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https://browngirlmagazine.com/2018/08/how-raaginder-violinder-overcame-adversity-to-march-to-the-tune-of-his-own-violin/ BBOTM Brown Boy Community Highlight SpotlightAugust 10, 2018 How Raaginder ‘Violinder’ Overcame Adversity to March to the Tune of his Own Violin By Brown Girl Magazine 3 MIN READ Raaginder Singh Momi is a 25-year-old musician from the San Francisco Bay Area. Trained in the Western and Eastern classical traditions, Raaginder implements improvisation, rhythmic patterns and the sounds of Indian Classical music on a modified five-string violin. Raaginder has brought it upon his violin to experiment with different genres of music such as hip-hop, pop, and more. He studied at the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) where he received his BFA in World Music Performance. Today, Raaginder performs around the world, teaches, and composes music for various projects across many genres. “My name is Raaginder. I am a violinist, composer, sneakerhead, avid basketball fan and once an immigrant. I was born into a family of musicians in Bangkok and moved to California a month before 9/11 happened. Although I had moved around in Thailand a few times, eight-year-old me had no idea what was in store once I made the move to a new continent. I knew English pretty well and knew how to play basketball so I never thought it would be a big deal. However, once the move occurred, my Thai-Indian English accent ended up being the butt of everyone’s jokes and my physical identity became subject to racist attacks on a daily basis. I desperately needed an escape. Something to connect with the kids at my school and the people in my community. They say music is a universal language and music ended up being what connected me to everyone in this new country. Luckily, I had music instilled in me since birth so I knew a thing or two about it; it’s what ended up being my saving grace.