We’re back with a bunch of events happening throughout the month of August! (Sorry for not posting a July edition of Desispotting, but we hope you took advantage of some of the many amazing events that happened around town last month, including the expansive Eye on India festival and the Dalai Lama’s visit.)

As always, we’ll continue to update this post throughout the month. Send your events to info@sapac.org or leave a comment here.

Watershed Organization Trust Fundraiser @ Wells on Wells ADDED 8/1
Wednesday, August 3 @ 5:30pm

Enjoy an evening of networking and education supporting American Friends of Watershed Organization Trust, which conducts educational and study abroad international travel programs for American graduate students and helps to promote and fund the WOTR in Pune, India.

Homestay Hosts Needed for London Youth
Friday, August 5 – Sunday, August 14

World Chicago seeks hosts for 3 high school boys—Anam, Killian, and Joshi—participating in a youth leadership program in early August. If interested, please contact John Baum at (312) 254-1800 x100 or jbaum@worldchicago.org.

Trikone-Chicago Summer Picnic @ Hollywood Beach
Saturday, August 6 @ 2:00pm

Trikone hosts a fun day of grilling, volleyball, and general beach merriment.

SAPAC General Meeting @ Barnes & Noble DePaul
Monday, August 8 @ 6:00pm

Join us for our next meeting where we’ll discuss our upcoming Voices of Resistance show and our new SAALT Fellow!

Trikone-Chicago & I2I Dinner @ Tank Noodle
Tuesday, August 9 @ 6:30pm

Trikone joins I2I: Asian Pacific Islander Pride of Chicago for its August social.

A Tribute to Ifti Nasim @ Gerbert/Hart Library ADDED 8/1
Wednesday, August 10 @ 6:30pm

Trikone-Chicago hosts this public memorial for the late poet and community activist, our friend Ifti Nasim.

Subcontinental Drift @ 630 N. State St.
Thursday, August 11 @ 8:00pm

Join Chicago’s South Asian open mic in bidding farewell to co-organizer Vyjayanthi Vadrevu before she heads to a new adventure in Austin, Texas.

Meet and Greet with IADO & NetIP @ Theory Chicago
Friday, August 12 @ 5:30pm

The Indo-American Democratic Organization and Network of Indian Professionals host a happy hour featuring the Honorable Judge Ketki Steffan of the 13th Subcircuit and Ameya Pawar, Alderman of the 47th Ward.

Sexual Identity, Health and Stigma in India @ University of Chicago
Saturday, August 13 @ 9:30am

The University of Chicago Global Health Initiative presents Sexual Identity, Health and Stigma in India: Traditional Statuses and Western Influences. “During the past decade, a collision of indigenous and foreign influences has rendered salient changes to what it means to be a man who has sex with other men (MSM) in India. The repeal of Penal Code 377 and the first male to male ‘Bollywood kiss’ are tangible manifestations of a shift in social and sexual mores. Through a lively discussion featuring international and multidisciplinary scholars, this roundtable will explore the critical influences relevant to male sexual identity and health in India today.” The live webcast is open to the public.

Story of My Pride @ Asian Human Services
Saturday, August 13 @ 7:00pm

I2I: Asian Pacific Islander Pride of Chicago invites members of our diverse LGBTQ pan-Asian communities to share unique stories and pride epiphanies.

Jai Ho! @ Big Chicks
Friday, August 19 @ 10:00pm

Trikone-Chicago’s bimonthly fundraiser returns with a “Bollywood Beach Party.” You can’t look at this poster and not want to go.

Anjal Chande & Aakash Mittal Quartet @ Vittum Theater
Friday, August 19 – Sunday, August 21

Dancer Chande and jazz musician Aakash Mittal present the culmination of a year-long collaboration called Joining Hands.

India Independence Day Parade @ Devon Avenue
Saturday, August 20 @ 12:00pm

Chicago’s annual celebration of India’s Independence Day kicks off at noon at Devon and Western. (The Pakistan Parade will be held September 18.)

Bollywood Flash Mob @ It’s a secret!
Sunday, August 21 @ 2:30pm

Trikone’s Kareem Khubchandani is organizing a Bollywood flash mob to be unleashed at an undisclosed location. Click the link above if you want to get involved!

