On collaboration and change: Q&A with Dr. Afroz Taj

Dr. Afroz Taj is an associate professor in UNC’s Department of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, and serves as advisor for many of the University’s South Asian organizations, including Monsoon. Taj has been teaching at UNC for more than 25 years, and is the creator of “A Door Into Hindi” and “Darvazah: A Door Into Urdu,” online web courses that are used by thousands of learners across the world. Taj is also a poet and musical artist. He hosts Geet Bazaar, a weekly radio program that plays music from South Asian countries. Geet Bazaar is available on WKNC 88.1 FM every Sunday from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

NOTE: This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity and length.

What’s been bringing you peace lately?

That’s a good question. The news here and out of my home country, India, is not good. I’m worried about my family and friends, so peace is a rare commodity these days. But I’ve found some peace in my teaching, interacting with students, my research work, and in writing poetry, which is one of my major hobbies. 

In what ways has UNC’s Department of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies changed since you started working at the University? 

I started teaching at UNC in 1995. I had been hired jointly by UNC and N.C. State to start the Hindi-Urdu program at both universities using interactive live teleconferencing between the various Triangle universities. This was really cutting edge technology in those days, decades before Zoom! I was part of a larger initiative to establish South Asian Studies in the Triangle with a major government grant and the leadership of the Triangle South Asia Consortium. In those days Asian Studies was only a “Curriculum”; we didn’t become a full department until later. 

Since 1995, I’ve seen a lot of growth in the department and in the South Asian Studies program at UNC. As of this year, we’ve officially become the Department of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies. We offer eight language programs: in addition to Hindi-Urdu, we have Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Arabic, Persian, Hebrew and Turkish. We now have a thriving major in South Asian Studies, a minor in Hindi-Urdu, and as of this year, a new Masters Program. Applications are now open! 

I’ve created courses in poetry, South Asian media, Bollywood cinema, and my advanced seminar on Sex and Social Justice. This semester I’m teaching ASIA 163: Hindi-Urdu Poetry in Performance. One of my favorite courses is my First Year Seminar on media culture in South Asia. And I’m teaching my Bollywood Cinema course next semester! 

What is the importance of art, music, and cinema to the South Asian diaspora? How do you use Geet Bazaar to connect with your artistic nature?

Music, and especially Bollywood, is the way the far-flung Desi diaspora feels connected. Not only do we eagerly listen for the latest hits, but we all share nostalgia for the old songs from the days when we lived in India. It’s great that new generations, even those born in the U.S., can participate in this connection. Geet Bazaar caters to the diversity of our communities: we play all different South Asian languages and artists, from the 1930s to the present day. Geet Bazaar promotes Ganga-Jamuni culture, i.e. a wonderful mixture of all the different flavors of South Asia. We don’t preach explicitly, but our message of peace, love, and togetherness emerges from the music, and I feel like that satisfies my mission.

Geet Bazaar gives me a platform to connect with music-loving audiences every week. Now Geet Bazaar is totally global: we have tens of thousands of listeners around the world, but we’re like one big family. And at least half of our listeners are non-Desi.

Growing up in India I always wanted to go to Bombay and become an actor, and I almost did that instead of coming to the U.S. Anyway, in addition to being a professor, I’m an actor, poet, and also I love to sing. I don’t do Karaoke, but soon after I came to the U.S. in 1981, I formed a Bollywood live band. We did some ambitious musical programs at the University of Michigan, where I was teaching at the time. I’m thankful that here in North Carolina, I’ve had many opportunities to continue acting and performing. For example, I play Ravana in the annual HSNC Ram Leela production, and I’ve sung for many charity benefit concerts in the Triangle. Also, I write poems and short stories in Hindi-Urdu, and they have been published in major journals and recited in many different international venues.

How do you think South Asian organizations on campus can be more inclusive of people from across the diaspora? What about for people from different identities, like sexual orientation, religion, and social class? 

This is another great question. I am faculty advisor for a number of organizations, including Sangam, Monsoon, etc. and each one has its own focus and specialty. I know the dance teams have been great about recruiting non-Desis but of course it’s mostly self-selecting. The different organizations provide opportunities for students to find a micro-community on campus while pursuing their passions. 

I know Sangam, PAKSOC, and other groups have been having some programming around sexuality, stereotypes, etc. HinduYUVA, Muslim Students Association, and the Sikh Students Association are all very good about outreach. I also organize an annual field trip to three different places of worship, a Hindu temple, a Gurudwara, and a Mosque in the Triangle, and it’s open to the entire community. I also started a literary society, Urdu Majlis, more than 20 years ago; we meet on campus to discuss and share poetry in Urdu, Hindi, English, etc. 

I think it’s an issue of overload. Students are always so busy that it’s hard for them to take advantage of everything UNC offers. I’ve advised many of the organizations to try to do more joint collaborative programming, to find some common issues. That way they can be more inclusive while not competing so much for student participants. 

What do you think the UNC South Asian community can do to strengthen relations and build more solidarity with other communities, such as the Black, Indigenous, and Latinx communities?

Like I mentioned above, there should be more joint programming. During the pandemic, it’s actually much easier to do a joint seminar, or discussion, involving diverse groups. For example, I’m planning a campus workshop on Islamophobia for next semester with guest speakers from around the U.S. I’m hoping to have lots of involvement from South Asian groups. Also, on Oct. 10, we are holding an international symposium on Complementary South Asian Medical Systems and the COVID-19 response. 

We could organize a student seminar on indigenous groups in N.C. and in India — lots of really interesting parallels. With Winston Salem State University a few years ago, we organized a joint conference with Jamia Millia Islamia in Delhi to talk about minority universities in India and the U.S. And we could do something on immigration and refugees with the Latinx community. There are so many opportunities for meaningful collaboration. It’s a question of how much time everyone has!

What, if any, parallels do you see between current-day politics in India and the U.S.?

Of course the Trump-Modi friendship is well known, and the two leaders have so much in common. Both have huge popular support, and both take similar stances on immigration, minorities, and the role of the central government. Meanwhile, it’s been really interesting to see how protest movements have evolved in both nations in the past year. It’s great to see democracy thriving in both countries. A few years ago Monsoon organized a Teach-In in solidarity with Indian universities that were coming under fire for their activism. Given the current post-Silent Sam and BLM environment, think it’s time for another one! 

What do you think can help make virtual events engaging and full of connection?

The key is participation. I try to spice up my lectures — both online and in the live class — with discussion questions, and often students bring up really interesting points. The same thing can work in a seminar or workshop. People who are shy about speaking up are more likely to do so in breakout rooms or using the chat function, so again, Zoom facilitates interactivity. And of course using media clips never hurts.