The fabulous folks from Sholay Productions celebrate two years of Desilicious funIn the Hindi and Urdu tongues, “Sholay” connotes “flame” or “spark.” There’s certainly something ablaze within New York’s Sholay Productions, an events company behind the popular monthly gay South Asian dance party Desilicious. The extravaganzas boast Saree-draped drag queens, dazzling visuals and revelers of all ethnicities gyrating to Bollywood (India’s musical movies) and Bhangra beats. It’s all a spectacular

Posted: April 16th, 2004

“Hello, my name’s Shazia Mirza — at least that’s what it says on my pilot’s license!” The young Muslim woman who says these words is dressed in a hijab and in this post 9/11 world, where every Muslim is viewed a terrorist, she manages to elicit laughter from the audience, rather than horrified stares. Shazia, you see, is a stand up comic and like a handful of South Asian comics,

Posted: March 1st, 2004

Laff-O-Rama is a night of stand-up comedy that showcases some of the leading South Asian comedians in the United States and England today, including Shazia Mirza, Vijai Nathan and Vidur Kapur. Kate Rigg of “Kate’s Chink-o-rama” MC’s. In a post-911 world, Laff-O-Rama’s comics explore the painfully funny experiences of life during wartime, growing up gay in India, an immigrant upbringing in white suburbia and the hassles of being mistaken for

Posted: February 5th, 2004

Kim Cea is a two-time MAC AWARD nominee for Best Female Stand-up Comedy and was recently the winner of Budweiser’s Ladies of Laughter contest at Madison Square Garden! Her numerous television appearances include an Emmy Award for THE NEW’S IN REVUE on P.B.S. & Guest Starring roles on LAW & ORDER. On Broadway she starred in SMOKEY JOE’S CAFE, a role she also originated in the 1st National Tour. Other

Posted: December 11th, 2003

$10 (free for IndoCenter members) The book is the story of Mona Ahmed, a eunuch living in New Delhi, India. Avisual biography (told in Mona’s own words through her email correspondence with her publisher and accompanied by exquisite black and white photographs by internationally acclaimed photographer, Dayanita Singh) “Myself, Mona Ahmed” reveals intimate moments of celebration and desperation. The reception, reading was accompanied by slides, followed by a discussion between

Posted: August 22nd, 2003

They could not have chosen a worse time to start promoting a party. After Sept. 11, it seemed, house music, dancing and celebrating was the furthest from most people’s priority. On top of it all, their party — one designed for South Asians, many of them Muslim, was eyed by many with suspicion since American propaganda targeted people of Middle Eastern or South Asian backgrounds. Despite initial apprehension and cursory

Posted: August 19th, 2003

Posted: June 7th, 2003

Subcultures and the subcontinent: That’s the intersection where Ashu Rai lives and thrives. The Indian-born, California-bred party promoter and DJ has been a lightning rod for a cultural scene that might, at first, seem thoroughly under the radar – a niche within a niche within a niche. Yet, it’s becoming one of those rare happenings whose appeal reaches beyond a core audience and becomes something of a sensation. As one

Posted: June 3rd, 2003