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Hi, my name is George Abraham and welcome to Eyeway conversations. My guest today is Adriana Galani. She is from Romania, lives in Austria, is married to an Indian and sings Indian music. Hi Adriana, welcome.
Hello, thank you very much for the invitation. I'm very glad to be here.
So Adriana, you sing Indian music being a Romanian?
Yes, I do. And I still wonder how it happened. Now, after so many years of singing, it happened that my family, my mom used to love Indian movies. She was into Bollywood and that time of 70s, Romania was having quite an access to the Indian cinema for some reason. So, um, when I was seven, that was 1985, she brought me to cinema because she said, Well, there's a lot of music. Come on, let's go for it. And she brought me to 'yadon ki baraat' . And then I heard the songs. And for some reason, I started singing. And I said, Well, I love this one thing. It sounds quite nice. So it was how it all started.
So which was a song you started with ?
The title song. Yeah.
Yaadon ki baraat....... (George starts singing)
So did you get into any kind of formal training in music after that?
No, absolutely not. Because I couldn't afford that time. And for us, like traveling to India was not the way it is today, you just take a plane and fly, you know, it was some dream that would most probably never come true.So it's alright to just dream about it.
1985, Romania was still part of the Eastern Bloc, right?
Yes.
And how is it different now from what it was in the 1980s? Meaning, with the break away from the Soviet bloc, meaning what is the real difference that you see?
See, we were under Nicolae Ceaușescu (a Romanian communist politician and dictator for that time) and the times were difficult. The times today are not easy, either. But it's a different way of difficult times. That time we, how shall I say ,we didn't have much to live with, but we had lots to live for. And that made a difference. Now, we have so much comfort, but I somehow feel we lost the aim. people have so much freedom of expression that at times is a bit too much. There's so much information all over and we don't know anymore which one is valid? Which one is not? I'm not regretting those times, but I'm not particularly sure what we have now is good either. So I think it's for the self to find a balance.
So economy wise, has Romania changed for the better since then?
Absolutely. That time, there was not much on food, you had to really struggle to get even milk for that matter. I used to get up with my father when I was a child. And we used to go very, very early to pick up milk otherwise we won't get because First comes first served for. And there was an oil crisis, like cooking oil. We hardly got any sugar, and there were hard times, but somehow we made the best out of it. And I'm glad I went through it even though it was tough. I know that I can still live with very little if I have to. So that's my advantage after all.
Well, that's a very nice way of looking at it. So you have an eye problem. When did this eye problem happen? Was it from birth? Or is it something that crept into your life sometime later?
No, I'm blind by birth. And my father is also blind. So most probably it was something I got from my father. And I could see for half a year when I was around six or seven, but not much, just shadows and lights and the difference between light and dark. I used to look in the, you know this what you call it from the chocolate, the shiny paper I used to love looking at it because it was so shiny and beautiful. And in the night I remember we didn't have the street lights you know, so I used to love going at the window and looking the moon through the branches. That was a very Beautiful view, I still remember. But thereafter, after six months, there was a transplantation. They've done that time. And after six months the body didn't tolerate so that was it. So I am fully blind.
So in a country like Romania, what were the kind of resources available for a blind child growing up in terms of learning, in terms of developing as a person?
I was in a school for the blind. My first six years, I learned braille.
Yeah!
It was kind of a school where you go and you know, like, our usual schools for the blind, it was that one was some 200 kilometers away from home. So I used to go during the semester, come back on holidays, be with other kids. And the condition during those times , the conditions were not particularly good. That time I learned what hunger means. That time I learned what being cold means and stuff like that. So, um, yeah, they were tough things. But I learned braille. I learned a lot of things. And thereafter I shifted, my parents decided that school was maybe not as good as they in the beginning thought. And then I shifted to school in Transylvania, in Cluj- Napoca. And there, I finished my high school and thereafter I came back to Bucharest, whereI am basically from, that's the main city of Romania. I started physiotherapy and massage. And thereafter ,I came back to Cluj. I went to the university. So from Cluj, I flew to India.
So what brought you to India?
Basically,I came through an art of living camp, which happened in Bangalore in 2006. It was a silver jubilee celebration,
right!
And this is what I came for initially. And I liked it so much that I really wanted to have a job in India, which more or less worked. But then I had to return to Europe for a working visa because I was not supposed to apply from inside the country.
Yeah.
And here I met my husband. And as I never thought of marriage in my life, because that was surely not not my priority. That's exactly what happened.
You met him in Bangalore?
No, I met him here in Vienna.
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Tell me a little bit about your own family.
I have my my father still. I'm traveling every now and then because I want to spend as much time as possible with him. My mom is gone in 2015.
Yeah!
I have my brother. I have a brother who is two years older than me. And is a beautiful daughter and with my sister in law, they are all there. And of course, plenty of friends and loads of relatives.
You mentioned earlier that your father was also blind. And it probably is a genetic thing in the family?
Most probably yes.
Yeah. So what is the kind of profession of blind person, your dad in particular? What does he do and what was he doing? And what do blind people growing up? What do they aspire to be? And what are they normally doing?
