Indo-Constellations: Rāginī Festival x Flushing Town Hall's First Mini-Global Mashup Festival
Mar 23, 2025 - 5:00 PM
DATE: March 23, 2025
TIME: 5:00 PM
General Admission: $30 Adults / Free For Members*
For free access to this event and other perks Become A Member Today!
Can't make it in-person?
STREAM IT
Parking Information: Flushing Town Hall has a small parking lot at the rear of the building, which fills up quickly during events. Additional parking is available nearby at:
• PEC Parking – 35-15 Farrington St, Flushing, NY 11354
• The Farrington Parking – 33-66 Farrington St, Flushing, NY 11354
Ragini Festival comes to Queens through a partnership with Flushing Town Hall in celebration of contemporary Indo-Caribbean sounds. Featuring pop mixed with strains of Indian classical music, chutney and island sonic culture in a mashup of sets, this event features seminal Bollywood tunes by singer Ben Parag followed by an inter-cultural percussion mashup of iron, steel and leather- all materials of the Afro/Indo Trinidadian rhythm culture. The show culminates in a convergence of island culture with all its diasporic echoes and conversations that unite and honor shared histories.
Artist Bios
Ben Parag
New York native and fluent Hindi speaker, Ben trained in classical music under the tutelage of gurus Kinnar and Payal Seen. Raised in a family of Guyanese musical talent, Ben started singing at a young age. For Dil Hai Hindustani, Ben traveled to India for the first time to perform in front of a panel of renowned judges: Bollywood director Karan Johar, Indian playback singer, Shalmali Kholgade, Indian rapper, Badshah, and singer/composer, Shekhar Ravjiani, frequently earning standing ovations.Karan Johar commented that not only was Ben his favorite contestant, but he sang the song “Mitwa” from the film Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna, “better than the original singer,” attributing Ben’s ability of keeping his Caribbean roots close, even while seeking global appeal.
Josanne Francis
Born and raised in the twin-island Republic of Trinidad & Tobago, Josanne Francis is an internationally known steelpan performer and music educator. Her music delivers that special 'extra' that separates her from even the greats, and catapults listeners into a unique and exceptional place. With hands that seem to float like the wings of a butterfly with a 'wand-like' touch, her music is not devoid of power when needed. Ms. Francis' music blends together and draws influences from traditional Calypso music, Jazz, Indian, Funk, Rock and Classical music- a unique mix which is not typical for the instrument. Josanne has performed at venues such as the Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, and Strathmore Music Center; and has appeared as a guest artist at festivals and universities across the United States and internationally, including the San Juan Conservatory of Music, San Juan Puerto Rico; the Caramoor Jazz Festival, NY.; and the Port-au-Prince International Jazz Festival, Haiti. Josanne was recently one of 6 Artists in Residence at Strathmore for the 2017-2018 season. She currently serves as the Executive Director of the Cultural Academy for Excellence, Inc. and runs her very own educational steelpan program Steel on Wheels.
Fijiana
Pallaví aka Fijiana is an embodiment of the vibrant multicultural landscape of Fiji and the Bay Area.Her sound is as eclectic as her multiple identities, moving from jazz-influenced rap to modern pop and diving into genres like Indo-Afro beat to represent her dualistic cultural identity. She speaks on political issues, spiritual learnings, and romantic experiences but there is one thing everything has in common: everything is rooted in real emotions and experiences. Fijiana can be heard in STARZ’ Blindspotting (‘Droptop Shawty’), has been featured in outlets such as Rolling Stone India, Vogue India, KQED, and Brown Girl Magazine, and the music video for “Identity” was an official selection of the South Asian Film Festival of America.
Raat Ki Rani: DJ
Roshni Samlal (DJ Raat Ki Rani)
Pronouns: She/her/they
Roshni Samlal is a New York-based tabla player and DJ who has studied within the Farrukhabad, Benares and Punjab gharanas or schools of Indian classical percussion. Roshni is now a prolific local teacher and performer, both in traditional, soloist repertoire, as a classical accompanist (Pt. Krishna Bhatt, Steve Gorn, Sobroto Roy Chowdhury) as well as within a variety of jazz, experimental and chamber ensembles (In D Ensemble, Arkinetics, Orakel.) Roshni also explores electronic production as a narratorial context for tabla solos, incorporating poetry and sound collages that speak to topics of indentureship, post-colonial Caribbean identity, migration. She is the curator and producer of the Ragini Festival which focuses on spotlighting the work of artists engaged in traditional folk and innovative arts within the further reaches of the South Asian diaspora, focusing on Indo-Caribbean heritage. Roshni crafts DJ sets influenced by her Indo-Caribbean diaspora heritage, experiences as a working-class, brown immigrant during the 90’s, focusing on Asian Underground music, Global Club, soca and chutney.
