I'm in Sao Paulo for a biz meeting and the local sales team took me out for a grand sushi dinner (Sao Paulo has the largest single overseas Japanese population with just shy of 1.5M of the 18M Paulisanos ). I was far from my small town / farm homeland. Nevertheless, I took a certain comfort that the local radio station the Japanese restaurant played for us diners featured the track Tu Tu Hai Wahi by DJ Aqueel.
Freaky.
If you are in Brazil, try to visit Iguassu Falls. The most amazing sight I have seen.
You had to endure listening to DJ Aqueel? My condolences.
I guess you must just be surprised that desi "culture" has infused the mainstream culture in Brazil.
There is an acknowlegeable indian population in Brasil. Having been desi and born there myself, from what I remember growing up, there was 6 families living in MC.MG -- A industrial semi-conductor hub 3 decades ago. I can only think that the population has increased since then given the increase in trade between the 2 countries specially over the last decade.
Brazil has been infused not only with business and trade from India, but also with different facets of the culture including philosophy and religion -- from the words of Swami Vivekananda, and different Gurus of India, to temples and even the movement of Hare Krishnas. Even though the country is over 90% Roman Catholic, because of the diversity of the ethnicity of people... Hinduism, Budhism and even Judaism have been incorporated into the belief system.
It was just a matter of time before the beat of dhols made is to the mainstreets of Carneval.
I am astounded by this also; but especially when you notice that a great many countries that have a majority of Indians are/were former British colonies, and still part of the commonwealth:
Fiji, B. Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, Belize (not sure about british here), Kenya, S. Africa. Every once in a while I get into google hunt for more information and stumble into truly intersting stuff like how Soca (Soul/Calypso) music has been incorporated by desi's in the Carribean and is called 'chutney'. Or finding a group from the 50's called the "Maharaja Kids"! Can't find the link for them...
