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Aftab Pureval launches ‘Anubhuti’ in Cincinnati
The mayor unveiled a new book on composer Muthusvami Dikshitar at the Cincinnati Art Museum.
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Pranavi Sharma - Thu, 27, Nov 2025
- 23:30 EST
- 8
Aftab Pureval released Dr. Kanniks Kannikeswaran’s book. / Kanniks Kannikeswaran
Aftab Pureval, the Indian-origin mayor of Cincinnati, released Dr. Kanniks Kannikeswaran’s book ‘Anubhuti – Experiencing Muthusvami Dikshitar’ at the Cincinnati Art Museum on Nov. 16, marking the hometown stop of the book’s ongoing tour.
The event drew a large audience for author Dr. Kanniks Kannikeswaran, whose work has already been launched at venues in New York City, Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Ohio. Earlier stops included Syracuse University, the Wheels Global Foundation Gala, the SV Temple Pittsburgh, the Vindhya Cultural Foundation in Columbus, and fund-raising events in New Jersey.
Dr. Anu Mitra moderated a Q&A session and said, “The Cincinnati launch is special.” She emphasized the book’s local relevance, building on the city’s long-running engagement with the author’s music projects.
During the discussion, Dr. Kannikeswaran addressed the persistent idea of a cultural divide, noting Rudyard Kipling’s famous line, “East is East and West is West.” He contrasted it with Mark Twain’s documented interest in India and his own history in downtown Cincinnati, calling it an ironic connection.
He cited a key moment in the city’s musical history: the first Indian community choir performance in the United States. About 100 singers, joined by the Martin Luther King Chorale, presented a Sanskrit oratorio downtown. Their rendition of Dikshitar’s “Santatam Pahimam,” set to the tune of the British national anthem, ended with “My country tis of thee.” He said the composition was “perhaps one of the earliest expressions of Decoloniality in East India Company-ruled India.”
Attendees noted the author’s longstanding role in shaping what they described as an emerging Indian-American sound built on Indian ragas and choral traditions. The city has been central to that work since the early 1990s, including the 2007 recording of Dikshitar’s Indo-colonial compositions with local musicians.
Pureval spoke briefly about his family’s relationship with Indian music and congratulated Dr. Kannikeswaran on the publication.
The Cincinnati launch marked the final stop of the book’s first tour cycle for 2025. Earlier in the year, a Syracuse event hosted by Prof. Srivi Ramasubramanyan was paired with “Darpana,” a three-city concert series featuring selections from Dikshitar’s Indo-colonial repertoire. The tour coincided with Deepavali weekend and the composer’s annual death anniversary during his 250th birth year.
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