सभी का स्वागत
All Welcome
All Welcome
Along with each new month comes a smattering of new cultural happenings. And as the sun shines brighter, diaries fill up faster. This May, make space in your calendar for some of the brilliant things Dishoom Loves.
We’re spending each morning
Reading sublime poetry (alongside a hot cup of Chai) from poet and performer Ankita Saxena’s debut collection and recently-launched book – Mother | Line. Verses and odes swirl around the themes of female rage, endurance and compassion, drawing directly from Ankita’s own experiences and heritage. Over a decade’s worth of work is visible in this book – work that explores lineage at its core.
We’re heading over to
The British Film Institute (BFI) for a screening of The Luminaries. Directed by Sanvir Singh, it’s a history lesson, imparted by way of Dishoom King’s Cross. Upon the walls and corners, and through the decor of the café, lies the untold story of Indian Independence. As history teacher Shalina Patel and our co-founder Shamil walk around the space, they share dialogue over key events and inspiring figures. One such figure is India’s first female photojournalist – Homai Vyarawalla – whose photographs immortalised some of the most iconic moments in Indian history as they unfolded. Do visit Dishoom King’s Cross to view Homai’s breathtaking work and join us at the BFI on Thursday 11th May.
We’re listening intently to
Poppy Jay and Rubina Pabani’s critically-acclaimed and award-winning podcast Brown Girls Do It Too. Sex and sexpectations. Love. Politics (of the family kind). And racism. Poppy and Rubina talk about it all with a heavy dose of humour and some very quick wit. This time we’re listening IRL, at a live-show in Soho Theatre. And we’ve been told, waiting in the wings are songs, sketches, a few gasps, lots of relieved sighs and belly-hurting laughs.
We’re spending bank holiday weekend
Getting the popcorn ready and gearing up to watch the newly-released Polite Society. As we do that, in the film, British-Pakistani teenager Ria Khan is gearing up to save her sister Lena from marrying the charming Salim. But why can’t she accept her sister’s choice? Is it just teenage angst or is there something sinister behind the scenes? Watch to see how it unravels. As the film puts it, “Big Trouble. Little Sister”.
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.
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.