Preetesh Shrivastava is many things, an actor, a musician, a stand-up comic, a community organizer, a founding member and the President of Hindi Manch and a board member of many organizations in New England, but he is most of all what we like to call a “Community Catalyst”, because that’s what he does both deliberately and unconsciously in all his undertakings, bring people together. With the help of his army of willing volunteers he continues to illuminate the culture beacon, igniting nostalgia among some, and fresh interest among others through the Hindi language programs and events. We decided to sit down and query him on this journey and to find out what exciting new things he plans to dazzle us with.
 
Q. Preetesh, we know you journeyed all the way from Bhopal, MP in India to settle here in the Boston area. We know about your passion for our culture and community, especially Hindi Manch. Tell us more about Hindi Manch, how did it come about and what keeps you motivated in making this into a Juggernaut of creative experience?

A. First of all, thank you for all the compliments and for attributing the success of Hindi Manch to me, but the fact is, I am just a part of it, it’s the many volunteers, the community leaders and the diaspora filled with Hindi language lovers that are really at the root of this success. When we started this 501-3C non-profit organization, it was to fill a void. There was tremendous cultural activity then, with many wonderful organizations active, and there is a hundred times more activity now, in fact it is India shining in New England, the pictures on facebook and twitter speak for themselves. The void we were trying to fill was that of a focus on the Hindi language itself and the rich array of things that emanate from it, such as literature, theatre, debates, poetry, mythology etc. the question was how to keep the language alive and pass it on to the next generation. Organizations like Shishu Bharti have given a fabulous medium through which to teach the young the language and culture, but could we give them a stage to practice it, to see it used in the many different ways that the young see English being used, to use it themselves as it can be in a variety of ways. I believe we have made good steps towards our goal but there is still a long way to go, but I also believe that the steps forward have largely been due to us ensuring that we do it through a fun medium, such as theatre, poetry, and events such as Bal Manch, Hasya manch. If the journey is fun, we are sure to have many that will travel.

Q. Talking of fun and the Journey, You have done many events in the past years, comedy theatre, serious thought provoking theatre, Hasya manch, Bal Manch, then Sahitya manch and serious poetry and one of the most popular ones the musical event Sa Re Ga Ma Pa. So what is cooking now, what’s coming next?

A. You are right we have pulled off many successful events, and have had a lot of fun and made a lot of friends while organizing those events. But what is most gratifying is to see the satisfied and entertained audience and to hear the encouraging feedback and receive the increasing support with each event. To answer your question on what’s cooking, well, we are bringing a new edition of Sa Re Ga Ma, an event that has always tested the capacity of the venue it’s been held at. Each year it gets richer in terms of content. We have been accumulating tremendous assets in the form of previous years’ participants and winners who willingly come and help us refine Sa Re Ga Ma, they liven it up and the stage with special appearances and the new participants give their best and the quality of performances gets better every year. This year we are upping the ante, we are bringing in one of the most talented and respected playback singers in Indian Cinema: Hindi Manch is honored and privileged to have Suresh Wadkarji as our guest and the finale judge for Hindi Manch Sa Re Ga Ma Pa. Sureshji is exalted as one of the most accomplished playback singers of our time. He will add an extra shine to this even is bound to enthrall us all with a few of his gems.

The participants and volunteers are all excited about the prospect of being part of an event with Shri Suresh Wadkar.

The Sa Re Ga Ma preparations and auditions have never been more detailed as this time. We have made sure the venue is perfect, the sound is impeccable, which is most important, and that the program is engaging, entertaining and right on schedule. As you know the lack of punctuality is a pet peeve of mine and I am aware of the importance of a show that begins on time and flows perfectly is for everyone. This is an event not to be missed.

Q: That is amazing, Suresh Wadkar Ji, how did you manage to convince such a celebrity and what can we expect from him.

A: From the very first Sa Re Ga Ma, we have been in touch with Suresh Wadkarji, and this was always the plan but it has taken some time to materialize. Suresh Wadkarji is not just any playback singer he is a student of Classical music and now a Guru. He was gifted to begin with. At the age of 4 he was noticed for his gift, and his talent was nurtured carefully by his elders ever since. He learned from the best gurus and is now carrying forward the Guru-Shishya tradition and fulfilling the wishes of his teachers by setting up his own school that combines traditional and scientific methods of teaching. It’s an honor for us to have a person of his stature and of such accomplishments to grace our event. As I said, he will be judging the finalists that will sing on stage, I am sure that we will be able to listen to a few of his favorite songs live and we can expect him to sing along with the finalist and other than that I myself am waiting to hear what wisdom and anecdotes he might share. It is very exciting for all of us. We are eagerly waiting for this event and for him.

Q: Well, Preetesh it appears you have your immediate attention completely on Sa Re Ga Ma, and we’d like you to also, as we all enjoy the event every year, thank you for speaking with us and giving us an idea of what we can expect in Sa Re Ga Ma, any final words.

A: The only thing I’d like to say is, please come and bring your friends and relatives along to SaReGaMaPa on Saturday, 4th October'14 at the Collins Center in Andover and visit www.hindimanch.org for more details. We promise you that you’ll end the evening feeling refreshed and take some memorable moments with you. Also, while our focus is SaReGaMaPa but Hindi Manch is bringing more events in the future. Thank you for letting me speak and for your interest in Hindi Manch.

“Hindi Manch, a Non-Profit Organization, since its inception, have been successfully working to pass on the heritage of Hindi and related languages like Urdu, Bhojpuri, Awadhi, Brij, Khariboli etc. to the next generation through  Literary sittings, theatre, cultural and musical events in the United States. Hindi Manch is bringing people together who know or wants to know about Hindi. “ For more information log on to www.hindimanch.org.

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