Atif Aslam (L) and Sonu Nigam will perform at the Air Canada Centre (ACC), Saturday, Aug. 5 at 7:30 p.m.
July 30 to Aug. 4
Event: Gramma
Details: Sawitri Theatre Group will present a play by Jasmine Sawant—Gramma at Sampradaya Theatre, 3250 Ridgeway Dr. Unit 4 Mississauga. The play, inspired by Dr. Jane Fraser’s book by the same name follows a young woman on a treasure hunt through her family’s ancestry. What she unearths will change her view on her Canadian life, heritage and how she perceives herself.
Contact: Here
Friday, Aug. 5-6
Event: MuslimFest
Details: One of Canada’s largest events is back again for another year at the Celebration Square in Mississauga from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. This year’s lineup includes standup comic Dean Obeidullah. MuslimFest will also host live performances by local musicians Yusra and Moez Shihab, Dawud Wharnsby, Native Deen, comedian Preacher Moss along with renowned French light calligraphy artist Julien Breton.
Contact: Here
Aug. 3 to 5
Event: MISAF
Details: The 2017 Mosaic International South Asian Festival (MISAF) will kick off at the Cineplex Cinemas Mississauga, 309 Rathburn Rd. W. with 14 feature films, 4 documentaries, and 15 shorts.
Contact: Here
Saturday, Aug. 5
Event: Sonu Nigam/Atif Aslam Concert
Details: Two of the biggest vocal superstars from India and Pakistan will be stopping by Toronton’s Air Canada Centre (ACC) at 7:30 p.m. Atif known for hits such as Bheegi Yaadein, Mahi Ve and Sonu Nigam? Everyone knows him.
Contact: Here
Event: Masala Masti Boat Cruise VII
Details: All aboard this boat of fun. The Masala Masti Boat Cruise VII by PGA International will glide off into the waters of Lake Ontario from 242 Cherry St. in Toronto at 1 p.m.
Contact: Here
Friday, Aug. 18
Event: Monster Rock Orchestra
Details: The Monster Rock Orchestra a group of musicians hand-picked by artistic director Vikas Kohli will take over the Garden Square in Brampton at 6 p.m. Vikas describes the concert as “union of bright lights electronic pop, grungy style of rock n’ roll, and a splash of classical orchestra talent.” Watch Hamilton-based metal group Sumo Cyco in the video below.
Contact: Here
Saturday, Aug. 26
Event: PIRH Independence Day Details: The Proud Indians of Richmond Hill (PIRH) in partnership with the Town of Richmond Hill are celebrating India’s 70th Independence Day noon at the Municipal Offices of the Town of Richmond Hill, 225 East Beaver Creek Rd. Richmond Hill.
Contact: Here
Sunday, Aug. 27
Event: Eid Bazaar
Details: PGA International is bringing this Eid Bazaar on two days: Sunday, Aug. 27 from 2 p.m. to midnight at Swagat Banquet Hall, 6991 Milcreek Dr. in Mississauga and on Thursday, Aug. 31 from 2 p.m. until midnight at the Mississauga Convention Centre, 175 Derry Rd. E. Mississauga. Great bargains on jewellery, henna, good and more to be had.
Contact: Here
Red Baraat: The large, loud and over-the-top Indian wedding procession on the streets of India always lifts my spirits.
The ambience and mood of band of men, all dressed in regimented uniforms, accessorized with glittering brass buttons blasting Bollywood tunes and snarling the traffic says, “here’s life, seize it.”
If you’re nostalgic for the heady feeling of being transfixed on music that’s indescribable, yet so addictive, you’re in luck.
New York-based octet Red Baraat will take on the main stage at the Beaches Jazz Festival, Saturday, July 29 at 9 p.m. Brace yourself for never-heard-anything-like-this sounds that’s a fusion of jazz, hip-hop, rock and bhangra.
It’s obvious the eight-member group not only shares a passion for music but also has a dry sense of humour. Their albums—Shruggy Ji (2013), Bhangra Pirates (2017) and their name—Red Baraat have a touch of whimsical brilliance.
Sunny Jain (dhol/band leader/vocals) helps unravel the musical mysteries behind their brand in this chat.
