(Aug 4, 2026) By weekday, they build software, manage technology projects and solve cybersecurity challenges. On weekends, they rehearse songs, write scripts, research forgotten histories and transform Seattle stages into windows into India’s cultural past.
This unlikely collective of engineers, project managers and artists is behind Soul Jam, a Seattle-based initiative that is reimagining how the Indian diaspora experiences its heritage. Through live music, storytelling, poetry and theatre, the group revives the stories behind India’s songs, cinema and cultural icons, helping second-generation Indian Americans and younger members of the diaspora understand the people, emotions and histories behind the culture they have inherited. As co-founder Yash Patel tells The Global Indian, Soul Jam is “a way of staying connected to my heritage while also sharing it with newer generations growing up outside India.”
Their latest production, Soul Jam: Madhubala – The Shadows Behind the Spotlight, the third Soul Jam presentation and the first in its planned series on Indian cultural icons, recently drew a packed house at The Royal Room, one of South Seattle’s premier live music and cultural venues, selling out a week before the performance. Rather than celebrating Madhubala merely as one of Indian cinema’s most beautiful stars, the production introduced audiences to Mumtaz Jehan Begum Dehlavi, the woman behind the legend, through narration, music and poetry.
“The response exceeded every expectation,” says Yash Patel, Microsoft engineer and co-founder of Soul Jam. “For us, it validated that audiences are looking for more than entertainment. They are looking for meaningful cultural experiences that connect history, music, poetry and storytelling in modern ways.”
“Our goal has never been to organize isolated performances. We are building a long-term platform where artists can collaborate to bring India’s rich cultural stories to life through immersive experiences.”
A platform born from nostalgia and curiosity
Soul Jam was founded recently by Yash Patel and his wife Arunima Agarwal after informal musical gatherings with friends in Seattle evolved into something much bigger.
“We would meet simply to sing, discuss stories or lyrics, and explore the emotions hidden behind timeless Indian songs,” Yash recalls. “Those evenings gradually evolved into conversations about storytelling, history and the people behind the music.”
The group soon realised that while Indian songs travel effortlessly across continents, the stories behind the composers, lyricists, artists and historical moments often remain unknown.
We realized that while Indian music has travelled beautifully across the world, many of the stories behind the songs, the lives of the artists, poets, composers, or simply anyone’s real-life stories, are often forgotten. That realization became the foundation of Soul Jam.
Yash Patel
The first Soul Jam presentation, held in February 2026, introduced audiences to a new storytelling format. Instead of performing individual songs, the team created an intimate evening where music, poetry, storytelling and audience participation flowed together as one emotional journey, laying the foundation for future productions.
Yash understands the mission personally. Born and raised in India, he moved to the United States in 2015 to pursue a master’s degree in Computer Science at the New York Institute of Technology. After graduating, he relocated to Seattle in 2018 to join Microsoft as a Security Software Engineer. Alongside his professional career, he continued his education and recently completed a PhD in Cyber Security from Capella University.
“Although technology became my profession, music has always remained an important part of my identity,” he says. “Living thousands of miles away from India made me appreciate my cultural roots even more deeply.”
For Yash, Soul Jam has become a bridge between his profession and his heritage.
For me, Soul Jam is a way of staying connected to my heritage while also sharing it with newer generations growing up outside India. It is about creating experiences that celebrate not only our music but also the people, emotions and histories that shaped it.
Yash Patel
A team united by technology and the arts
Soul Jam may be rooted in music, but its members spend most of their weekdays in the technology industry. Yash Patel leads much of the research, storytelling, music and overall creative vision behind every production.
His co-founder and wife, Arunima Agarwal, is a Software Development Engineer at Amazon. She shapes much of the audience experience, leading branding, visual identity, content creation, décor, marketing, logistics and creative direction that transforms every Soul Jam presentation into an immersive experience.
“While I often focus on research, storytelling, music and the overall creative vision, Arunima plays an equally important role in shaping the audience experience,” Patel says.
For Soul Jam: Madhubala, the founders collaborated with three artists whose professional careers are equally diverse.
Nikita Singh, originally from Ranchi, India, moved to Seattle in 2016 and works as a Technical Project Manager at Lululemon. Beyond her corporate role, she is deeply involved with Seattle’s Indian performing arts community through Live2Dance Seattle, where she teaches dance, writes scripts and performs in theatrical productions.
