377 SCRAPPED PARTY 

On 6th September 2018, Indian authorities scrapped Section 377 - the notorious law which made gay sex a crime.

This fantastic, important (and long-overdue) news calls for a proper celebration. And so Dishoom and Gaysians have teamed up to bring you the 377 Scrapped Party at Protein Studios in Shoreditch.

Join us for a big-hearted party celebrating freedom, love, and respect this Thursday 27th September.

** THE LINE-UP **

Kajeel Patel

Kajeel is a Dancer, Artist & Set Designer. She grew up in Leicester and has been dancing since the age of 8 training in Kathak, Bollywood & Contemporary dance. She moved over to London in 2009 to train as Fine Artist (Painting) at UAL. It was there where her passion for Dance & Contemporary art intertwined as she began making performative art & interactive installation art. She now trains & performs in a dance troupe ‘LPLP productions’ headed by brilliant Leena Patel.

Simran Uppal

Simran (they/them) is a queer brown poet and activist from West London. Their work uses audience chanting, humour, singing, Hindu and Sikh mythology, and North Indian Sufi poetry, to explore resistance, complicity, and create an angry, beautiful new spirituality for queer people of colour. They're a current Barbican Young Poet and also teach yoga and worry about their undergrad finals.

Priya Saujani

London-based performance artist Priya Saujani works with the condition of gender and its appearance, the tension of national identity and a kind of alter-feminism through the ‘provocative’ scenario. Her work finds root in engineered live art situations that highlight her biography through an interstice of inverted cultural stereotype, knowing, unknowing and intimacy.

Ravy

Ravy is a rapper, singer, songwriter and dancer who combines rap, with pop, EDM, R&B blending it with traditional Indian and Surinamese music, and other genres. Ravy writes all her music and works closely with her producer Shafique Roman to make dynamic tracks that leave a lasting mark on the music world. She is currently working on music at Cactus City recording studios, London's first recording studio specifically designed for female artists.

Born Rachel Manniesing, Ravy fell in love with rap as a child, learning to speak English fluently by listening to old school hip hop, cartoons and video games.

Inspired by Missy Elliot and Chris Brown, Ravy brings impeccable dance choreography to her music videos and performances, daring to showcase a huge kinetic energy in everything she does.

Shiva Raichandani

Shiva Raichandani is the principal dancer and lead instructor of London School of Bollywood (LSB), Britain’s Got Talent semi-finalists. He is passionate about raising awareness about the fluidity of gender, non-binary representation in Bollywood, and about mental health within the South-Asian LGBTQ+ community.  He has made several appearances on international television and radio shows, delivered a TEDx talk, and recently performed at the London Queer Fashion Show. During the day, Shiva works for the British LGBT Awards, an annual red-carpet event that celebrates individuals & organisations with outstanding commitment to the LGBT+ community. Shiva has been a dance educator for over 10 years and currently runs Bollywood dance classes for LSB every week at Danceworks, Bond Street.

LOIAL

"Bonkers, abstract, experimental, beguiling, beautiful and life changing” - Bobby Friction, BBC Asian Network

“Sublime and intoxicating” - Sweety Kapoor

“Powerful, beautifully unique, haunting and enticing” - Steve Chandra Sonic, Asian Dub Foundation

LOIAL (aka Reeta Loi) is a writer, musician & DJ. She is the CEO of Gaysians, part of the UK Black Pride Team, a columnist at DIVA magazine, a Forbes 100 woman founder and on the Guardian Pride Power List.

Hungama

Hungama is East London’s Gay Bollywood Hip Hop night.

Club Kali

Club Kali is the World’s Biggest LGBT Club where Eastern flavours & Western classics are expertly mixed by DJ Ritu & DJ Dilz. Flying you around the World in 80 tunes with sizzling Bollywood, Bhangra, Arabic, and dancefloor delights!

K Pervaiz

K. Pervaiz is a director and writer, known for Black Lake, Maya (2015) and World of Death (2016).

Poulomi Desai

Poulomi Desai is a self-taught, outsider, multi-media artist and curator since 1980, when she set up Hounslow Arts Co-op at the age of 14. Desai was born in Hackney, London, England. Originally inspired by a street theatre background, her works are performative, textual, image based, and acoustic.

To accompany this fabulous entertainment, Dishoom will be serving plentiful Bombay snacks to all guests, and keeping the tipples flowing from the bar. (Dishoom snacks are included in the ticket price.)

#377scrapped is supported by The Unmistakables.

All are welcome!

All ticket proceeds will be split between Sappho for Equality, an organisation based in Kolkata that works for the rights of lesbians, bisexual women, and trans men in Eastern India, and SAATHII, a charity with offices across India that envisions universal access to rights, health, legal and social services for communities marginalised by HIV status, gender and/or sexuality.

What's more, our friends at Natco have kindly agreed to match all funds raised from tickets and on the night.

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Dishoom

Dishoom has five restaurants in London and one in Edinburgh, which all pay homage to Bombay’s old Irani cafés - lovely, welcoming places that brought people of all walks of life together over food and drink.

Dishoom breaks down barriers, just as the cafés did: in its restaurants, which employ and serve people from all walks of life, at its events, and through charity (donating a meal to a hungry child for every meal served in the restaurants – 5 million meals so far).

Dishoom serves a lovingly curated menu of Bombay comfort food and award-winning drinks in beautiful restaurants with unique stories. Everything Dishoom does shares its love for Bombay’s culture, heritage and people, and everyone is welcomed with warmth.

Gaysians

Gaysians is a network of LGBT+ charities and activists supporting the South Asian community.

We campaign for positive visibility and narratives of LGBT+ South Asians in the media and for the removal of legislation criminalising homosexuality in South Asia.

Gaysian creates safe spaces for LGBT+ South Asians to meet and to celebrate both their queer and cultural identities.

The Unmistakables

The Unmistakables is a strategic marketing communications consultancy that helps leaders understand minorities. The mission is to make organisations and campaigns more representative of modern society.