrics from traditional classical songs. I wanted to connect more to my culture to feel a sense of belonging. Singing songs that are a part of Carnatic Music has brought me to learn a different language. This particular language uses rhythm and patterns of compositions to convey emotion and stories, flowing through its cadences.
The notes Sa, Re, Ga, Ma, Pa, Da, Ni, and Sa are used to compose beautiful songs of cultural and spiritual meanings that helped me connect with my identity. When I sing lyrics based on these notes, I realize I speak a language that shapes my cultural identity. From then onwards, every time I would FaceTime with my relatives, I would sing them a song from Carnatic Music that helped me communicate the unspoken emotions and stories, bringing joy and a sense of connection to their faces. Through the language of Carnatic Music, I found a bridge to my heritage, discovering the cultural roots that make me feel a sense of belonging while also connecting with my family through the beauty of melodies.
Hey Aishwarya! Starting your blog with specific memories from your India trips is a great way to develop a connection with your audience. I remember always having uplifting experiences going to salons in India, with the workers giving me an abundance of extra attention stemming from their fascination of my failure to speak in comprehensible Hindi. Your use of metaphors such as "the power of his voice echoing across the concert hall" also create vivid images and enhance the quality of your writing. However, the most efficient method you have used to communicate with your audience is the productive structure of your passage: starting with a collection of cheerful memories, before introducing a problem, and finally discussing your implemented solution and the success it produced. I think your story is inspiring and empowering, as many other people struggle with experiencing the same disconnect from their cultural roots.
ReplyDeleteHi Aishwarya! I find it interesting how you formed your blog around a central starting point of how you were unable to communicate your ideas to your relatives because you do not know your native language. Even if you do not know your native language, you are willing to learn and embrace your culture, which I appreciate. Your inclusion of Sid Sriram in your blog fits perfectly and enhances my understanding of your musical interest. The blog is descriptive and has a variety of sentence structures, which adds to the variety of ideas that you wish to convey. I was able to understand many of the cultural allusions made in the blog regarding music; my dad plays the violin in his free time, therefore, I have heard of the musical notes and Sid Sriram’s music. This prior knowledge helped me comprehend the blog in detail. I admired the way you incorporated your voice and a unique writing style to express your identity and passion.
ReplyDeleteHi Aishwarya! I think it is interesting how your blog contained specific and vivid memories from your trips to India enhances the main topics of your blog. I am able to relate to the feeling of finally getting to video chat with your relatives, as its a completely different emotion. The anxious waiting as the call rings, hoping the person you are calling picks up. The use of metaphors in your blog added more meaning to your writing and created striking images. The structure of your writing, reflecting back on happy memories, then transitioning to a conflict, and finally giving the solution that you were able to find. This brings the reader through your whole story, allowing us to step in your shoes and experience what you were feeling at the time. I think it is really interesting how you used music as an example, and it really brought your whole story together.
ReplyDeleteHi Aishwarya! I loved how you started off your blog with descriptive memories from your trips to India. It connected to me on a personal level and also was the first thing that caught my eye. However, I tend to get more nervous than excited whenever I video call my relatives from India, as I know from the very start I would have trouble communicating with them. I also mainly grew up in California which resulted in drifting away from my cultural language. I never heard of Sid Sriram before but it is so cool how he grew up in Fremont. Since I mainly grew up in California, I actually never of the term Carnatic Music until now so this was an extremely insightful read. It is so interesting and impressive how you learned more of your language through singing as that is much more difficult than simply speaking! Lastly, I really liked the way you structured your blog in order, it was very easy to understand and picture in my head. I really enjoyed reading your blog, it was very insightful as I learned new people and terms that I did not know before.
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