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Diaspora groups to host musical gathering in California
The event, titled “SANGAT: A Musical Gathering of Spirit, Unity, and Resistance,” brings together artists and community leaders to explore their cultural identity
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Staff Reporter
- Tue, 03, Jun 2025
- 14:19 EDT
- 20
The event's poster / Instagram / @iamsonnysingh
The India House Foundation and the India Community Center are set to host a musical gathering on June 7 in California to promote unity and resistance in the face of exclusionary politics.
The event, titled “SANGAT: A Musical Gathering of Spirit, Unity, and Resistance,” brings together artists and community leaders to explore how cultural identity and artistic expression can serve as tools for preserving democracy in an increasingly polarized political climate.
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The centerpiece of the evening will be a collaborative performance by Afghan American rabab player Qais Essar and Sikh American musician Sonny Singh. They will be joined by cellist Roziht Eve and tabla player Jujhar Singh.
Their piece draws on centuries-old South Asian musical traditions and spiritual poetry from Sikh, Sufi, and Bhakti heritage. Singh, who co-founded the collaborative project Sangat with Essar, said it is a response to political efforts that marginalize communities in both India and the United States.
“A country cannot in good faith call itself a democracy without having communities from diverse backgrounds and identities participating in equitable ways in civic life,” Singh said.
“Authoritarians and supremacists rely on those at the margins… to feel despair and hopelessness and to disengage from civic participation,” he added.
Singh also noted the growing threat to India’s secular fabric, likening the current political climate to far-right movements in the U.S.
“The idea of a multicultural, secular India is most definitely under threat right now,” he said. “Those in power have a vision of India as a Hindu country which excludes and marginalizes religious communities like Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, as well as Dalits, Bahujans, and Adivasis. Like the MAGA movement in the United States, they use fear as a tactic to gain more power and control.”
After the performance, Nida Hasan, executive director of the India House Foundation, will moderate a discussion on the role of multiculturalism in sustaining democratic societies.
“When people from different backgrounds—cultures, religions, races—come together, listen to each other’s stories, and learn from one another, it helps break down the prejudices that often arise from fear of the unknown,” Hasan said.
She added that community gatherings and the arts play a crucial role in countering efforts to homogenize culture and silence minority voices.
“Art and community go hand in hand—together, they build solidarity, amplify shared values, and push back against forces that seek to erase or homogenize culture.”
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