Alaap Rag

Senior Alaap Rag cannot remember life without music. When he was four, his mother took him to a local teacher for Indian classical singing lessons. Initially, Rag had a love-hate relationship with it because he disliked the acting aspect of the art, and he was even mocked for his singing in a few instances. However, Rag grew to enjoy it greatly over time.

“Because Indian classical music is not really known to the western audience, I don’t perform in bigger settings or settings that are not South Indian since they won’t understand the language and the culture,” Rag said. “​​But I’ve grown to appreciate my culture and my music.”

Music not only connects him to his identity but also allows him to spread love for his culture—a love that translates into everything he does for Lynbrook. Rag is the president of AISA, the largest cultural club on campus, and his main goal is to spread positivity and the idea of accepting one’s culture through club meetings and large-scale events.

“As Asian Americans, we’re not always accepted, especially with Western audiences,” Rag said. “It’s much better here, but places like the East Coast are not as accepting. When we travel across the country or across the world, we should be proud of our culture.”

In order to bring representation to South Indian classical art forms, Rag introduced a new event called Sanskriti. In contrast to Silsilay, which features Bollywood-style performances, Sanskriti allows performers to showcase their talents in South Indian classical singing, dancing, and other art forms.

“My favorite memory was actually running Sanskriti because I got so much appreciation and I understood how impactful the things that I did were to my community, as we never get recognized as classical artists,” Rag said.

Furthermore, Rag is also passionate about healthcare. He has conducted ophthalmology and biotechnology research under a professor at San Jose State University and at the Good Samaritan Hospital. In the future, Rag hopes to continue research at the intersection of technology and medicine at the University of Rochester, where he will be pursuing the pre-med track.

Yet, he will always carry the lessons he learned throughout his time at Lynbrook by motivating others to embrace their own culture and the diverse cultures around them.

“Identity is a huge part of my life, and I want to spread acceptance of everyone, and that’s kind of what I did,” Rag said. “I just hope that people remember to stay true to themselves and to be inclusive.”