*excludes IDNYC membership
DATE: March 23, 2025
TIME: 5:00 PM
General Admission: $30 Adults / Free For Members*
For free access to this event and other perks Become A Member Today!
Can't make it in-person?
STREAM IT
Parking Information: Flushing Town Hall has a small parking lot at the rear of the building, which fills up quickly during events. Additional parking is available nearby at:
• PEC Parking – 35-15 Farrington St, Flushing, NY 11354
• The Farrington Parking – 33-66 Farrington St, Flushing, NY 11354
Ragini Festival comes to Queens through a partnership with Flushing Town Hall in celebration of contemporary Indo-Caribbean sounds. Featuring pop mixed with strains of Indian classical music, chutney and island sonic culture in a mashup of sets, this event features seminal Bollywood tunes by singer Ben Parag followed by an inter-cultural percussion mashup of iron, steel and leather- all materials of the Afro/Indo Trinidadian rhythm culture. The show culminates in a convergence of island culture with all its diasporic echoes and conversations that unite and honor shared histories.
Artist Bios
Ben Parag
New York native and fluent Hindi speaker, Ben trained in classical music under the tutelage of gurus Kinnar and Payal Seen. Raised in a family of Guyanese musical talent, Ben started singing at a young age. For Dil Hai Hindustani, Ben traveled to India for the first time to perform in front of a panel of renowned judges: Bollywood director Karan Johar, Indian playback singer, Shalmali Kholgade, Indian rapper, Badshah, and singer/composer, Shekhar Ravjiani, frequently earning standing ovations.Karan Johar commented that not only was Ben his favorite contestant, but he sang the song “Mitwa” from the film Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna, “better than the original singer,” attributing Ben’s ability of keeping his Caribbean roots close, even while seeking global appeal.
Josanne Francis
Born and raised in the twin-island Republic of Trinidad & Tobago, Josanne Francis is an internationally known steelpan performer and music educator. Her music delivers that special 'extra' that separates her from even the greats, and catapults listeners into a unique and exceptional place. With hands that seem to float like the wings of a butterfly with a 'wand-like' touch, her music is not devoid of power when needed. Ms. Francis' music blends together and draws influences from traditional Calypso music, Jazz, Indian, Funk, Rock and Classical music- a unique mix which is not typical for the instrument. Josanne has performed at venues such as the Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, and Strathmore Music Center; and has appeared as a guest artist at festivals and universities across the United States and internationally, including the San Juan Conservatory of Music, San Juan Puerto Rico; the Caramoor Jazz Festival, NY.; and the Port-au-Prince International Jazz Festival, Haiti. Josanne was recently one of 6 Artists in Residence at Strathmore for the 2017-2018 season. She currently serves as the Executive Director of the Cultural Academy for Excellence, Inc. and runs her very own educational steelpan program Steel on Wheels.
Fijiana
Pallaví aka Fijiana is an embodiment of the vibrant multicultural landscape of Fiji and the Bay Area.Her sound is as eclectic as her multiple identities, moving from jazz-influenced rap to modern pop and diving into genres like Indo-Afro beat to represent her dualistic cultural identity. She speaks on political issues, spiritual learnings, and romantic experiences but there is one thing everything has in common: everything is rooted in real emotions and experiences. Fijiana can be heard in STARZ’ Blindspotting (‘Droptop Shawty’), has been featured in outlets such as Rolling Stone India, Vogue India, KQED, and Brown Girl Magazine, and the music video for “Identity” was an official selection of the South Asian Film Festival of America.
Raat Ki Rani: DJ
Roshni Samlal (DJ Raat Ki Rani)
Pronouns: She/her/they
Roshni Samlal is a New York-based tabla player and DJ who has studied within the Farrukhabad, Benares and Punjab gharanas or schools of Indian classical percussion. Roshni is now a prolific local teacher and performer, both in traditional, soloist repertoire, as a classical accompanist (Pt. Krishna Bhatt, Steve Gorn, Sobroto Roy Chowdhury) as well as within a variety of jazz, experimental and chamber ensembles (In D Ensemble, Arkinetics, Orakel.) Roshni also explores electronic production as a narratorial context for tabla solos, incorporating poetry and sound collages that speak to topics of indentureship, post-colonial Caribbean identity, migration. She is the curator and producer of the Ragini Festival which focuses on spotlighting the work of artists engaged in traditional folk and innovative arts within the further reaches of the South Asian diaspora, focusing on Indo-Caribbean heritage. Roshni crafts DJ sets influenced by her Indo-Caribbean diaspora heritage, experiences as a working-class, brown immigrant during the 90’s, focusing on Asian Underground music, Global Club, soca and chutney.
*excludes IDNYC membership
