सभी का स्वागत
All Welcome
All Welcome
With February comes a gladdening of spirits, lighter morning skies and discernibly louder birdsong. It is also the month to bid farewell to our winter cocoons (at least partially) and tune back into the world beyond our blankets. Allow us to ease the de-hibernation process, by sharing some of the things piquing our interest this month.
We’re blinging it out with:—
Streets of Gold: Mumbai – an aptly polished BBC documentary shot in Mumbai, following the lives of the city’s ultra-rich. Prepare to marvel at their eye-popping world of luxury and comfort, whilst observing its poignant contrast with the ordinary, often precarious lives of their less-fortunate neighbours.
We’re asking what ‘home’ means with:—
The Green Room Festival, curated by Soumik Datta Arts. This one-day event takes place at Rich Mix and will feature seven migrant and refugee artists using their chosen medium to explore themes of home, displacement and migration. Expect talks and discussions during the day, culminating in a landmark evening performance.
We’re eyeing up the creations at:—
Tigra Tigra – a traditional textile revival and design studio, straddling the cities of Ahmedabad and Los Angeles. Items in their eye-catching collections are made using traditional methods (such as hand-powered looms), some of which date back as far as the Mughals. A most masterful merging of old and new worlds.
We’re hearing tales of Independence with:—
Luminaries – a three-part series that uses our very own King’s Cross café(replete with original posters, photos and graffiti capturing India’s early nationhood) to narrate the story of Indian independence through live action and animation. After premiering at the UK Asian Film Festival last May, Luminaries has been released episode by episode on Dialogues of Diaspora's YouTube channel.
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.