An e-mail interview of Sarjit Bains, co-host with Mukhtar Thakur of the weekly radio program, Sangam.

Some historical background on Sangam. When was it begun? When did Mukhtar and you get together?
When I came over from Britain in 1989, I found that the only way to find out about what was happening in the Indian community here was to go to Central Ave. in Minneapolis & look at the fliers posted on the door of Patel Brothers' grocery store – but that was a twenty mile drive from where I lived! In Britain, there were already Indian programs on the radio & TV – so I thought, why not here?

With the Indian community scattered all round the Twin Cities, it would provide a useful link - a way of connecting with something in common, and an easier way to find out about what was happening within the community in terms of events. The first Sangam program went on the air on September 17, 1990. Mukhtar joined forces the following summer (in 1991), and we've managed to keep going since then.

What was your vision of Sangam? Has the vision changed over the years? Has the program changed over the years - how? Given the increased size of the desi community today, does Sangam see itself playing a new role?
As the name of the program implies, it was a means of bringing different segments of the community together - both Indian and non-Indian. In fact, we have had steady level of support (in listener-member contributions) from the local American host community since the program's inception.
The primary content of the program has always been music - this is an easy international language! Initially, I used to have guests from different parts of India (usually postgraduate students from the U of M) who would bring music from their particular regions, and we would talk about the various customs & traditions of those regions. We even had an essay contest on 'The strength of diversity'! When Mukhtar came on board, I think we started connecting more closely with the audience - he introduced & encouraged the idea of listeners calling in with requests, and tried to stay up to date with the new Hindi movie songs coming out of Mumbai. He also introduced interviews of local politicians & gave them a chance to present their ideas to the Indian community. Since then, we have covered a broad range of topics of interest to the community on an occasional basis.
The single most important aspect of the program - which I hope will not change - has been the idea of being inclusive. This is obviously more difficult as the 'Desi' community grows, and some of the social & political problems of India spill into the community here.

What was the community's response to the program? How has that response changed?
There was an enthusiastic response at the beginning - people wanted us to start a cable TV program as well! I think Monday evenings became a focus within the community, a time for them to 'connect'. There was also a sneaking suspicion in some quarters that Mukhtar & I were benefiting in some way financially. Some people found it difficult to believe that he & I were doing this as volunteer programmers. Nowadays, with more Indian music available at the stores on Central Avenue & Hindi movies galore for rental or on Sky TV, a smaller proportion of the community probably tunes in to Sangam on a regular basis, but it is still an integral part of community activities for (Contd Page 15) many.

Music seems to be a big part of your program. Is there a reason why you have stayed focused on music as the anchor for the program? How do both of you keep up with new music coming out of South Asia?
Music does not have to have a specific language - it is the single most effective way to maintain a sense of community amongst people who speak many different languages at home. I don't think there are any parts of India which are immune to the music of Bollywood. Hence it was an easy choice to make music the centerpiece of the program. As for the selection of music - Mukhtar & I both enjoy 'golden oldies'. For the modern end of the spectrum, Mukhtar keeps on top of the Bollywood hit parade - the latest offerings from the Hindi film industry - and I replenish my collection of Bhangra music each time I visit family in England.

In these troubled times when there is insecurity based on identities, especially for minorities, is there a role that Sangam plays and is there a role you see the South Asian community play?
I think it is imperative that members of all minority communities who have chosen to live in this country stand up and be counted at a time of national crisis. I know this has been difficult in the face of increasing institutionalized prejudice following the September 11th attacks - but I also think it is the only way forward, the only way to honor the tradition of freedom & equality that this nation is built upon, the only way to ensure that our children will not suffer some of the inequities visited upon segments of the minority community after September 11th. The role that 'Sangam' played in the immediate aftermath of that tragedy was to try to help the community shake off the shackles of 'guilt by association', and to understand that they still had civil rights in this country. We could only do this in small ways on the program - the song 'Mitwa' from the recent film 'Lagaan' became a frequent choice for me, and Senator Satveer Chaudhary made time to come & talk on the program and reassure people that he & other lawmakers were here to help.

Sangam is produced at KFAI's studios. Given that many of the other programs are from minority communities that have not quite made it, does Sangam see a role in being able to connect desis as a rather wealthy minority community with the other, less well-off, groups?
Those connections exist between program hosts at KFAI as colleagues, so there is a natural conduit for engaging other minority communities. However, it is not a well-used conduit - the Indian community, like others, tends to be insular. The majority of the community is economically well-off - like the Chinese & Japanese - and has not historically seen common ground with many of the newer communities from Africa & the Far East (although particular individuals -Dr. Bruce Corrie in particular - have been active in this regard for some time). However, I think the aftermath of September 11th has begun to change those attitudes - the importance political participation is more easily accepted in the Desi community now.

What are the plans for the future?
I cannot speak for Mukhtar, but coming up to Sangam's 13th birthday in September, I would like to develop some new blood for the program. The community has changed a lot over the years, and there are many new matters of importance to this expanded community that Mukhtar & I do not have the time or resources to tackle on our own. I hope that, whatever happens, Sangam will continue to be a voice of common purpose.

The radio program Sangam can be heard weekly on KFAI Fresh Air Radio FM 90.3 and 106.7 on Mondays from 7:30-9:30PM.