The Boy Mir: Ten Years in Afghanistan @ Siskel Film Center
Sunday, August 21 & Tuesday, August 23

Filmmaker Phil Grabsky returns to the subject of his documentary The Boy Who Plays on the Buddhas of Bamiyan (2004), Afghan boy Mir and his refugee family. The irrepressible Mir was an irresistible subject, and Grabsky returned to follow his life over a ten-year period, during which he matures into young manhood and faces a difficult decision: whether to go to work (as his father wishes) or stay in school.

Saahab @ Illinois Institute of Technology
Saturday, August 27 @ 7:30pm

Pratham Chicago, a children’s education organization, presents Shekhar Sen’s “musical mono act in Hindi,” Saahab, “the emotional story of a boy’s journey through life.” Call (630) 915-6176 for more info.

Yesterday Chicago’s South Asian and LGBTQ communities lost a true pioneer—poet, journalist, and activist Ifti (Iftikhar) Nasim. There have been numerous tributes to Ifti written in the last couple days, especially on his Facebook page. We would like to share one from our friend Kareem Khubchandani, who got to know Ifti well over the last few years through their work with Trikone-Chicago:

I am privileged to have met, known, and spent time with Ifti Nasim.  Ifti was a gifted artist, an inspired activist, a successful businessman, and a truly spectacular being.  Ifti was born in Pakistan, and moved to the U.S. to pursue an education in law, but he found that art (specifically poetry) truly moved him.  He committed his life to writing, and has performed and published poetry in English, Urdu and Punjabi all over the world.  His book Narman has been taken up as a source of inspiration and strength by young people in Pakistan who have had trouble reconciling their sexual orientation and gender identities with what society expects of them.  Ifti has been an activist not only through his poetry, but on the ground in Chicago: establishing Sangat for LGBTQ South Asians, rallying South Asians to protest in the wake of post-9/11 hate crimes, and educating South Asians about HIV risk and prevention.  Between his art-making and activism, Ifti also worked selling Mercedes cars, and prided himself on his sales skills.  Every step of the way, he looked fabulous!  Fur, silk, leather, diamonds, gold, sequins, glitter, wigs, makeup, ruffles, and jewelry, he wore it all in style.  This is what I will remember most about Ifti, that there was always pleasure to be had; no matter how dire the situation, no matter how painful the issue, there was always pleasure to be found.  Ever time I asked Ifti, “How are you?” his answer was, without fail, “Honey, I’m just trying to survive in this big, bad, heterosexual world.”  But the grace, flair, and humor with which he “survived” assured me that he was doing more than just getting by, he was finding happiness in the crevices of what truly is a difficult world for an outspoken, queer, immigrant, Muslim, South Asian.

Our community has lost an important figure, but we must continue to be inspired by his activism, his art, and his exuberance.  I have lost a special friend, but I will attempt to sustain the difficult work that he has done, and widen the path he has laid for queer desis in Chicago.

Please keep his family and friends in your thoughts and prayers.

Ifti was buried Saturday on the north side of Chicago, the area he had called home for many years.

The last time some of us saw Ifti perform was at KalaKranti 2010, Trikone’s annual celebration of queer South Asian art. Fortunately Trikone caught his performance on video, and we’d like to share it with you (parts of it are NSFW):

Tracy Baim, publisher and managing editor of Windy City Media Group, has also compiled a biography and series of video interviews with Ifti on her Chicago Gay History website.

Please feel free to use this space to share your own thoughts about our friend Ifti, his impact on the community, and his artwork and life.

We’ll miss you, Ifti.

Last updated June 10.

This is just the tip of the summer iceberg. Keep checking back because you know we’ll be adding a lot more events throughout the month!

(Have something to add? Send your events to info@sapac.org or leave a comment here.)

Animals Out of Paper @ Steppenwolf Theatre
Now through June 19

Playwright Rajiv Joseph’s show is presented as part of Next Up, three productions showcasing Chicago’s next generation of artists, in collaboration with Northwestern University’s MFA programs in Direction and Design.

Restrepo & Sebastian Junger @ Spertus Institute
Wednesday, June 1 @ 5:15pm

Documentarian, journalist, and author Junger joins the Chicago Council on Global Affairs for a screening of his Academy-Award-nominated war documentary Restrepo and a discussion of his experiences reporting from Afghanistan.

