By Debby Tewes In the continuing theme that music and the arts can bridge the sometimes seemingly insurmountable divides of politics, I'd like to introduce you to a cultural bridge that has been built right here in the city of Milwaukee. Sometimes these bridges are constructed without the imposition of taxes or government bureaucratic interference. They sometimes happen when people reach out to each other in hopes of creating something of beauty and art. Through some very lucky happenstance Milwaukee is home to one of these cultural collaborations in the person of a woman I met, once again through Asian Moon Festival. I have been honored by the many Asian ethnic groups that contributed to this event and have continued to allow me to participate in their cultural gifts to the city. The friendships that were forged during this event continue to enrich my life and that of the city of Milwaukee. Gul Afshan is a professor at Milwaukee School of Engineering, teaching classes in chemistry and biochemistry. She came to the United States in 1990 to pursue advanced degrees in her field. Early on, while a child in Lahore Pakistan, one of her teachers recognized a wonderful vocal ability that she encouraged Gul's parents to nurture. This would seem to be a worldwide phenomenon of the parent-teacher conference and Gul's parents took the advice to heart. From the age of 7, she was placed under the tutelage of Khalil Ahmad, a respected music director and teacher. These lessons continued for 12 years and she later continued in the art council of Islamabad where she studied with Ustad Sadiq Sahib Pindi Wale. Gul began performing professionally on Pakistani radio, in singing competitions and on stage. During this time she also graduated from college and began studying for her master’s program. To Pakistanis, Lahore is also known as the City of Colleges and the heart of Punjab, but it also has another distinction as the home of Pakistani film production. Gul's father was a film producer and distributor and also owned several theaters. Lahore, the capital of film making in Pakistan, rivals Mumbai (India) for "Bollywood" film production. Lahore's film district is Royal Park, called “Lollywood." Film has been a powerful influence on culture in Pakistan since the first "talkie" film in 1931 which gave the average person easy access to entertainment and exposure to many styles of music. Gul's mother is a “devoted mom" who raised four children and taught them three languages; Urdu, Punjabi and English. Lahore has been much in the news lately for reasons that are all too familiar in our world today, being the epicenter of a struggle between factions with differing political views. Yet, Gul has warm memories of a wonderful childhood, an encouraging family, most of whom still live there and a homeland that she hopes can find its way back to peace. Pakistan was created in 1947 and is about twice the size of California. It is surrounded by the Arabian Sea, Afghanistan, India, China and Iran. When India gained its independence from Britain, Pakistan was created as a Muslim homeland in the northwest. The songs Gul performs are in four different languages and are influenced by many styles of music and by regions of her homeland. As she was growing up, she credited many musical inspirations from both Pakistan and India. Given the size of the two countries and the many nations that border them, once again, culture slipped across borders. Everything in a culture can influence the rhythms of its music. These influences can come from climate, traditions, geography, moods, tastes and the universally understood theme of a love story. Pakistan and India both have traditions of love stories that are quite similar to Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. She mentioned two stories, “Sussi Punnoo,” a Sindhi tale, and “Heer Ranjha,” a great Punjabi love story. Both are tales of unrequited, tragic love. Some of her musical influences include Malika Taranum, Noor Jehan, Asha Bhosley and many others. The musical styles include Ghazal, which I have been told is the music of romance and poetry; Qawali, which has its roots in Sufism and Islamic devotional music and always sung by men; Thumri music, which is typically in Hindi, is considered light classical and usually involves a young woman's devotion to Lord Krishna. Gul also listened to Geet music, which is typically Hindi and follows no strict format but is light in nature and usually accompanied by instruments such as sitar, harmonium, tabla, sarangi (a large stringed instrument played with a bow) and dholat, a percussion instrument. About four years ago, Gul contacted Asian Moon Festival asking about the possibility of performing as a solo performer. Her only accompaniment at that first performance was a tabla player known in the community. She and I talked during the festival and she told me that she was very interested in connecting with local musicians for a more elaborate ensemble of traditional music. As luck would have it, we had just the person for her: Patric Marks of Chicago, who was performing on another stage. Introductions were made and ultimately the group Eastern Passions was born. Patric Marks was born in Junagadh, India. He studied sitar under Ghulam Hussain Khan and later was accepted as a "Shagirdh" or disciple of "indore gharana" and the best analogy I can offer for this honor is something akin to being accepted to Yale or Harvard! For a time he was director of music and cultural activities at St. Xavier's College in Ahmadabad, India. Patric came to the U.S. in 1973, settling in Chicago where he now teaches sitar to students from many cultures. Patric still performs when time permits, sharing his knowledge and love of true South Asian music with a wider audience. Accompanying the group on tabla is Janmejay Mahant who was born and trained in Gujrat, India. Janmejay also began his training at the very young age of 7 under the tutelage of Nagin Jadav in Bharuch, Gujrat. Janmejay came to the United States in 1994 and collaborates often with Eastern Passions. Eastern Passions has performed on several occasions in our area including an appearance at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee; a benefit performance at Milwaukee School of Engineering after the devastating earthquake two years ago, and performances at Eid celebrations locally. Gul writes music and is compiling a CD. She is planning a spring benefit concert at Carroll College to help defray tuition costs for two visually impaired Pakistani students. She occasionally performs on WMSE 91.7 FM. Gul also is busy with her family here in the U.S.; her daughter Tonia, who recently started college and is a musician in her own right, and her husband Anders, a native of Sweden but who lived in India as a young man, and Ander's daughter Monica and son Peter. She summed up the philosophy of Eastern Passions by saying they hope to "cultivate an appreciation of passionate music and melodious songs from the culturally rich South Asian countries, Pakistan and India." The songs are sung in four different regional languages. The lyrics and tunes played portray the immense emotions of South Asian life. The troupe brings you the message of peace, humanity and love through music." |
Gul Afshan |
Patric Marks |
Janmejay Mahant |