My friend and her brother are on their way to becoming famous. I’m not sure how I feel about that, but I know I’ll be getting their autographs one day. I just know it.
The first time I saw Samra was at a house warming, about ten years ago. She was all dressed up with a bright smile spread across her face. She was very social and talkative, which was slightly weird for me because we were all around 9 or 10 years old at the time, and we barely spoke. Her eyes were big and bold and screened with round glasses. She was only so young, and was already so graceful and mature. I don’t think I’ll ever be friends with her, I thought and continued to stare at her in fascination.
Her little brother Keshav, was a toddler at the time, a very adorable, mischievous toddler whom I barely saw, as he was too busy zooming around on his tiny feet.
If you’re part of an Indian family, you are expected to be good at something. And if you’re good at something, everyone will know, and if everyone knows, you HAVE to show it off at every family gathering, dinner party, talent quest, you name it! Even if you don’t have much to show off, you are still expected to do something. Even a handstand or the Macarena. Most kids would die a little inside when they’d get asked to dance or sing. But Samra and her brother Keshav would immediately light up the room without any hesitation. The most fascinating part was, Keshav was tiny. And he could match with his sister’s pitch and sing along with her. Now after I realised that these two were not ordinary, I made sure to keep my distance. And made sure my Mum doesn’t talk to hers, or else I’d have to join singing lessons too. But unfortunately that didn’t really go as planned.
Soon, I became a part of this “show off your talent everywhere” trend. I remember being so nervous to sing while she was there, I’d do anything to avoid it. But you know how it goes, you get sucked in and there’s really no way out. I thought she’d be judging me, but I’d always catch her clapping along or smiling.
The south Indian association hold annual shows, with dance performances, dramas and orchestra. Growing up as a member of the association, I was used to seeing all the shiny sarees and shimmering jewellery on every female individual. The men dressed in suits with their chests held high. They would walk around like Dons with their shiny thick belts and shiny bald heads. The hall would fill with laughter and loud conversations about her daughter and his son and that girl and this cat or whatever. And amongst all that chaos, there was Samra and Keshav, who would silence the crazy crowd with their voices.
I remember the first time I saw them perform, I was around twelve. I sat with my group of girlfriends towards the front of the stage and giggled at things that seemed hilarious. When Samra and Keshav walked onto the stage, I fell silent. It’s her! That girl I remember saying to one of my friends. While the rest of the group was too busy chattering away, I sat and watched their entire performance without moving a single muscle. It felt like I was watching a magic show, or a Bollywood film. It was unreal.
As the years went by, Samra and I started talking a lot more. She was always smiling and always positive. And of course her singing just got better by the day. Her gracefulness and maturity remained the same, but Keshav on the other hand had grasped his sister’s mellowness and had very little conversation with me. I was glad I got to know them.
There came a time where I hadn’t seen the siblings in over a year or maybe even more, my memory is a little faded. But within that time they had taken a major leap in their music career as youngsters. It had gone from small stage performances to performing overseas in front of an even bigger crowd. I remember seeing their photos in a south Indian newspaper and getting excited as if I was her biggest fan. As their family friend, I was absolutely stunned by them. It was a strange feeling to know they were practically on their way to becoming famous. I was certain that I could never become like that.
Around the age of sixteen, Samra and I were part of a group dance performance with six other girls. This is when I realised that this girl was too hard to compete with. She could dance and sing, and in fact, she choreographed the entire performance herself. So I just decided that it was time for me to build myself a fort made of old blankets and live in it. I guess that’s a talent, right?
I also came to know that Keshav was one talented mandolin player. And just like his multi-talented sister, he could play the mandolin and sing to it as well.
I am seriously lost for words when it comes to these two.
During the end of high school, I was sitting in the living room while mum was deeply immersed into her Indian tele-dramas. I was scrolling through Facebook when I came across a video that Samra had uploaded. Ooo what’s this I thought and clicked onto the video. At first, I thought it was a performance of a famous orchestra group. I got that right, it was a video of a famous orchestra group, and the lead singers were Samra and Keshav! I remember grabbing the TV remote out of mum’s hand and turning up the volume on my laptop. We were both stunned. It was incredible. It wasn’t like their performances at the annual concert, it was even bigger, even better! The ‘Likes’ on the video were increasing, the comments were going everywhere, and people were sharing. It was simply too hard to believe.
I remember messaging her on Facebook in excitement and complete awe. “I’m getting your autographs one day,” I said to her.
While I was desperate to find a topic that related to the theme ‘Collaboration’ I was actually wasting time on Facebook. But there was new video of Samra and Keshav. Yes, this is my chance I thought and immediately messaged her. It was actually difficult to get a hold of her as it was during her exam period. But I just had to bother her. She was thrilled though. I mean, imagine being written about.
I felt as though I hadn’t spoken to her in a long time, but this conversation was definitely worth the wait. I came to realise that although they live far from their homeland, the sibling duo are strongly connected with their cultural ancestry and traditions through their dedication in music. And although they have their hands full with their studies to tackle as well as attend rehearsals and gigs, Samra and Keshav are so family oriented and are always present during gatherings or cultural programs.
As we spoke, I told her about the theme ‘Collaboration’ which gave her the chance to open up about their biggest performance. In the year 2013, ‘Bollywood and Beyond’ presented a show on the 28 September at the Northcote Town Hall, for the Darebin Music Festival. Samra and Keshav featured in a major music collaboration between Tihai3, a three-member music band, and the Preston Symphony Orchestra. The duo performed Bollywood songs from the 1950s to present, accompanying a 20-piece ensemble. Tihai, meaning three, is known by the Melbourne audience for their spectacular Hindustani classical music. Girish Makwana, tabla player, Sabyasatchi Bhattacharya, Sarod, and Nicholas Buff, saxophone player are the three members of the band truly immersed into the classical music traditions of India. For the past six years, Tihai has presented extraordinary concerts of Indian music for the Darebin Music Festival and have collaborated with various artists from different backgrounds and genres. The Preston Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1950 and they annually perform their Western classical music in the city of Darebin. They conduct an annual Youth Concerto Competition, giving the opportunity for young musicians to play with the symphony orchestra. The current conductor, Mario Dobernig is a highly acclaimed Austrian percussionist, conductor and specialist in avant-garde music.
I mean, how did this happen in such a short period of time, how long have I been asleep for?
Turns out, Samra had also collaborated with students from the Muskaan school during her tour to Bhopal, India, through her nursing course group from Deakin University. She was part of a charity medical group called ASHA, which conducted medical tests on children and adults who were less fortunate to receive any proper treatment.
And on the other hand, Keshav, who is 17 now, is studying at a science school and has plans on travelling to Madras to learn and perform Indian Classical music.
I asked her to throw in a meaningful quote and she said, “As I grow as a person, and in my nursing and music careers, realizing that we can take away something from almost everyone and everything around us. So keep your mind open, absorb and be inspired!”
So the two of them are my good friends, and all I can say is, I am so proud of them and I’m definitely getting their autographs signed on my face one day.
By Prarthana Sharma