Meal Hosts for Visiting South Asian Leaders Needed
See dates below

World Chicago (formerly International Visitors Center of Chicago) is looking for people interested in meeting with visitors from South Asia professionally and/or socially for meals in your home. Contact John Baum for more info.

June 1-4: Pakistani leaders in community policing

June 18-22: Indian leaders in drug administration

Zakir Hussain @ Symphony Center ADDED 6/2
Friday, June 3 @ 8:00pm

Tabla virtuoso Hussain joins saxophonist Charles Lloyd for a night of jazz at the Symphony Center.

Fuad Ahmad @ Millennium Park
Saturdays in June @ 8:00am

SAPACer Fuad Ahmad provides musical accompaniment (“live PA, with percussion, guitar, singing bowls, electric mBira, balinese jew’s harp, etc.”) for Millennium Park’s Saturday morning yoga and pilates workout sessions.

KalaKranti 2011 @ Columbia College Chicago
Saturday, June 4 @ 12:00pm

Trikone-Chicago and the Center for Asian Arts and Media at Columbia College Chicago present this festival of queer South Asian short film, a first-of-its-kind event in Chicago. I helped organize it, so come—you know it’ll be awesome.

Ithihasam Puranam – Are Our Epics Outdated? @ Balaji Temple
Saturday, June 4 @ 4:00pm

Choreographer Hema Rajagopalan and the Natya Dance Theatre School explore “the relevance of timeless values in our lives today” in their presentation of nine excerpts from the Ramayana. Part of the temple’s 25^th anniversary celebrations.

Camp Victory, Afghanistan @ Facets Cinematheque
Saturday, June 4 @ 5:00pm

Screening as part of the Human Rights Watch Film Festival, this documentary explores the reality of building a functioning Afghan military. Filmmaker Carol Dysinger and Colonel (R) Michael Shute (subject of the film) will hold a Q&A after the June 4 screening. Also showing Thursday, June 9 at 8:45pm.

Rangla Punjab Concert Nite @ Holiday Inn Rolling Meadows
Saturday, June 4 @ 8:00pm

Purewal Enterprises presents a night of music and dancing featuring Sarbit Cheema of Apni Boli Apna Des and Welcome to Punjab fame.

Anupy Singla @ Printers Row Lit Fest ADDED 6/5
Sunday, June 5 @ 11:00am

The Chicago chef/author presents a demo of recipes from her recent cookbook The Indian Slow Cooker.

Sunil Iyengar @ University of Chicago ADDED 6/7
Tuesday, June 7 @ 9:15am

The Director of the Office of Research & Analysis of the National Endowment for the Arts moderates a panel on “Valuing Culture in the Global City” at U of C’s Future of the City arts symposium.

Jaspreet Chowdhary @ Planned Parenthood of Illinois
Tuesday, June 7 @ 5:30pm

Chowdhary, Reproductive Justice Fellow and Legal Expert at the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum (NAPAWF), facilitates a discussion of the nuances of the heated race and sex selection abortion bans and the complexity of son preference practices within API communities.

Padavali @ Harold Washington Library Center
Thursday, June 9 @ 12:15pm

The Center for Odissi Dance presents Padavali, a work choreographed by artistic director Ipsita Mahapatra and based on Rabindranath Tagore’s poem in celebration of his 150th birthday.

Asian Giving Circle Award Ceremony @ PepsiCo Sustainability Center
Thursday, June 9 @ 5:30pm

The AGC hosts its 8th annual award ceremony, this year presenting grants to 4 organizations including the South Asian American Digital Archive (SAADA) and the Silk Road Theatre Project. Several SAPAC members are involved with the AGC and SAADA, so come out and show your support!

Aparna Krishen & Ragini Krishnamoorthy @ Boocoo Cultural Center ADDED 6/5
Thursday, June 9 @ 6:00pm

The artists join Susan Cua and Hope Salmanoff for a group show of acrylic, pastel, oil and prints opening Thursday night at this center in Evanston.

Kavita Krishnamurthy & Suresh Wadkar @ Hindu Temple of Greater Chicago
Friday, June 10 @ 7:00pm

The temple presents a cultural program and music night featuring the singers with Hitesh Master and Orchestra SaReGaMa.

