22.08.11 - Introducing Boliyan Books
Come on. Admit it. We have all been to a wedding, clapped along to those sangeet night songs and pretended to sing the words because we just don't know them. Come on, we have all done it!
But all is about to change, thanks to Ameet and his revolutionary Boliyan Book. Avaa had a little chat with him to find out how he was inspired to create the book which will most certainly become the most entertaining read at a wedding.
Avaa: What inspired you to create the Boliyan book?
Ameet: It was at my brothers wedding, when we spent hours trawling the internet searching for the words to songs. The ones we found were incomplete, hard to read and forget about trying to get the pronunciation right! I sat back and thought, I really ought to try and preserve some of our cultural material, as before we know it, it will be our children's weddings and we wont know the words!
Avaa. I bet it took ages to do the research. These songs go back a long way. How did you do this?
Ameet: the research happened slowly over a few years. I spent alot of time with the older generation who explained the origins of these songs. It started off with a few songs and my collection just grew and grew.
Avaa: Here at Avaa, we have a special affinity with Desi Doners. Why did you choose to promote this charity?
Ameet: We really think its a worthy cause to encourage ethnic communities to register as Desi Doners, there just aren't enough ethnic people registered. We took it on board to help raise awareness so we featured it on our website and in our Boliyan Book.
Avaa: So Ameet, what are the plans for the future? Any new book ideas you can tell us about?
Ameet: Boliyan Book has been an experiment in cultural preservation and it has been hugely successful. We have a number of new and exciting titles coming out very soon, but its all top secret!
Avaa: Well, I am certain. This book is going to become a staple wedding item in my family. I only wish it was around when I got married! Thank you Ameet. For those of you who want to read more about this, have a look here: www.boliyanbook.com.