New York City's South Asian queers may spring from a wide variety of backgrounds and beliefs, but they're united by a few cohesive—and colorful—modern traditions. Internationally, there's Bollywood. Locally, there's Desilicious.
A riff on the term "desi" (pronounced DAY-see, and having nothing to do with Lucille Ball), Desilicious is a monthly dance party for the city's South Asian LGBT community (and their friends and admirers), the Bollywood-bewitched brainchild of longtime friends Atif T., Rajesh P. and Ashu Rai.
"'Desi' literally means 'of the same country,'" Atif explains. "People from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and the diaspora, we have a common culture and some common languages. Bollywood is one thread that ties a lot of these cultures together in terms of a cultural phenomenon."
"I'm from Pakistan, Rajesh is from Mumbai, and Ashu is from India," says Atif. "Ashu's background is Nirankari, which is related to the Sikh community; Rajesh is Hindu and Parsi; and I'm Muslim. So we cover a lot of religious and cultural groups just in terms of the partners themselves."
About 300 people from the trio's extended friend network attended the first Desilicious, which took place in March 2002 in a small and now-defunct Chelsea club called Climate 8. Since then, the monthly event has hopped about to some of the city’s hottest venues, including Pyramid, Club Shelter, and the Highline Ballroom. "Every month we'll see where there's an opening and where there's the best venue for the kind of party that we're having," says Atif.
What to Expect at Desilicious
Desilicious' lively themes (such as the Wet Sari Contest and "Night of 1000 Aishwaryas," an homage to actress Aishwarya Rai) fuse the best in desi culture, fashion and politics, always with a strong nod to Bollywood. On average about 500 people take part in the revelry, but numbers are always much higher for annual Pride events.
"It's definitely a very welcoming space, and a really high energy space," says Atif. "I think the rhythm of the Bollywood music really drives the party. It's a very colorful crowd, and everyone tends to be very friendly, and very much into really kicking up their heels and having a good time."
Desilicious' music, usually spun by co-organizer Rai and DJ Bobby, is culled from the last half century of South Asian hits. "It really is this interesting melange of various music forms," says Atif. "It has a lot of Bhangra and Hindustani influences on the very classical side, and then current Bollywood can bring in pop and house and hip hop elements as well."
"For South Asians I think it's a very empowering space to be in, because they might be feeling much more marginalized in other spaces," Atif explains. "We get that from a lot of the younger people when they come. They're just so excited to be able to reconcile their cultural identity with their sexuality, and they feel just really liberated."
As such, Desilicious is a key dating resource for New York City's LGBT desi community. "A lot of relationships have sprung out of the parties," says Atif. "If you want to meet other South Asians, it's either this or SALGA (the South Asian Gay and Lesbian Association)."
When & where: Monthly, date and location vary; see web site for more info
Admission: $10 before 11:30 p.m., $20 after