See, it very much depends on what environment you are growing into. And that I think, available everywhere you know. My father was as well in a school for the blind. And he didn't have the possibility to study too much. He was studying in a regular school, and thereafter he had a school for tuning pianos. That's a very interesting one. This is what he had learned. And then after he became a musician and he was working for a band for blind people in Romania, and that happened for almost 30 years. And thereafter he retired. So the opportunities for blind people are now increasingly better. You can study which I was also able to do. before in my father's time, it was of course not the case you would have the so called protected jobs. You would just either sing or the brushes or massage, but not much more than that. Now it's a bit different. Now the opportunities are a bit more, even though you have to struggle like everywhere, you get to work if you want to, and with a little bit of luck.
So let's talk a little bit more about your music, meaning you discovered that music was part of your life and and then how did you proceed with this music because it's it's been a big part of your life it appears?
it's actually the main part of my life.
right!
It's what I'm doing most, no matter the mood, it helps me when I'm down, and it keeps me going, also. So basically, I'm a hobby singer, I have never really studied that way. I was learning by doing person. And I'm recording at home, my songs. And thereafter, I have plenty of friends in India and in Pakistan, who are a bit more correcting my diction and who are mixing my songs because that's something I'm still lacking knowledge for. So I'm just sending the karaoke and the voice and they will put put things together and make it sound nice. I don't see music as a profession. Music is a hobby, and I'm actually glad I didn't make it a profession, because then I think I would have lost the joy of singing once you're into industry.In 2007 I met Ravindra Jain sir and he was telling me to stay back and get into industry, he was ready to to offer me his support. And I was really afraid I'm going to lose the joy of singing because I'll have to sing what people are asking for or what what the demand is like, and I was afraid, this was something I couldn't think of losing. So that's why I'm still keeping it for me. I'm happy with 44 that I can still sing what I like and not what someone is telling me to.
So can I kind of ask you to maybe sing a few lines of the Hindi song for our listeners?
Of course. Just a few lines naturally I will, I'm not the shy one, you know when it comes to singing I sing anywhere and everywhere. (Adriana starts singing,' tumhe dekh ke, yeh saanse chalengey, tumhare bina na yeh aankhein khulengi').
It was wonderful. Meaning you are a fan of Lata Mangeshkar are a fan of Asha Bhosle or somebody else?
I am a fan of whoever I like. I like Lata Mangeshkar, and of course she's the singer who has accompaned me ever since I was listening to All India Radio as a child, with a metal wire connected to the heater and radio because this is how I got to the short waves to get the terrible audition but still it was there and I enjoyed and it was her who I was I was listening mostly. Thereafter, I got to know a bit more ablut Alka Yagnik and Shreya Ghoshal and Asha Bhosle. Yes, I like but when I have to choose between the two sisters, I am still inclined towards Lata Mangeshkar ji.
So most of your music is on YouTube and those kinds of platforms?
It's mostly on YouTube. Yeah.
Yeah, maybe you could just mention if somebody would like to kind of log in, what do they look for?
If one looks for Adina Galani, I have my own channel there. So one can find me quite quite easily.
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You worked with children in end of life kind of setup. So what was your work like over there?
Basically, you just as a therapist in Romania of those times I was classified and qualified as a end of life care therapist. Right? That means you go and you're talking to children. So now what about you're talking? It's a subject which usually people don't want to talk about for some reason. You talk about the end and you're trying to address to their fears, and as much as possible, take them away howsoever We professionally possible. And that's that's what I did for quite a few years. And I, I must say as much as it may not sound particularly pleasant, I enjoyed that particular job, because there is a job where not many people want to go into, right. And this is exactly what convinced me because I was having to do during the university study, I was having to do a certain number of practicing hours, this is what we used to call them. So that means you go in certain places or in different places, do your practice and sort of go and listen and look around and see what people are doing for a certain number of hours, then you get your paper that you did it. And with that it is all fulfilled. So what happened, I was called in a hospital for kids, because I knew someone I knew a doctor there. So he said, well come and fulfill the hours here. So I was like, I don't think so. It's too emotional. I don't think so I don't manage so he said come look. And if you don't manage, go back. And I went into that particular clinic, I will never forget. And it was their with a girl till her last minute because no one else was was available. So I had to stay. And thereafter he came and told me see if you're not there, she would have gone on her own. Yeah. So that's what convinced me to just stay. And after finishing my practice, he said, Okay, now you have your contract. There we go.
Are you still involved with that kind of work? Or you moved on?
I am not involved with that kind of work. It is because in Austria, the mentality is a bit different, right. But in Romania, yes, I'm in touch. I'm doing online counseling as well, every now and then. And they are all telling me that I keep my vacancy still free. If I think anytime I can anytime go back.
I also believe that you dabbled in Reiki for a while
There was a teacher, Reiki trainer, teacher. And she was very kind to me. She said, I want to teach you no matter what, you may not need now, but you might need later. So I didn't want like music. And I went into it a bit more deeply and a bit more like, I got the insight of it. I realized that I don't want to do it as a profession, because I was afraid I would lose it. So I kept it for me. And I didn't even talk about it for a long time. I I was practicing it with the kids, especially with the children. They were very, very receptive. And I did that sort of energy transfer and intention. And I could I manage to bring them at peace. There were doctors actually were many times laughing. They used to say, well, we don't need medicines, when you're there somehow I don't know what you're doing to them. You're not even looking at them and still getting peaceful?