TDD: The members of Red Baraat are? SJ: Rohin Khemani (percussion), Sonny Singh (trumpet/vocals), Chris Eddleton (drumset), Jonathon Haffner (Soprano Sax), Jonathan Goldberger (guitar) and John Altieri (Sousaphone/rap).
TDD: How did you all meet and the story behind the name – Red Baraat? SJ: I put the band together in 2008, having already been living and playing in NYC for 10 years prior to that.
I had the privilege of meeting and playing with many of the guys in different musical settings during my early years in NYC. When I had the idea for the band, I thought of the best combinationof musical personalities and instruments that I thought would work.
The name (Red Baraat) comes from the musical inspiration and vision for the band: baraat and the Indian Brass Band tradition dating back to the 18th century. Red because that is the color of love, energy and revolution.
Members of New York based group Red Baraat will perform at the Beaches Jazz Festival, Saturday, July 29 at 9 p.m. Photo by Shervin Lainez.
TDD. How did the idea to fuse Bhangra with jazz, Latin and other styles happen? SJ: As a South Asian-American, I grew up with a variety of music from my cultural heritage: Jain Bhajans, Bollywood songs of the 70’s and 80’s, Punjabi music, Ghazals and Hindustani classical. Born and raised in America (Rochester, NY), I was also listening to what was on the radio and what my siblings handed down to me: classic rock, progressive rock, 80’s music, Brit Pop, hip-hop.
When I started studying drums and specifically, jazz music, my drum teacher (Rich Thompson) always told me to be open to learning and playing all styles of music. He cultivated the idea of a large musical vocabulary for the sake of versatility when improvising. So all of these experiences are reflected in my approach to composing and performing music.
Music and art is about expression and I’m always searching for the expression “OF” and “IN” the moment.
Thought and technique must disappear in the moment. The idea of genre and traditions must disappear in the moment. The only truth of the moment is the sound that comes out THAT MOMENT. Red Baraat’s sound is based on this idea and with that, each musician in the band brings their own musical personality into the full sound of the band. Each of them is a studied and deeply soulful musician, in their own unique way.
TDD: What’s the crowd’s reaction to your unique musical style? SJ: Typical response is, “Holy shit, I’ve never heard anything like that before. Your music has [insert 5 genres of music] in it.” So yeah, I think people like our sound and our show. We’ve been touring solid for 8 years, with hardly any breaks.
TDD: How do you describe the sounds in Shruggy ji and to what do you attribute from the album becoming the portal to your success? SJ: Shruggy Ji was our 2nd album that debuted at #1 on Billboard World Music charts in 2012. While we were very fortunate to have had that bump, we don’t necessarily attribute that album to our portal of success. We focus on the joy and passion we have for playing in this band. The songs. The fans. The cities we travel and the experiences we have. We’re very lucky and grateful for our old and new fans that support us.
Sunny Jain (dhol/band leader/vocals) and member of Red Baraat, a New York-based band. Red Baraat will perform at the Beaches Jazz Festival, Saturday, July 29 at 9 p.m. Photo courtesy Red Baraat.
TDD: Bhangra Pirates…what is the story/who is responsible for these quirky names? SJ: The music and energy of bhangra just seems to go hand-in-hand with the spirit of a pirate: rebellious, adventurous, wild natured. There’s also something to be said about Pirate Codes; the camaraderie, the support system among the crew. In fact, history teaches us that pirates were pioneers in democracy. Perhaps most importantly though, the Pirate Codes were revolutionary in their method of taking power away from any one man, and placing it in the hands of the majority. We kind of need some Bhangra Pirates in the States right now.
TDD: And is it a deliberate attempt to have these names. Who’s Shruggy ji? And the rationale behind the “Pirates?” SJ: Shruggy Ji is a personality or character that we believe lives in all of us. As dusk approaches, we see our shadows lurking and slowly growing as night time falls on us. That’s the time our inner “Shruggy Ji” comes out. “Shrug your shoulders, and twist your wrists. Move your body and shake those ships.” We take time and thought into everything we do…the music we make, the song titles and the album titles. I think every artist does.
