Today we’d like to introduce you to Oliver Rajamani.
Hi Oliver, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I have had a very unique life from childhood. Being of Indian descent (India), my grandmother was adopted and raised by a British lady. So we had the western cultural influence in the family. I got to be raised with the best of the traditional old school Indian and Western ways of thought and life. I attended an American International School. Music was always in my world since childhood. At home I grew up listening to my dads old LP music collection of country artists such as Jim Reeves, Hank Williams, Johnny Cash and other western artists including Frank Sinatra, James Last, Elvis Ventures ect, including folk and Christian devotional music of India. I come from a musical family and music for me goes to daily family prayers and devotional songs. My school which I went to also gave me the opportunity to experience music from all cultures including western orchestral, jazz, Rocknroll and music of world ethnic societies.
I studied in a Quaker University out of New York which had centers around the globe. The university believed in experiential studies(apprenticship) and students had the opportunity to travel to any part of the globe to find their teacher to study with. I studied Americana folk musical forms of the United States, while performing in string orchestras, choirs ect, folk life and music in India, Middle Eastern music and Domari studies in Israel, Romani studies and Buddhist art history in Greece. The history of Buddhist art has its original roots in Greek art schools established in India and Afghanistan during the Greek rule of North western India with Alexander the Great.
In University in New York, I was given a book by my anthropology teacher entitled “Road of the Gypsies” written by Romani scholar and UN Romani ambassador Ian Hancock. This book lead me into the world of the Romani people commonly known as Gypsies. The Romani people originally come from India arriving in Europe in the last 14th century. The term “Gypsy” is a term mistakenly used by the Europeans thinking that the Romani people were Egyptian. I worked in the United Nations Romani Congress during college and then moved to Austin, Texas in 1994 where the Romani Center and largest historical Romani archives are situated.
Since then, I have been in Austin, Texas performing music and doing educational programs on the Romani culture as well as leading music workshops and leadership skill workshops for the mentally challenged, lower-income communities and youth.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
There are always unexpected curves, hills and sometimes mountains to climb and cross over in life. There are those who create easy pathways around them, others want to climb them with the passion of adventure, while others complain no matter what is given to them. I was always fortunate to have the most lovely family and people in my life who believed in me and my talents. I also always felt that there was always a guiding light in my life that always kept me safe and secure. With a loving family upbringing in traditional old spiritual values and my regular day to day life in mediation, yoga, spiritual gatherings, family life and joy has helped me stay afloat like the lotus flower that always floats on water even when the water levels rise.
The greatest struggle has been my own mind that sometimes wants to find ways to feel discontent. So I have had to always keep a watch of my mind to learn more about its ways of operating. Though it can be challenging, it has also been amazing to learn about my own mind and how to allow it to work for you and how to navigate through life with the minds imaginative creativity and memory storage. But sometimes watching the mind too much can become a lot of work so I have learned over the years to also just be. To just allow for the mind to just do its own thing without micromanaging it too much. To just be also gives such relief and space to experience life and joy. It is a space where nothing is accomplished while all things are accomplished and you are just fine in life as also in the idea of death.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Egoic pride sticks its head out at me always, but there is nothing I am proud of. Seriously!! All the talents in my life were given to me by the universe. My family and also in many ways the friends and the security in life, the health of mind, and body were all gifted to me by the universe. It could also be taken away from me any moment. So how could I feel proud or ashamed. Rather I feel more blessed, grateful and joyous.
But, I did have to work on certain things such as bettering my musical skills, making money and other such worldly things in order to survive, including training my mind to be more focused in being present in life. When I say “present in life” I do not mean the present moment, but I mean presence of that which is “NOT”, for I have a saying of mine which says “the only thing that is real is illusion, otherwise there is nothing.”
Pride to me is a feeling that is double-edged. It can be sweet like sugar for a moment but let you down the next. Pride is also comparative and if not kept in check can become addictive. In order to keep that sweetness of pride, one has to always keep being proud, which can cause illness, stress and a sense of paranoia that keeps one from experiencing the true freedom and contentment that is present within every being without having the need to accomplish anything. JOY or BLISS !, to me is more natural and eternal and is an inclusive part of the universe. But, I do not have any problems with other people feeling proud of accomplishing something that was challenging to them. In fact I would say it is a joy to see that, but I personally and honestly do not get feelings of pride when I accomplish something.
My unique personal life which is a melding of cultures. In my life, I have served as a bridge between physical and spiritual worlds through my music and life experiences.
I perform innovative soul-stirring original music. I have created a sound of my own with the historic threads of Gypsy/folk India, Romani and Texas cultures and music while bringing recognition to the historical Indian origins of the Romani people.
I sing in many languages including English, Spanish, languages of India and even some songs in languages such as German, Romanian, Romani, Russian, Italian ect., I do not speak all these languages but there are many poets who write poetry for me in these languages and ask me to sing them to music. I have a very international audience.
The two innovative projects I am known for:
(1) Flamenco India:
Flamenco India is an innovative musical journey into the historic Indian roots of Spain’s Romani (Gypsy) Flamenco.
It is my unique hybrid creation, I am the first artist of Indian descent to bring Flamenco to its ancient roots in India while paving new inspiring pathways into the future.
Though Flamenco India may sound fusion, it is a historic reality and a continuation of culture and music with a common ancient history following the Romani diaspora. It is a deep mystical wail that calls into every human soul and their own life’s journey while touching upon the ongoing saga of all immigrants who survive hardships to create a new nation, home and perception for others to mimic, experience and enjoy.
Flamenco India incepted in 1995. Please visit www.flamencoindia.com for more info.
(2) Texas Gypsy Fire:
Blending Indian, Romani and Texas/Americana musical traditions to create an innovative and unique hybrid modern folk sound for Texas music.
I am an Austin, Texas World Music award winner, a nominee of the 2008 US Artist Award and the 2014 nominee of the prestigious German music award “Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik Oliver Rajamani” BESTENLISTE-Vierteljahrespreis 1/2014 Weltmusik. I have toured internationally and recorded and performed with poets and artists wide-ranging in style including Jeronimo Maya, Gypsy Kings, Willie Nelson, Edie Brickell, L. Shanker, Eric Johnson, Ustad Shujaat Khan, Ustad Aashish Khan, Glen Velez, Paravai Munniamma, Tomasa La Macanita, Dotschy Reinhardt, Robert Bly, Coleman Barks, Paul Maar including performing for the Maharaja of Jodhpur, India, Gaj Singh II. I have been a featured artist on the NPR BBC radio, Klru PBS amongst numerous other radio, TV stations and magazines including the Tedx platform.
Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
I do not see anything specific in the next 5 to 10 years or further. I see a blank mind of emptiness which signifies for me a space of pure potential for magic.
I am not too concerned about industry because I do not rely on industry. If industry serves me and others in a healthy way, I am open to it, if it does not I am not bothered.
Contact Info:
- Email: booking@oliverrajamani.com
- Website: www.oliverrajamani.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oliverrajamani/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/oliver.rajamani/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/oliverrajamani?lang=en
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5zVMwdK-JX_1QlVVXTzY0w
- Other: https://www.youtube.com/user/oliverrajamani
Image Credits
Portrait shots by Michelle Zahavah
