Do you know what’s special about June 26th?
Besides being chocolate pudding day, June 26th is internationally known as Shreya Ghoshal Day.
Shreya Ghoshal (born March 12, 1984) is an Indian singer. Best known as a playback singer in Hindi films, she also sings in other Indian languages including Assamese, Bengali, Bhojpuri, Gujarati, Kannada, Marathi, Punjabi, Odiya, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu language… Ghoshal was also honored from the U.S. state of Ohio, wherein governor Ted Strickland declared June 26 as “Shreya Ghoshal Day”. |from Wikipedia
playback singer
I’ll confess: before learning about Shreya, I had no idea what a playback singer was. I also had no idea there were so many different Indian languages. I can’t help you out with the latter, but I did make this handy graphic to explain the former:
like Kathy Seldon (Debbie Reynolds) in “Singin’ in the Rain,” Shreya records songs so actresses can lip-sync through the songs in their movies
shreya ghoshal day
Here’s a YouTube clip showing Shreya being honored by the state of Ohio with her own day:
Shreya was 26 when that video was made. I’m 30 and still waiting for someone to give me my own day.
(more drivel after the cut!)
but why ohio?
I loved the video, but all the fancy “whereases” didn’t answer the biggest question I had: why Ohio? Lady Strickland mentions the Indian community in Columbus/Ohio, but 2010 census data says only 0.6% of Ohio’s population is Indian. Maybe that’s a lot, I guess I don’t really know. On the surface of things, however, I couldn’t figure out the connection.
India and Ohio: lots in common
how the mid-west was won
Something about Ohio and Indians seemed familiar, thanks to some cluster of neurons that are still clinging to some of 10th-grade U.S History. Once I got them reconnected to the grid, those neurotic little guys flashed the answer like a neon sign across my brain: the French and Indian War.
The French and Indian War (1754–1763) is the American name for the North American theater of the Seven Years’ War. The war was fought primarily between the colonies of British America and New France, with both sides supported by military units from their parent countries of Great Britain and France, who declared war on each other in 1756. In the same year, the war escalated from a regional affair into a world-wide conflict.
The name refers to the two main enemies of the British colonists: the royal French forces and the various Indigenous forces allied with them. British and European historians use the term the Seven Years’ War, as do many Canadians. Canadian historians avoid the term “French and Indian War”, preferring “Anglo-French rivalry.” The nation of Canada descends from both the British and the French (and the Indians). French Canadians call it La guerre de la Conquête (“The War of Conquest”). |from Wikipedia
Voltaire, showcasing his extensive knowledge of North American geography
Those Canadians. Even their historians are non-confrontational, calling it a “rivalry” and whatnot. French Canadians are, by and large, a silly lot; why on earth they choose to call the French and Indian War “The War of Conquest” is beyond me. Haven’t they heard of Ghengis Khan? Or Atilla the Hun? Or maybe the Roman Empire? Oh well. At least they have the Couilles to call it a war (instead of a mere rivalry).
Leave it to the French themselves (not the French Canadians) to be really clueless about the whole thing:
France attached comparatively little value to its North American possessions, especially in respect to the highly profitable sugar-producing Antilles islands, which it managed to retain. Minister Choiseul considered he had made a good deal at the Treaty of Paris, and philosopher Voltaire wrote that Louis XV had only lost “a few acres of snow”. For France however, the military defeat and the financial burden of the war weakened the monarchy and contributed to the advent of the French Revolution in 1789. |from Wikipedia
Nevermind the impending French Revolution; for more on that subject, check out the Zoo World 2 series—reign czech: habsburg–lorraine mulligan (particularly part 5 and part 6). The map below shows North American territories in 1750. Notice all the blue. That was France. They pretty much lost it all in Minister Choiseul’s “good deal” at the Treaty of Paris in 1763.
the way it was in 1750
the good dealer himself
To be fair to the good Minister, Voltaire, and Louis XV, they didn’t completely roll over:
France ceded almost all of its territory in mainland North America, but retained fishing rights off Newfoundland and the two small islands of Saint Pierre and Miquelon, where it could dry that fish. |from Wikipedia
That’s what we call foresight. After all, what good are fishing rights without a place to dry your fish? Well played, Minister. Well played.
There was some back-and-forth over the next 40 years, so it wasn’t until The Louisiana Purchase that America wound up with all that territory that used to belong to France. But the Treaty of Paris in 1763 gave Britain control of the territory between the Mississippi River and the Appalachian Mountains. That included the increasingly important Ohio Country.
That’s right: Britain won Ohio by winning the French and Indian War. Ohio and Indians. Thank you neuron cluster.
In contrast to the bloody conflict that won Ohio back in the 18th century, the Indians won it back with love and music, by winning the hearts of Ohioans. On June 26, 2010, Shreya Ghoshal received the Seal of the Great State of Ohio. I made this graphic to depict the difference 253 years can make:
winning Ohio: an Indian perspective | left: Louis-Joseph de Montcalm trying to stop Native Americans from attacking British soldiers and civilians as they leave Fort William Henry at the Battle of Fort William Henry | right: First Lady of Ohio Francis Strickland honors playback singer Shreya Ghoshal
Yes, the adoring fans can get a little “handsy” at times, but all-in-all, I think Shreya’s way of winning Ohio is by far the best. Aspiring political candidates, I hope you’re taking notes.
June 26, 2013: In honor of Shreya Ghoshal day, I made coconut shrimp Indian curry. In honor of chocolate pudding day, I made chocolate pudding for dessert.
I pin photos of my Wednesday culinary creations to my Pinterest board, Another Wednesday Dinner. You can see other dishes I’ve made there, but you can only get the backstory right here, on fantasticdrivel. Thanks for reading!