सभी का स्वागत
All Welcome
All Welcome
Autumn is teasing us with the odd chilly morning, and evenings spent bundled in blankets are beckoning. But if we may make a case for venturing out into the crispness, here is what we’re looking forward to in October.
We’re snapping up tickets:—
The Empress at the Lyric Hammersmith theatre. In 1887, ayah (nursemaid) Rani Das arrives in Tilbury docks, ready to work for an English family. For the next 13 years, we follow her life and those of three friends she makes on the voyage from India — a lascar (sailor), an Indian politician and a servant to Queen Victoria. It is an epic and truly gripping tale of the Asian experience in nineteenth century Britain. But it closes on October 28, so do not dally.
We’re gazing up in wonder:—
Five enormous, nature-inspired sculptures suspended among the greenery of the Barbican’s vast Conservatory space, as part of a new installation by sculptor Ranjani Shettar. Wander at leisure, spotting huge abstract fronds and flowers, created with materials and techniques from traditional Indian crafts, like muslin died in madder root. Ranjani Shettar: Cloud songs on the horizon is free to marvel at until March 2024.
We’re dancing with friends:—
A piece of Indian musical history. The NID Tapes: Electronic Music from India 1969-1972 is a collection of early Indian electronic music that was discovered in the archives of the National Institute of Design in Ahmedabad. Groove to the tunes of the composers who worked at India’s very first electronic music studio, which was founded at the NID during the years following Indian independence. These are radical, free-thinking beats to inspire your own revolution.
Heading to Birmingham:—
The DESIblitz Literature Festival — an eight-day celebration of British and South Asian literature, curated by the UK's leading British Asian web magazine, DESIblitz. Listen to Goodness Gracious Me actors Nina Wadia and Kulvinder Ghir, and actor/writer Sanjeev Kohli share how they developed the hit show. Hop aboard the DESIblitz Truck Art Bus, for chai, chat and poetry with artists Channi Singh, Jandhu Littranwala and Kulwant Singh Bhamrah. Discover Shakespeare readings with a DESI twist. Or join the Festival Finale for music, poetry, dance, and good vibes.
We’re finding our voices:—
The Brown Girls’ Book Club, an enlightening and uplifting bi-monthly event run by South Asian Sisters Speak (SASS), a remarkable community organisation. They will be discussing A History of Burning by Janika Oza, and tickets (both online and in-person) are free on Eventbrite. SASS also host workshops and panels about issues that are taboo within our communities, in a valiant aim to create spaces for South Asian women to connect, share and learn.
Vaisakhi, a day marked across India by people of many faiths, is celebrated in the Punjab as the start of the new Harvest. It falls on the 13th or 14th April depending on the calendar for that year.
Spring has gently tiptoed in. As the days lengthen and the sun grows bolder, here’s a glimpse of what we eagerly await in April.
We’re turning page after page of Ayesha Erkin’s recipe book Date of the Day, featuring 30+ recipes for the modest date – timely for breaking fast and after. Our dear friend Ayesha has now kindly shared a recipe for you to make at home. Try it this Iftar or any time you need a salty-spiced sticky treat.
The holy month of Ramadan is upon us, when Muslims around the world fast daily from dawn till dusk. It is a time of private worship and spiritual discipline, but also of shared joy and abundant feasting. Families and communities come together at suhoor, the pre-dawn meal, and at iftar, the evening meal, to break their fasts with copious, delicious dishes. Join us on 7th April for our own Iftar celebration – for an evening of feasting and live music.