The sun is momentarily out again. Calendars are fast filling up. There’s many a thing to do and many a friend to meet. And if we may kindly add to the excitement and the plan-making, here’s our list of what we’re looking forward to in September.
We’re securing our seats:—
At the Southbank Centre as tabla-player-extraordinaire and Mercury Prize winner Talvin Singh OBE – renowned for bringing together Indian and electronic music – brings his magic to the stage. And on this particular evening, Talvin will intertwine crescendos, staccatos and tempos in an improvised collaboration with two remarkable musicians (and multi-hyphenates) from London – Lucinda Chua and Coby Sey.
We’re gathering our friends:—
To see a play about the man who murdered Mahatma Gandhi. Nathuram Godse was a journalist and nationalist, and the man who shot Gandhi in the chest, thrice. The Father and the Assassin is an ‘essential exploration of oppression and extremism’. Written by Anupama Chandrasekhar and directed by Indhu Rubasingham, it is showing at the National Theatre until 14th October.
We’re spending every free minute:—
Reading through (and being transported by) the pages of author Hema Sukumar’s debut novel Minor Disturbances at Grand Life Apartments. Set in the coastal city of Chennai its a story of Grand Life Apartments, its residents – soon-to-be retired dentist Kamala, 32-year-old engineer Revathi and heartbroken British-chef Jason – and the community. Oh, and there’s also delicious food involved, so don’t be reading on an empty stomach.
We’re settling in on the couch:—
To watch Can Bollywood Survive? on BBC iPlayer Asian Network. Superstars, super locations, super outfits, super hits – Bollywood has had it all. But, in recent years the industry has been in crisis mode. Like a well-written script, there’s competition, change, scrutiny, fandom, nepotism and a reputation at stake. BBC Asian Network’s Haroon Rashid goes behind the scenes to find answers to the question: can Bollywood survive?
While we were at Edinburgh Fringe Festival, we caught Evening Conversations, an engaging show by Sudha Bhuchar. We caught up with her after the show to talk about her journey and her views on South Asian representation on screen, which you can read below. And for those who didn’t walk down the cobbled streets of the city or stumble into an impromptu performance this year, we highly recommend it for 2024.
Each year as August dawns, the streets and rooms and corners of Edinburgh fill with music, art, laughter and song. Wander into grand halls and pokey pubs, as the morning sun rises or in the dark of night, to see creations of every kind as part of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. In honour of this wonderful celebration of the performing arts (and as a little treat), here’s a special edition Dishoom Loves, covering all the acts we’ve circled on our festival programme.
For anyone looking to learn or read more on Partition, this page holds a series of resources, for all ages, created by people knowledgeable and knowing about such matters. It is by no means definitive – we have simply found them to be useful, inspiring and accessible.
Welcome to a brand new month of Dishoom Loves. For those who often receive our emails, and for those who follow us on Instagram, you’ll know that we worked together with the ever-so-talented artist Manjit Thapp. Peruse our first-ever collection of limited-edition T-shirts (they’re available to buy now!) So this month, we thought it would be wonderful to hear about all the things Manjit Loves. Have a little read.