Jai Ho! Jungal @ Big Chicks
Friday, June 10 @ 10:00pm

Trikone-Chicago’s queer desi dance party returns for its first bash of the summer. Donations will support KalaKranti, (see June 4 entry above) and the org’s participation in the annual Chicago Pride parade.

A Little Betrayal Among Friends @ Greenhouse Theater Center ADDED 6/10
Saturday, June 11 – Saturday, July 9

Lavina Jadhwani directs this new adaptation by playwright Caridad Svich for Halcyon Theatre’s annual Alcyone Festival. For this year’s fest, the company asked “five contemporary women to rework/adapt/sample/remix plays written by classical women, celebrating over a thousand years of writing by women.”

Ami Saraiya @ Skokie Public Library ADDED 6/7
Saturday, June 11 @ 2:00pm

Saraiya performs traditional and contemporary freedom songs for the Illinois Humanities Council’s 50th anniversary celebration of the Freedom Rides. The event also features performance pieces by Neighborhood Writing Alliance, Congo Square Theatre, and Young Chicago Authors.

Divya Chethana @ Rama Temple
Sunday, June 12 @ 5:00pm

The Hindu Temple of Greater Chicago presents Natya Dance Theatre as part of the temple’s 25th Anniversary Celebrations. Choreographed by Hema and Krithika Rajagopalan, Divya Chethana show how the six evils–Greed, Lust, Desire, Jealousy, Anger, and Pride–are impediments to our spiritual evolution.

Kiran Bedi @ Peninsula Chicago
Thursday, June 16 @ 12:00pm

The Chicago Council on Global Affairs hosts Bedi, the first and highest ranking female officer, Indian Police Service (ret.), and founder, Navjyoti and India Vision Foundation, for a discussion about “Restoring Public Confidence in a Democratic India.”

Desi Comedians @ Just for Laughs Chicago
Thursday, June 16 – Saturday, June 18

Several comedians of South Asian descent will be in town for this year’s Just for Laughs Festival:

• Kumail Nanjiani @ Chicago Theatre – June 16, 7:30pm
• Khaleel Farooqui @ Jokes and Notes – June 17, 8:30pm
• Fahim Anwar @ Red Bar Comedy Club – June 17-18
• Russell Peters @ Rosemont Theatre – June 18, 8:00pm

Anjal Chande @ praxis place
Friday, June 17 @ 7:00pm

Chande joins several dance artists for Women’s Choreographic Voices: Women’s Work, a program examining their efforts as female cultural producers living and working in Chicago.

Ek Surilee Shaam @ College of DuPage ADDED 6/7
Friday, June 17 @ 7:30pm

Orchestra Saregama of Chicago and Lohana Association of Greater Chicago present Ek Surilee Shaam by SaregamaPa judge Suresh Wadkar at CoD’s McAninch Arts Center. Part of the proceeds benefit the Hindu Temple of Lake County. For tickets/info, call Hitesh Master at (847) 322-9451.

Shelly Jyoti @ Woman Made Gallery ADDED 6/7
Saturday, June 18 @ 2:00pm

Artists Shelly Jyoti, from Vadodara, India, and Chicago-based Laura Kina discuss their collaborative exhibition “Indigo,” which was featured in Vadodara, Delhi, and Mumbai and is currently touring the U.S.

Thirst @ Theatre Wit ADDED 6/10
Saturday, June 18 @ 7:30pm

Stage Left Theatre, in partnership with Rasaka Theatre Company, presents this new piece by local playwrights Anita Chandwaney and M.E.H. Lewis as part of its annual LeapFest showcase of politically-minded new work. “In an ‘Untouchable’ Indian village crippled by drought, an intrepid young reporter investigates the corrupt water delivery system. But when her sister suddenly disappears, the investigation becomes personal. Thirst is an NYCWAM Honored Finalist and a 2011 O’Neill Conference semi-finalist.” Directed by Lavina Jadhwani. Repeats June 26 and 30.

Suraya Pakzad @ InterContinental Hotel
Thursday, June 23 @ 5:30pm

The Chicago Council on Global Affairs hosts Pakzad, founder and executive director of Voice of Women Organization, for a talk titled “Taking the Lead: Women and Civil Society in Afghanistan.”

