After listening to the differences between European beats versus Afro-American beats, I was trying to figure out what type of beats exist in South Asian music. I was born and raised in in Northern Virginia and my parents are from Pakistan, so I’ve been exposed to a wide range of sounds and music growing up. The whole world of Bollywood definitely has some similarities with “Western” entertainment (especially modern-day music), but it’s really different. I went through a few popular Bollywood songs and it was difficult to pin point if the beat was more European or Afro-American. But then when focusing on the New World beat, it made sense. The swing beat did apply to a few of the Bollywood songs that I listened to, which is so fascinating. Being a first generation student in the U.S., learning about U.S. history has always been an odd experience because it’s always been hard for me to place myself. There weren’t many people from the Indian subcontinent in the U.S. before the late 20th century, so finally being able to apply the lesson to myself was a really cool experience.