 By Samir Shukla
Sunny Jain Wild Wild East (Smithsonian Folkways Recordings) Sunny Jain, bandleader of Red Baraat, recently released his new solo album, Wild Wild East. Jain is a Brooklyn-based rock and jazz drummer, composer and a master dhol player, ably straddling jazz, bhangra, Punjabi folk and Indian rhythms. His new recording is a mix of instrumentals, dissonant hip hop tracks and spirituals, touched with reflections on immigrants and minority communities. In the liner notes he writes about his visits to India, Jain was born to Indian American parents in Rochester, NY, and recalls his heritage while tapping into the current immigration ethos of America, as well as larger global community.  By Samir Shukla
So, the race is now official between presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden and the incumbent Donald Trump, and the invisible candidate, the Virus. The voters in the two camps are set, and the battle is on to get the votes out and persuade a few of the folks on the fence to vote for a particular candidate. The virus will stalk us with its own agenda throughout the year. This will now be the strangest presidential election season in history. The large crowds and rallies have been relegated to virtual appearances. Trump is appearing daily talking about the bug and what may come next. He is itching to hold live rallies again. Biden would also love to talk in front of crowds. Things just aren't the same this time around.  By Samir Shukla
Can we open up the window just a little bit? Open the country softly, but carry a big bottle of sanitizer (apologies to Teddy Roosevelt). And, of course, wear a mask when outside your home and around other people. Debates are raging around the country on when to start opening the economy. All sides have a point in this debate and there are no easy answers. We can't open things up and jump back into our pre-virus routines too quickly and possibly risk massive infections and forcing a second round of stay at home orders. We also can't hide out in our homes for an indefinite period and watch the already decimated economy just melt away. Businesses and livelihoods that were built over years, even lifetimes, are teetering on bankruptcy and closures in a matter of weeks.  By Samir Shukla
Goodbye handshake. It was nice knowing you. I never did like you. The handshake must be relegated to the ash heaps of history.  By Samir Shukla
The year started with such promise. 2020. A lovely rhythmic and poetic number. It marks the end of a decade and gazes toward the start of a new one. So many plans were made when the year was born and then began to crawl along with promise. |
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