Trikone Pride Party @ 5044 N. Marine Dr. ADDED 6/3
Saturday, June 25 @ 7:00pm

Trikone-Chicago hosts a series of fun events in June to celebrate LGBT Pride Month, including this party the night before Chicago’s annual Pride Parade.

Trikone-Chicago @ Pride Parade ADDED 6/3
Sunday, June 26

Trikone continues its Pride Month festivities with an entry in this year’s Chicago Pride Parade. Click the link above to learn how you can march with them.

This month’s varied offerings include local and international film screenings, theatre performances, LGBT History Month readings, dance shows, political discussions, art exhibits, and galas, all featuring people of South Asian descent. Plus, we remind you to REGISTER TO VOTE by Oct. 5!

American Association of Retired Asians Gala @ Ashyana Banquets
Friday, October 1 @ 7:00pm

This nonprofit dedicated to the needs of aging South Asian Americans presents its second annual fundraising dinner.

Merchants of Bollywood @ Auditorium Theatre
Friday, October 1 – Saturday, October 2 @ 8:00pm

The “international dance spectacular” comes to the beautiful Auditorium in downtown Chicago.

Chicago South Asian Film Festival @ Chicago Cultural Center & Columbia College
Friday, October 1 – Sunday, October 3

Check out our previous post on the festival for more details.

Falling Petals @ Theatre 773
Saturday, October 2 @ 1:00pm

Erasing the Distance and the Asian American Suicide Prevention Initiative (AASPI) present this multimedia theatre performance that shares true stories of people of Asian and Indian descent who have been impacted by mental illness and suicide.

Anila Sinha Foundation @ North Shore Center for the Performing Arts
Saturday, October 2 @ 7:00pm

The Anila Sinha Foundation, in collaboration with the University of Chicago’s International House, presents “6th Element,” a multimedia Kathak dance performance that addresses the issue of global warming.

Sringara: Love and Devotion @ North Central College
Sunday, October 3 @ 4:00pm

The Samskriti Foundation presents a Bharatanatyam performance by the duo of Shijith Nambar and Parvathy Menon with a live orchestra.

Voter Registration Deadline
Tuesday, October 5

Tuesday, October 5 is the deadline to register to vote or update your voter information for the November 2 General Election!

Chicago Voter Registration Info

Suburban Cook County Voter Registration Info (outside Chicago)

Illinois Voter Registration Info

Seats up for grabs in this election include IL Senator, Governor, Lt. Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State, Comptroller, Treasurer, some Representatives, some State Representatives, Cook County Board President, a slew of judges, and a whole lot more. It’s an important election, so make sure you’re registered!

SAPAC will be sharing more election information in the coming weeks, so stay tuned to our website.

Darpana Performing Group @ Old Town School of Folk Music
Wednesday, October 6 – Thursday, October 7

The Darpana Academy of Performing Arts of Gujarat presents a diverse dance program that uses classical, folk, tribal, and contemporary choreography to celebrate India’s multiculturalism and plurality. The 10-member troupe will also host a workshop as part of the school’s Thursday Workshop Series on October 7.

Yasmin Nair @ Chicago Public Library – Bezazian Branch ADDED 10/7
Saturday, October 9 @ 2:00pm

Against Equality: Queer Critiques of Gay Marriage, published by the Against Equality collective, documents the historical foundations of queer resistance to the gay marriage mainstream alongside contemporary critiques that engage issues of race, class, gender, citizenship, and age. The panel will feature presentations by three of the anthology’s contributors: artist and collective founder Ryan Conrad, historian and UIC professor John D’Emilio, and Yasmin Nair, a local writer and member of Gender JUST.

Natya Dance Theatre @ North Central College
Saturday, October 9 @ 8:00pm

The dancers of Natya perform “Invitation to the Dance” with the DuPage Symphony Orchestra, featuring works by Weber, Ravel, and Berlioz.

SAPAC General Meeting @ Chava Cafe ADDED 10/7
Sunday, October 10 @ 1:00pm

Join us for our next general meeting to discuss our 2010 voter outreach campaign, past and upcoming events, and more!

