Issue IX, October

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.