Tag: #marchmagazine2022

rhea raj

Rhea Raj and Her Songs of Innocence

Barely out of school and Rhea Raj already has a number of hit songs under her belt, with a few more expected in the next couple of months. The most popular among them is “Venom,” which is a brilliant R&B pop number, mixed with glimpses of her Indian-American roots.

Raj is a pop artist, songwriter, producer, and dancer and creates her own path, muddling her South Asian culture to create her own style of music. Her father, originally from Sri Lanka and an old-time headbanger, loves classic rock, including AC/DC. Her mother was born in Chennai, India, and raised in the Middle East. So, for Raj, there was a plethora of musical influences right there at home while growing up in these different places. They ranged from Western rock and pop, to Indian classical and also Arabic music. Enchanted with diverse music ever since she was a toddler, she is now making some enthralling music herself.

BEYOND LIMITS : To Roar in Unison

March is an important month for all of us at SEEMA.

As a platform focused on enhancing the representation of South Asian women, SEEMA takes particular pride on celebrating Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day. March also marks the launch of SEEMA, and this year the magazine celebrates its third anniversary.

Time flies but progress is gradual. Women of South Asian origin are making great strides in all walks of life, as our feature on 50 women making history on page 8 demonstrates. In myriad fields of arts, science, business, politics and philanthropy, South Asian women are making history with their contributions as they step into their fifth decade and beyond, debunking the myth that age is a barrier to your career.

We take heart in how far we have come in our chosen profession, and that’s laudable. But where is the sisterhood? As first-generation immigrant women we have succeeded, but how do we secure the future, and enhance representation for our community as a whole? How do we work together to create a unified vision for South Asian women and converge on collective action that we can take to open doors and mentor the next generation?

Over the past three years, we have interviewed and talked to more than a thousand women; in the past three months the likes of the iconic Indra Nooyi, former chairman and CEO of PepsiCo; and in this issue the strong and resilient Huma Abedin, one of Hillary Clinton’s closest aides.