Candidates Forum @ Bombay Hall ADDED 10/7
Sunday, October 10 @ 2:00pm

The American Muslim Task Force on Civil Rights & Elections and Illinois Committee for Honest Government present a Candidates Forum in the West Ridge/Devon neighborhood for the offices of U.S. Senate, Governor, Attorney General, Cook County President, Treasurer, Comptroller, Cook County Sheriff and several others. Bombay Hall is at 2448 W. Devon Ave.

Gurcharan Das @ University of Chicago ADDED 10/7
Tuesday, October 12 @ 6:00pm

The author of India Unbound discusses his newest book, The Difficulty of Being Good, a treatise on the ethical dilemmas presented in the Mahabarata and “how we can come to terms with the uncertain ethics of the world today.”

Sapna Kumar @ Gerber Hart Library
Wednesday, October 13 @ 7:00pm

Indian comic and storyteller (and Friend of SAPAC) Sapna Kumar joins a lineup of writers reading from their works about LGBT people, places, and events in history as part of Gerber Hart’s LGBT History Month celebration.

CA$H Film Screening @ AMC River East 21
Thursday, October 14 @ 5:30pm

Columbia [College Chicago] Night of the Chicago International Film Festival features the film CA$H, starring Sean Bean and produced by Chicago filmmaker Naveen Chathappuram. Filmmakers, cast, and crew are expected to participate in a Q&A session after the screening.

Rex Ghosh @ Borders ADDED 10/15
Friday, October 15 @ 3:00pm

Indian-born author and economist Ghosh signs his new thriller Nineteenth Street NW at the Borders on State St.

Natraj Dance @ University of Chicago ADDED 10/15
Friday, October 15 @ 7:00pm

The Natraj Dance Academy will perform with a live orchestra at U of C’s International House as part of Nobel Laureate Chandrasekhar’s Centennial Program.

Swati Avasthi @ Barbara’s Bookstore ADDED 10/15
Saturday, October 16 @ 7:00pm

Young Adult novelist Avasthi (Split) joins fellow YA author Alexandra Diaz for a YA Authors Night at the UIC branch of Barbara’s.

Shabana Azmi @ North Shore Center for the Performing Arts ADDED 10/15
Sunday, October 17 @ 6:30pm

Shabana Azmi appears in Girish Karnad’s play Broken Images for one night only. What more do I need to say? It’s Shabana Azmi!

Natya Dance Theatre @ Daley Plaza
Tuesday, October 19 @ 12:00pm

Natya performs Bharatanatyam as part of the City of Chicago’s “Under the Picasso” series of free weekday cultural programs.

Imtiaz Gul @ University of Chicago ADDED 10/7
Tuesday, October 19 @ 6:00pm

Gul, Executive Director of the Centre for Research and Security Studies at Islamabad, speaks on the flood disaster in Pakistan.

Coffee Conversations with Pakistani Legislative Fellows @ WorldChicago
Wednesday, October 20 @ 8:00am

World Chicago (formerly the International Visitors Center of Chicago) presents an opportunity to chat with 6 legislative research professionals from Pakistan who will be in Chicago for 3 weeks completing fellowships with federal and state legislative offices while living with Chicago-area families.

From Chicago to Lahore: Connecting Edge @ Chicago Cultural Center
Wednesday, October 20 @ 5:00pm

The Lahore Committee of Chicago Sister Cities International presents this exhibit of drawings, films, photographs, writings, and paintings by artists from Lahore and Chicago. Opening reception at 5:00pm.

World Music for Pakistan Benefit @ Mayne Stage ADDED 10/7
Wednesday, October 20 @ 7:00pm

A benefit for Actual Size Global for Pakistani flood relief, featuring Lamajamal (gypsy surf), Eyes Manouche (Balkan gypsy jazz), Kevin Leeds and Global Cooling (rock/soul/world fusion) & DJ RomaSoul (gypsy/eastern beats).

Sarwat Rumi @ Gerber Hart Library
Thursday, October 21 @ 7:00pm

The library continues its celebration of LGBT History Month with another set of readings from local writers including Friend of SAPAC Sarwat Rumi.

