Raj Mohan
(Suriname, 1962) published his first volume of poetry, Bapauti/Erfenis (Bapauti/Heritage) in 2008, an elaboration of the songs on his album Kantráki/Contract Labourer. The collection Tihá/Troost (Tihá/Comfort) followed in 2011 with lyrics from his pop album Daayra. The singer, poet and composer -- with parental roots in India, born in Suriname, and living in The Netherlands -- deals with societal themes and with subjects that are taboo within Hindustani and Indian circles. Mohan writes in Sarnámi, the mother tongue of the Hindustani in Suriname and the Netherlands. He is founder and artistic director of musical groups like the Raj Mohan Ensemble, Vistar and Shai'rana, with which he tours at home and abroad. He plays and sings compositions based on his own lyrics and on poems by contemporary Urdu poets in the (lightly) classical tradition of Northern India.
Past events
Warriors! Heroes from Suriname and the Caribbean
Spoken word, music, dance and stories by Gershwin Bonevacia, Dean Bowen, Julien Ignacio, Raj Mohan, OTION - Master of Sceneries, and Karin Amatmoekrim
Thinking about Holland FFWD
Seven young authors, poets and performers go fast forward and find inspiration for their future vision of The Netherlands by Marsman's poem from 1936.
Dream Language
‘Come to me, my language, come back’, Derek Walcott wrote. How does it feel to write in another language than your own? Does this new language also become the language in which you dream? Asis Aynan presents Ahmad Al Malik, Rodaan Al Galidi, Raj Mohan and Chika Unigwe, who will share their experiences. With musical accompaniment by guitarist Lourens van Haaften. In Dutch .
Poets of the memory - Suriname/Antilles
Four Caribbean poets about native soil, about the country they live in and about the land of their ancestors. With Raj Mohan, Shrinivási, Gilda Dannarag and Philip Rademaker. Host: Tanja Fraai. In Dutch.
