Karan's Cultural Diversity

     There is one instrument that I will never forget as long as I live, in a weird way it's a memory I cherish. This instrument always intrigued me when I was a kid and went to the Mandir (temple) with my family. This instrument is called the Harmonium, a mix between a piano with its keys, and an accordion with its ‘flaps’ on the back that supply air to the instrument. In my experience the harmonium is usually associated with religious locations, such as the Mandir. At set times the harmonium player will add singing to the instrumentation, this singing is usually a prayer recital, such as the Islamic recitations. I cannot begin to describe how amazing the instrument sounds, something about its appearance being so deceiving, looking old and ancient but having a sound that is so resentment and beautiful.      Anime music or anisong is a very prevalent part of Japanese culture. Each anime show has a super high quality song track for the intro and the ending of the show. This is the b

Hip Hop was born in the United States within the lowest ranks of the population. Similarly to the Blues, Hip Hop was popular in African American culture and communities. The music was a form of communication for these communities during a time of turmoil and oppression. The oldest forms of Hip Hop were not recorded due to the economical conditions of the time, therefore it’s earliest history is lost. It is stated that Hip Hop truly took form in the 1970s, but would not become nationally popular until the 1980s.      As stated in the video, Rapper's Delight by the Sugarhills Gang was the first recorded and distributed form of Hip Hop. Prior to this, the use of cassette tapes, “mix tapes”, were the only way Hip Hop music could go further than a small group of people. The album was similar to the speech-song that we’ve previously seen in the Blues. This album was monumental in growing the Hip Hop industry and making it a dream for millions of people to join the Sugarhill Gang in the

  For this blog I choose to interview my Aunt, who has been part of our family for, well since I can remember really. I have been on many trips to different states and even Europe with my Uncle and Aunt. Safe to say, I have a very close relationship with both my Uncle and Aunt, but I know nothing about her musical taste. Every car ride with them has never really been music that she chose to play, it's mostly been music from my sister or cousin. If you asked me to name a song that my Aunt enjoyed listening to, I could not at all think of a singular song.  To preface this interview, my Aunt has said that she struggles to memorize lyrics to songs. For example, we were coming back from a night out after getting ice cream to top the night off. On the way back, it was around midnight, we were singing along to the songs that were being played by my sister. Well singing is very generous to say, but go along with it. While we were singing our hearts out, my aunt was trying to pull up th

  As some of you may know I am a part of the Esports team for a game called Valorant. In this game there is a character named Astra, who is considered the role of a controller/smokes character. Astra is considered of Gahnian descent and all aspects of her character, trailer music, and accent show this. The main thing I want to focus on though is that second item, a trailer song that was used for her reveal.            The song was created by JessB, a New Zealand raised rapper, who was adopted at a young age into her Aunt/Uncles family. Though, her birth mother and father are from Kenya and stayed there throughout her life. In an article written by Nicky Park, JessB states the culture shock she experienced while visiting Kenya after growing up in New Zealand. She also states the importance of keeping in touch with her roots back home with her parents and with her birth parents. She continued to reflect on the trip, “It's not something I would ever talk about, it's just somethi

The feathers on the Regalia are the centerpiece of the costume. Throughout the analysis of the culture I wondered what the connection between the feathers and their culture could be. I dug deeper into the meaning behind the feathers and found that each feather from a variety of birds means different things. For example, an eagle feather symbolizes bravery and power because of its heiroracial status in the environment. “Eagle feathers are believed to carry strong medicine and guide the mind, body and spirit towards courage, strength, and hope.” The feathers also connect the individual back to the world around them. The dancing plus the feathers is used as culture expression and prayer.      Another thing that I wanted to dig deeper into was the Native American woodwind. We covered it very briefly in class as an instrument, but I wanted to look into the actual musicians that play the flute. That is where I found Carlos Nakai, a flute player that is a descendant of an Arizona tribe. Ca

Hey, I'm Karan Bhatt, and I am a freshman at Converse University as a part of the co-ed transition. I like to think Converse chose me to come here rather than the other way around because I am an E-sports athlete for the school. I compete under the title "Valorant", a 5v5 tactical shooter with about fifteen different agents with their own diverse abilities/powers. My goal with Converse University is to pursue a further education in the field of computer science and use the athletic opportunity to make connections in the E-sports industry. The journey to Converse University was not a tedious one as I've lived in Charlotte, North Carolina since I could form memories. I've seen south Charlotte grow from a small area with few places to go to, into a busy suburban area with supermarkets, restaurants, and the addition of apartments into the area over housing. I, of course, love the area I grew up in but I am excited for a change in scenery and a little distance from the