TDD: Any incident that you can reference that brings back a chuckle or a laugh or was kind of sobering? SJ: I think we always laugh when people come to see Red Baraat and they are expecting us to be in colonial marching band outfits and play traditional baraat music. I love the Indian Brass Band tradition and have great respect for the musicians, but the colonial outfit represents just that, colonialism; something that directly affected my parents and family during partition. I’d never pay tribute to any colonizer.
In this file photo, headliner Jonita Gandhi with some of her fans at the opening night of Bollywood Monster Mashup. This year too Jonita will wow the crowds with Kamal Khan, Saturday, July 22 starting at 6 p.m. at Celebration Square in Mississauga. Photo by Bryon Johnson/Metroland Media.
Two exceptional artists pursuing musical careers in two neighbouring cities in the GTA until their paths cross. With that begins the start of a friendship rooted in mutual respect, love for their craft and the journey leading to Bollywood.
Also, whenever Bollywood Monster Mashup (BMM) announces its line-up, there she is. So, Toronto Desi Diaries (TDD) asked Vikas Kohli, founder/artistic director, BMM to talk about Jonita Gandhi/ vocalist and well known Bollywood singer.
And he obliges.
TDD. When did you first meet Jonita?
Vikas: Years ago, a promoter was putting on a talent competition and asked me to be one of the judges. After a few acts, a young singer did a Capella performance. The other judges clearly knew the singer because when they gave their critique, they referred to her by her first name, Jonita. When my turn came, I simply said, “that sounded great” because I thought all this singer needs is some good songs.
Sometime after that we ended up working on getting some original material and recordings together, but both of us got too busy. Fortunately, amazing musicians like A.R. Rahman and Sonu Nigam recognized her talent and the rest is history.
The last time I saw Jonita, a group of us were having Punjabi style pizza at her parent’s place.
TDD. What was it about her that struck you? First impressions?
Vikas: It’s always refreshing when you work with a singer that is professionally trained, understands both western and Indian music and doesn’t need autotune!
TDD. Should young creative desis stuck studying business and science ditch all that to pursue music like Jonita?
Vikas: Well, if you’re “stuck” in anything you should consider a change. Music is amazing but not the only thing. Good business sense is critical because artists are fundamentally entrepreneurs. And science is just plain awesome. When I’m not working in my studio, my getaway is reading about chaos theory, behavioural economics, physics and anything that gets us closer to Star Trek 🙂
TDD. What makes Jonita tick?
Vikas: She shines when giving a live performance. It’s more than her voice. It’s also her ability to engage the crowd because that’s where her heart is. She cares about giving an amazing show, and she does every
TDD. Who’s got the crazy, untamed side, Jonita or yourself?
Vikas: Isn’t everyone a little bit crazy?
8) What can folks expect at #BollywoodMonster Mashup (BMM) this year?
Vikas Kohli, founder/artistic director, Bollywood Monster Mashup.
Vikas: Thousands of happy people eating delicious food, getting free Bollywood dance lessons, having fun in our free KidZone, and hundreds of the best artists, comedians, a VIP reception, andthree massive free concerts.
We’ve gone crazy this year with Jonita flying in straight from the IIFAs, Kamal Khan famous for Ishq Sufiana flying in straight from taping the Voice of Punjab finale, and Aakanksha Sharma famous for Sunny Leone’s voice in Main Adhoora for her first ever performance in Canada.
And special Canada 150 programming, including three massive orchestras performing hit Bollywood and Canadian songs. There’s too much to talk about, so find out more on our website BollywoodMonsterMashup.com.
And Desi Diaries readers get a chance to meet our Bollywood stars, get discounts on hotels, and other free offers when they go to BollywoodMonsterMashup.com and use coupon code Desi . Why? Because we love our audience.
Gee, thanks, BMM.
Re: Who’s crazier? Our bet is on Vikas, because we can’t think of a single person that reads chaos theory for recreation, except for the fictitious Dr. Sheldon Cooper ~Toronto Desi Diaries.
#BMM events will kick off Friday, July 21. Jonita will take over the stage, Saturday, July 22. Finale events start at 6 p.m., but Celebration Square will be abuzz from 2 p.m. onward.
Toronto Desi Diaries 
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