Rochona Majumdar @ University of Chicago ADDED 10/7
Saturday, October 23 @ 2:00pm

The Indian historian speaks about Radical Cinema and the “Film Society” Movement in India for the university’s 32nd annual Humanities Day. Additional South-Asia-related programs that day include a screening of Satyajit Ray’s Pather Panchali and talks about How Islam Begin; War, Trauma, and Humanism in Literature from Sri Lanka; and Women in Modern South and Southeast Asian Buddhism.

Crossing Cultures feat. Natya Dance @ Harold Washington Library
Saturday, October 23 – Sunday, October 24

In its first annual cross-cultural dance festival, Natya Dance Theatre bridges traditions from not just North and South India, but also the Eastern and Western hemispheres. The festival, which spans the weekend of October 23rd and 24th, brings together a group of diverse and innovative artists including Krithika Rajagopalan, Uma Dogra, DanceWorks Chicago, and Hedwig Dances. Each evening also features a unique collaboration between Mordine & Co. and Natya, to exemplify the bridging of classical and modern dance forms in this festival.

Kavita Ramdas @ Blackstone Hotel
Monday, October 25 @ 12:00pm

Ramdas, a senior advisor to the Global Fund for Women and a visiting fellow and scholar at Stanford University’s Center for Philanthropy and Civil Society and the Center for Democracy, Development, and Rule of Law at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Affairs, participates in the Chicago Council on Global Affairs’ panel called “Smart Money: Granting Opportunities for Women Worldwide.”

Stir-Friday Night’s “Bubble Tea Party” @ Chicago Center for the Performing Arts ADDED 10/7
Friday, October 29 @ 7:30pm

The Chicago Asian American sketch comedy troupe celebrates its 15th anniversary with a new show that opens October 29 and continues through November 20.

Jai Ho(rror)! @ Big Chicks ADDED 10/7
Friday, October 29 @ Time TBA

Trikone Chicago hosts a Halloween edition of its wildly popular queer desi party. Exact details TBA–click the link above to join their Facebook group and get an invite when it’s available.

Hamdard Center Gala @ Donald E. Stephens Convention Center
Saturday, October 30 @ 6:00pm

SAPAC is proud to support the Hamdard Center for Health and Human Services’ 18th Annual Gala. Guests will enjoy Indo-Pakistani cuisine, a cultural show, live auction, and ethnic bazaar while raising funds for the agency’s social service programs. Featuring Sufi Qawwali superstar Amjad Sabri and master of ceremonies Ravi Baichwal of ABC7 News.

Music and Dance from Asia @ North Central College
Saturday, October 30 @ 7:00pm

The Naperville-based Xilin Art Center presents a celebration of Asian heritage featuring music and dance from countries including India.

Bharatanatyam dancer Chande performs and discusses using dance in storytelling.

Ravi & Anoushka Shankar @ Symphony Center ADDED 10/18
Saturday, October 30 @ 8:00pm

Shankar and daughter Anoushka perform in a celebration of the sitar master’s 90th birthday.

The World Stage: India-Sri Lanka @ Rhona Hoffman Gallery
Continuing through October 23

Wiley’s portraits of young men from New Delhi, Mumbai, and Sri Lanka are based on major historical paintings but with the subjects placed in new, culturally specific settings. Wiley has done similar series featuring young men from Brazil, China, and Africa, all vivid and striking.

Water Ways @ Walsh Gallery
Continuing through November 13

The West Loop-based Walsh Gallery presents an exhibition exploring the way art and water intersect as seen by prominent artists from China and India, including Vivan Sundaram, Reena Kallat, Gulam Mohammed Sheikh, and Sheba Chhachhi. While the pics don’t do some of the work justice, a preview of the show is available on the gallery’s website.

Jitish Kallat @ Art Institute of Chicago
Continuing through January 2, 2011

“September 11–today the date alone refers to the unforgettable events of 2001, the terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Yet, 108 years earlier in 1893, this date was marked by a very different occasion, the landmark speech by Swami Vivekananda at the First World Parliament of Religions promoting religious tolerance. Internationally renowned Indian artist Jitish Kallat draws attention to the great chasm between these two events with his site-specific installation, Public Notice 3,” which opened on September 11, 2010.

Guest blogger Kareem Khubchandani is a graduate student in Performance Studies at Northwestern University, and one of those family-all-over-the-globe diasporic desis.  He has lived in Chicago for two years now and majorly loves this city!