Interestingly, it was Singh who proposed telling Madhubala’s real-life story. As a child, she had a black-and-white poster of Madhubala in her room and often wondered about the woman behind the iconic smile. After attending the first Soul Jam presentation, she felt the format was the perfect medium to finally bring that story to life.
Aman Mahajan, a Seattle-based software engineer at Amazon, became part of Soul Jam through the city’s artistic community. His musical journey took a new direction during the Covid-19 pandemic when he taught himself piano and rediscovered music as a powerful form of emotional expression. Today, he both performs and teaches piano, believing that music connects people beyond language.
Yash smiles while recalling a story that perfectly captures Aman’s passion. “He often jokes that before buying a mattress after moving to Seattle, he bought a piano. That probably says everything about how important music had become in his life.”
The team’s musical depth is strengthened by Yash Malpathak, who brings years of formal training in both Hindustani vocal music and tabla. Yash first met him through a mutual friend after one of his concerts.
“When I shared the vision behind Soul Jam, he was immediately intrigued by the idea of blending classical musicianship with storytelling,” Patel says.
A recent graduate with an M.S. in Cybersecurity Engineering from the University of Washington Bothell, Yash Malpathak now serves there as an Accessibility Assistant. Patel says his rhythmic sensibility and deep classical foundation added another dimension to the Madhubala production.
Reflecting on the group, Yash says, “One thing that connects all of us is that while our professional careers are in technology and other industries, we have continued nurturing our artistic passions. Soul Jam became a platform where those two worlds could come together.”
Engineering culture
Balancing a full-time career at Microsoft, doctoral research and a growing cultural platform may sound demanding, but Yash believes the different worlds reinforce each other.
“People often ask me this question because on paper it seems almost impossible,” he says. “My engineering background has actually influenced the way I approach Soul Jam.”
Every production begins with extensive research. We prepare detailed creative documents, map audience experiences, discuss storytelling flow, plan rehearsals, coordinate artists and refine every element before stepping onto the stage. In many ways, it feels similar to designing software. You are creating an experience for people, testing ideas, iterating and constantly improving.
Yash Patel
Yash has never had formal musical training. Instead, he has spent years exploring singing, songwriting, guitar and live performance while constantly learning from fellow musicians and performing at community events. “I believe music is a lifelong journey rather than something one ever truly completes,” he says.
He also believes Soul Jam’s strength lies in bringing together artists and collaborators whose journeys are very different from his own. Co-founder Arunima Agarwal shapes the audience experience through branding, visual identity and creative direction, Yash Malpathak contributes rigorous classical training, Aman Mahajan represents the power of self-learning, while Nikita Singh approaches storytelling through theatre, dance and scriptwriting.
“We are bringing together artists from different disciplines who collectively create something much larger than any one individual could achieve alone,” he says.
Most rehearsals take place during evenings and weekends, with everyone contributing alongside their regular professions. “Soul Jam exists because of collaboration. Everyone participates because they genuinely believe in the mission.”
Rather than competing with his technology career, Yash Patel says music gives him balance. “After spending the day solving technical problems, creating music and telling stories offers a completely different kind of fulfillment. Rather than competing with each other, the two worlds complement each other remarkably well.”
Looking beyond Madhubala
For Patel and his team, Madhubala – The Shadows Behind the Spotlight is only the beginning.
Our ambition is much bigger than organizing traditional concerts. We want Soul Jam to become a global platform where India’s stories continue to find new audiences through music, storytelling, poetry, theatre and immersive artistic experiences.
Yash Patel
Future productions will explore not only legendary actors but also musicians, lyricists, poets, freedom fighters, writers, folk traditions, historical figures and everyday people whose lives have shaped India’s cultural identity.
Patel is equally passionate about nurturing collaboration among artists from different disciplines.
“One of the things I am most proud of is how people from very different backgrounds came together for Soul Jam: Madhubala. We had engineers, project managers, classical musicians, theatre artists, dancers, storytellers and volunteers all contributing their unique skills toward one shared vision. That spirit of collaboration is something we hope to continue nurturing.”
Ultimately, he hopes audiences leave with something more enduring than a memorable performance.
“If someone leaves one of our performances humming a familiar melody, that’s wonderful,” Patel says. “But if they also leave carrying the story behind that melody, and feel inspired to learn more about the people who shaped our cultural heritage, then I believe Soul Jam has achieved its purpose.”
- Follow Yash Patel, Arunima Agarwal, Nikita Singh, Aman Mahajan and Yash Malpathak on Indstagram
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