How did COVID impact the two of you? And how did COVID impact life in general in the city you live in?
See I am. I'm not an anxious person. I'm cautious one. Yes. But I'm not anxious. So I did what, what the government says we had to do. So we respect the rules. Yeah, it was a bit tough when we had to just sit at home. And then we thought, well, we have to keep our heads busy. Otherwise, we'll go nuts. And that's not nice. And this is what what we did. What I still find difficult is, I don't know if this is with everyone or anyone at all, when I'm wearing the mask, I personally think it is sort of influencing my orientation. For some reason, I get a feeling that all the time I somehow have some thing in front of me. And that's probably the most difficult thing I have to deal with during COVID. Otherwise, well, Yes, it was tough. It was tough on everyone. And anyone especially I couldn't meet my father for two years because my father is an asthma patient. And I was afraid to go even though many times I could. But I was afraid to go there because I was thinking but even if I am having it and I'm not feeling anything, and if I give it further I will not be able to forgive myself for it. So that was a tough one thing. But yeah, otherwise we managed. I mean ordering online, like food and stuff like that. It was not not really difficult. It took a while for people to adjust and for us as well. But people on the road were behaving quite normal. They helped us usually when you're in need of them. it was a change for sure. But we managed.
How do the people on an average, the so called non disabled people, how do they kind of respond? Are they welcoming? are THEY open to relationships. Are they open to having you home or coming to your place, meaning how does it work?
This is a very burning thing everywhere I think, yes, people are getting better and better by day. In the sense. It's also depending on us how we communicate how we say what we can do what we want to do, what not. I'm most of the time alone on my way, because this is what we are used to and even though we have the possibility to have someone with us, every now and then or most of the time, I still don't want because I don't want to lose the mobility capacity. And therefore I face loads of loads of people on the road who want to help. And they come and ask, Hey, how you do this, how you do that, how you navigate your phone, how you use the computer, how you work on computer and stuff like that. So on this level, people started asking, they don't feel odd to ask anymore. And tthat's a very, very important step, in my view, that people are very open towards knowing what blindness means. When it comes to relationship, that's a different story altogether. Because as you know, probably, I'm almost sure even our blind people don't really want to put up with a blind person as a life partner because they think it might be difficult. So that's a hot theme, hot discussed thing for everyone. It's depending very much from person to person. My family, for instance, that's why they were a bit unhappy when I got to know my husband because they wanted for me, someone who can see because they couldn't see beyond those practical aspects of life. You know, like, personally, I think someone in your situation can understand you a bit better. And with the technology now, there is hardly anything we are missing upon, even as to blind people. But that's a totally different subject altogether. When it comes to relationship. Yes, things are still a bit tough, especially as a blind woman, as a blind man, it's a bit easier sort of, for some or the other reason.
Do you folks cook at home? Or do you order all the time?
I don't like outside food. So I'm mostly cooking at home. Mostly Indian food. There are a few dishes Mahinder likes from here also, so I'm cooking those also. But I'm a daily cooking person, if not thrice but twice a day for sure. Because I don't enjoy outside food. Once in a while once in a really blue moon. I think I can count on my hand how many times a year we go out and eat. It's very, very rare.
So would I be safe in kind of saying that you love cooking?
I love cooking. That's something which relaxes me fully. And while cooking. I'm also singing so I can combine the two very well.
And where did you learn your Indian cooking? Did you learn it from your in laws or you picked it up on your own?
I picked it up first when I was in Mumbai in 2006 because even though I was flying for Bangalore, I was in Bangalore for two weeks and then after a few months in Mumbai with another friend of mine. So basically, the base of Indian cooking I learned from that person's servant, there was a lady she came home cooking every day. And okay after a few quick heartbeats, which I gave her when I took the knife in my hand and I started cutting vegetables and she was like, oh my god, don't cut yourself and don't burn yourself and stuff like that. So thereafter she got used to it and I told her I said well if you need some heart medicines, then take them beforehand and thereafter come here I want to learn I like it and I don't want to be dependent on someone or the other to come daily and cook my food because then I have no Indian lady to come. So thereafter Of course I picked up mostly from my sister in law, Mahinder's brother's wife. Then there it went a bit more specific because she's they are Gujaratis. So I learned a bit more of the Gujarati food whereas the lady I was living with she was South Indian. So there I learned more Idli's and stuff. So in my husband's home, I learned Gujarati food. And thereafter here while being in the community, which is mostly from a Punjabi and North Indians, I learned also little of Punjabi cooking. So I managed sort of everything.
Excellent. Thank you so much Adina for taking the time and speaking to us and sharing nuggets from Your life and it's enjoyable. Wish you and Mahindra the very best and keep smiling, keep enjoying life.
Thank you very much for the invitation, thanks a lot!
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