Jay Singh’s The Little Samba Boy is a fable inspired by the people of Rio de Janeiro and the therapeutic power of music. These two inspirations intertwine and unfold in the story of two children and a humming bird who saves the world with music.

“A month in Rio energized and inspired me for a whole year. And in that year, by fate or fluke, I was hired to write a script on music therapy which taught me the value and therapeutic power both in creating and listening to music,” explains Singh. “I soon understood why the ‘Cariocas,’ the people of Rio de Janeiro, walk around with perpetual smiles. In Rio smiles are quick and authentic, friends are easily made and stress is released through the power of song and Samba.”

The Little Samba Boy parallels unsettling issues in today’s world that, in the name of progress, is abused in unimaginable ways. The fabled “Ganza” people who once lived melodic lives devoted to the cultivation of skill, love, and friendship are now under an evil spell and associate time with gain instead of growth. They live hurried and uninspired lives governed by the monotonous ticking of a universal clock. That is until the little samba boy and his twin sister, Shambala, set off on a quest to break the spell and return the melodic song of the world to their people.

“My hope is that readers stand back, take a breath, relax and realize that they are already rich. People may not yet have realized that they are rich because they are constantly pumped with messages of inadequacy – buy this, wear this, eat this – billions of advertising dollars are spent every year to make us feel scared and insecure, forever dreading and saving for retirement, all the while forgetting the most important thing of all – life,” says Singh. “I hope to make people aware that the ultimate tyranny is not by martial law but by psychological manipulation.”

Jay Singh graduated from Concordia University with a B.A. in Philosophy and a certificate in Software Engineering. Following his graduation he went to Seoul, South Korea, where he received his third degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do while working by day as a kindergarten teacher and editor for the Seoul Classified by night. Currently Singh is producing a feature film titled, Sweet America that follows the story of a Sikh grocery store owner who is mistaken for a terrorist.

“The grocery store owner is mistaken for an Islamic fundamentalist for the simple and ignorant reason that he wears a turban,” explains Singh. “He is kidnapped and subsequently tortured. He tries to convince his kidnappers that if they go through with their intention to kill him they are allowing the terrorists a double victory.

“I am producing this film to create awareness that Sikhs are not Muslims. There were a lot of hate crimes directed toward Sikhs in the last year, one fatal, and I truly hope to dispel this ignorance.”