“There’s a thousand ways to kneel and kiss the ground;
there’s a thousand ways to go home again”
—Jalaluddin Rumi
Fostering the value of, and connecting South Asian cultures in Europe, in an effort to dissolve borders through community building.
We strive to contextualise the value of South Asian tradition in contemporary times through collaborative, artistically designed experiences.
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Tambola is a South Asian bingo game which originated in Italy in the 1500s. What makes Tambola special is the community aspect of it and the ‘calling lines’— each number is joked about, for example, the host may call, “Sailors legs, number eleven,” or “Watch your son at two and one, twenty-one”—these calling lines are passed down in shared cultural memory. This alternative, love-themed tambola was hosted by Zahra Mansoor, alongside Piyush Wadhera. New, playful and flirty call lines were developed. The experience design involved collaborating with perfume and cocktail curator, Fiona McDonnell on a spin off drink called ‘Chai on the beach.’@Dissident Club, Paris 75009 | September 2023
“Baithak” in South Asian tradition refers to “a sit-down gathering”—it is a musical performance in an intimate environment where musicians perform in close proximity to the audience. At the 59 Rivoli, the traditional baithak was re-contextualised to contemporary times. Guests were served drinks that mixed tea and South Asian perfumes (cardamom, jasmine, etc.) with standard alcoholic beverages. Baithak music performance started and the audience was invited to sit down and enjoy the music for an hour.@59 Rivoli, Paris 75001 | August 2023
Theatre was central to this Valentines-day tambola special, combined with special sounds by Russian DJ, Sasha Petrova. The hosting was shared between our “all-stars:” Zahra Mansoor, Piyush Wadhera, and Nazish Munchenbach. Winners were read aloud verses of Urdu poetry dealing with heartbreak, and accompanying english translations. The ‘Bleeding hearts cocktail’ was created for this event by drinks curator, Fiona McDonnell.@Dissident Club, Paris 75009 | February 2024
This end-of-year Tambola was focused on looking back at 2023 and looking into the future of your 2024. Winners were read aloud their new year horoscopes and the number calls were tinted with mystique and fortune-telling. The event was co-hosted by Princess Zahra and Eazy Al.
@Dissident Club, Paris 75009 | December 2023