Opinion A bit of Punjabi, a bit of Spanish and an ode to immigrants

In the year 218, a 14-year-old Syrian priest of the Arab sun god Elagabal became emperor of Rome, going on to have a colourful and controversial reign until his assassination four years later. Five centuries later, the ruling elite of the Khazar Khaganate, a Turkic confederacy straddling Asia and Europe, converted to Judaism. The past is another country, where one could encounter cultural interactions and melting pots that have slipped into obscurity. The history of Indian immigration to the US in the early 20th century before the tightening of restrictions is, perhaps, one such chapter that hides fascinating stories. Now, a Mexican-origin singer who wears a turban has brought to light the ties that existed between two communities in California.

In the early 1900s, many Punjabi men in California married Mexican women, and Talibelico, the singer, harks back to that past, although he doesn’t claim any such ancestry. Rather, he was drawn to Sikhism after seeing members of the Sikh community in Modesto, California, researched the significance of the turban, and “found it beautiful and dignified”, as he told this paper. Now, his Punjabi-Spanish fusion in collaboration with Harveer Singh — an immigrant from Jalandhar whose Spanish singing first drew Talibelico’s interest — is getting millions of views online.

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At a time of growing nativist backlash, Singh and Talibelico have attempted to highlight immigrants’ contributions to the US through music. Their work draws attention to an idea drowned out by political noise: Multiculturalism in an expansive sense, of unexpected combinations creating something new.