Suresh Singh English

For our first interview it is a privilege to speak to Suresh Singh, an Indian citizen from Mumbai who has lived in Madrid for the last five years. Suresh is the director of an arts and theatre project, “Bailamos Bollywood” a musical and dance show which has being holding shows until recently in “Teatro Principe” in Calle Tres Cruces just off Gran Vía.

Tell us a bit about yourself, where do you come from?

Hi, I am from Mumbai, from the province of Maharashtra in western India. It’s a very commercial and modern city with loads to do. Prior to living in Madrid I also spent some time in Dubai.

What is it that brought you to Madrid?

The sun, the weather and the lifestyle above all. Here people are able to live life intensely and I share that attitude. In India we have a different culture. People are constantly thinking of the future and it’ a culture where people save their efforts for what may come but sometimes forget to enjoy the present. I rather think that for a good tomorrow its better to search for happiness today.

How long have you being living in Madrid?

I have lived here for the last five years. At the beginning I was in charge of my family’s retail business of typical clothing and food products here in Madrid. It was an enjoyable experience and since I wasn in charge it was fun to be my own boss in a way.

Tell us a bit about your show please,

Bailamos Bollywood is a project that began two years ago. My aim was to build a cultural bridge between India and Spain. I am carrying out this project with my brother Sunny who is the arts director and chorographer of the dances besides being the headlining artist of the show. We raise the funds ourselves. When we began we realised there was a slight awareness gap of the Indian culture here in Spain and we wanted to show the immense variety of cultures India has. Bailamos Bollywood represents the union and celebration of all Indian cultures. This is what the film industry accomplished in India throughout the twentieth century by showing the different faces of India on the widescreen and celebrating it with dances and music. Our show narrates a story that is divided in two parts. During the first part, the audience gets to experience a virtual journey through the traditional and picturesque parts of India such as Tamil Nadu, Goa, Rajasthan, Punjab, The Taj Mahal, y Kashmir. The second part of the show narrates a love story between a boy and a girl in the modern and cool city of Mumbai with images and skyscrapers in the background. For the show we have 18 people collaborating as artists and technicians. We have also held shows in other cities like Barcelona, Bilbao, Las Palmas, Valencia, Málaga, Valladolid, Marrakech or Berlín.

Are you involved in any other professional activities?

Bailamos Bollywood doesn’t simply end with the show. Our ambition is to start a cultural centre for all Indian citizens who live here in Madrid. It will be a social gathering centre where anyone is welcome to come over to learn about our culture, our festivals, our food etc. In India we have numerous festivals like Diwali, Nao Rathri, Raksha Bandhan or Holi and I would like the centre to be a gathering point where we may all celebrate these joyous occasions together.

Tell us a bit about Madrid, your experiences, what places do you like going to?

My favourite part of Madrid is La Gran Via. I love the energy it has along with its multicultural vibe. It’s in the very centre of the city and a has an energy and vitality that I can relate to. Being a Leo, my element is fire and I relate to the energy from Madrid’s centre and its peoples warmth. Gran Via is full of theatres and it reminds me of Broadway in New York and the West End in London.

Going back to your origins, tell us about Mumbai

Mumbai is above all a multicultural and cosmopolitan city. One may say that the city belongs to no one in particular but to anyone who goes there to fulfil his dreams. Immigration began in Mumbai 120 years ago when the masses from the rural areas and other Indian cities began moving into the city in search of a better life. It’s a city where you find the integration of Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Parsis and other people from other ethnic backgrounds. Being such a strong diversity of cultures in the city, its common for the people of Mumbai to chose a common language like English in order to communicate with each other.

To finish off, I would like to thank you for cooperation and wish you the best of luck to you and your btother Sunny in this wonderful project. for anyone interested in more informaion you may visit their website http://www.bailamosbollywood.net/