Today, a friend sent a distressed email over the Trikone-Chicago listserve, severely upset that a picture of him at a Trikone event had appeared in a publication; he’s not out.  I got the email on my phone while I was at dinner with a friend with whom I was extensively discussing an email he was painstakingly crafting to come out to his straight desi friends.  He was writing this email because he felt that he had grown apart from these friends by keeping this part of his life separate from them.  All this fuss over being out.  I came out to my parents when I was 18, visiting them back home in Ghana after my first year of college.  I was outed to the rest of my relatives when my uncle found an article I wrote for my college newspaper online, and forwarded it to the family.  I’ve come out (to friends, family, and strangers), been outed (intentionally and accidentally), and outed other people (intentionally and accidentally).  Sometimes I wait eagerly for a trashy tabloid to announce that Karan Johar, Gurinder Chadha, Rekha, Kal Penn, and Jay Sean have come out, too.  Instead we get Lance Bass, Ricky Martin, and some random country singer.

I guess I’m wondering if visibility politics still matter, or if coming out is just something celebrities do when they need a popularity boost.  Outness clearly matters for my two queer desi friends who attach value to other people knowing they are gay, a value that will either include or exclude them from the communities that matter most.  And of course, it depends on the kind of queer we come out as.  Jim McGreevy (former governor of New Jersey) coming out as a “gay American” certainly made him more palatable to the general public.  And a paparazzi spotting of a hate-mongering homophobe with an escort that he hired to “carry his bags” carries a very different pleasure than knowing that we were right about Ricky Martin all along.  Coming out is and isn’t a radical act, and outing someone is and isn’t a useful means to a political end.

Coming out can be an act of intimate exchange with our loved ones, a sharing of what we imagine to be our true self.  It can be a means of making our sexuality known so that no one uses queerphobic language.  Or making our sexuality known so that we pique the interest of the other (cute) queers in the room.  Coming out also puts us at greater risk for physical and verbal abuse in our heightened visibility.  Some of us have come out to these friends and not those ones. And we don’t have to.  Being out is not the end goal of being queer.  And sometimes we can be out without having to come out; sometimes the people around you just know, and they’ve learned how to signal that “it’s all good.“  Often, the act of coming out is not the declarative statement, “I’m gay/lesbian/bi/trans”; it’s a fashion choice, that little rainbow keychain, a reprimand for queerphobic language, the usage of ungendered pronouns, or (if you’re going for some drama, honey!) bringing a same-gender partner as your guest to a cousin’s wedding.

So why my interest in coming out?  As one of the coordinating members of Trikone, I’ve been trying to think about what sort of politics suit a queer desi organization.  There are certainly many critiques of visibility politics that argue that coming out only marks us as good consumer citizens that can be marketed to: we own the entire seasons of “Will & Grace” and “The L Word,” go to gay/lesbian bars, buy fancier underwear, get gym memberships, go on Rosie O’Donnell’s cruise, and pay more for haircuts.  Coming out isn’t a means of sticking it to the man (no pun intended?) anymore; but was it ever?  I’m not concerned that coming out or showing queer pride is what desis should do.  But rather, my two friends in Trikone show that we’re not past these things; the stakes are still high in being seen as queer by our peers and loved ones.  And so I hope we can reflect on how and why we come out, as opposed to whether we do or not because, as Monisha Das Gupta writes in Unruly Immigrants, we can “retool visibility politics” to critique structures of racist-heteropatriarchy rather than simply reify them.

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Trikone-Chicago is a social, activist, and support group for Queer Desis and their allies.  To find out more about Trikone-Chicago join our listserve or join us on Facebook.

Trikone’s Pride Cocktail Party: This Saturday, June 26^th, from 7-10:30pm.  Call 413.672.1861 or email Kareem for more info.

March in the Dyke March this Saturday: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=14233764762

Coming out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coming_out

Additional reading:

• Monisha Das Gupta – Unruly Immigrants: Rights, Activism, and Transnational South Asian Politics in the United States (2006)
• Gayatri Gopinath – Impossible Desires: Queer Diasporas and South Asian Public Cultures (2005)
• Martin Manalansan – Global Divas: Filipino Gay Men in the Diaspora (2003)