Spotlight shines on Indian immigrants in Merced County

Food, music, dance and other traditions from different regions of India were the focus of a cultural exchange event here over the weekend.

Bhangre dancers, Ghazal music and potato-filled samosas were just some of the sights and sounds of the three-hour gathering Saturday, which was the fourth in a series from the Tamejavi Culture and Arts Series 2015.

“(We want people to) come out from their comfort zone and mingle,” said Dolly Solomon, a fellow with the Tamejavi Cultural Organizing Fellowship Program in Fresno.

The program, which helps immigrants become leaders in their communities, is sponsored by the Pan-Valley Institute of the American Friends Service Committee, a Quaker organization.

Solomon, who was an educator in India for 20 years before moving to the United States, said the music and dance represented styles from around India.

The number of people in Livingston who are of Indian descent is about 3,000, she said, which is relatively large for the Central Valley. The display of Indian culture and art is good for educating the younger generations, she said, as well as people from other communities.

During the showcase, some performed on the harmonium and tabla, a hand-pumped accordion and drums, respectively. Others dressed in brightly colored clothes and danced to music that mixed traditional instruments with modern American hip hop.

A man passed out samosas, fried pastry filled with potatoes and Indian spices, while speakers discussed the health benefits of the spices.

Myrna Martinez, the program director for Pan-Valley Institute’s committee, said the events are an attempt to bring together the San Joaquin Valley’s different immigrant communities. “The groups are very isolated,” she said. “We don’t know enough about each other.”

The gathering was inspired by the outdoor markets that cultures around the world use to exchange goods and ideas, she said. The name “Tamejavi” is a word the group invented by mashing together the Spanish, Hmong and Mixteco words for such markets.

It’s easy for immigrant groups to be invisible to the greater population, she said. “Many people don’t know why they are here, or even that they are here,” she said.

Educating others about the communities is a way to pull back that veil, she said.

The first three events in the series featured Cambodian and indigenous Mexican traditions. Coming up are presentations on Hmong, Nigerian and Salvadoran cultures.

This story was originally published June 21, 2015 at 12:18 PM with the headline "Spotlight shines on Indian immigrants in Merced County."