Satrangi: Queerness in South Asian Classical Arts

Event Date: Saturday, May 10 · 7 - 9pm CDT

The artists will share music and dance compositions, poems, and paintings to showcase how queerness has always been a part of South Asian culture and what can be done to interpret stories and narratives around us from a queer lens.

They will pose many questions, such as “Have you ever thought of which love story is most celebrated in the South Asian subcontinent?” “Does it follow all the rules of wedlock, caste, marriage, or heteronormativity as one is prescribed to follow in today’s world?”

The West did not introduce the idea of queerness in South Asia. There has always been a strong queer presence in our heritage. But it is not sufficient to embrace queer South Asians as just history, it is time to create an awareness of the long history of queer South Asian art spaces and reclaim its place in South Asian American arts and culture.

Performers Include:
Speaker/Hostess: Bhargavi Thakur
Musicians: Bhargavi Thakur, Vocalist; Randall Jamrok, Tabla; Dr. Sonny Patel, Bansuri Flute
Dancers: Colin Mascarenhas, Odissi Dance; Devika Dhir, Kathak Dance

Randall Jamrok is a Chicago-based tabla player dedicated to the South Asian classical music scene. Trained by Pt. Samir Chatterjee of the Farrukhabad Gharana, he has performed with renowned musicians, including bansuri maestro Steve Gorn and sarangi legend Pt. Ramesh Mishra. A soloist and accompanist, he also teaches music in Chicago.

Dr. Sonny Patel is a bansuri player in the tradition of Pt. Panna Lal Ghosh and a student of Lyon Leifer. He performs with the South Asian Music Ensemble at the University of Chicago and co-founded the Patel-Jamrok Duo. A physician, he also coaches debate for the Harvard Debate Council and Chicago’s Urban Debate League.

Bhargavi Thakur is a Washington, D.C.-based international development researcher and Hindustani classical vocalist trained in Khayal and Dhrupad. She has performed at platforms like South Asia Institute, Brooklyn Baithak, and Jashn-e-Rekhta. A visiting member of the band Do The Needful, she has also accompanied artists at the Ragamala festival.

Colin Mascarenhas is a Chicago-based Odissi dancer and LGBTQI+ activist. Trained in Mumbai under Guru Jhelum Paranjape. He has performed at prestigious venues in India and Chicago, including NCPA Mumbai, the Chicago Cultural Center, and Mandala Arts. He serves on the board of Trikone Chicago and advocates for queer South Asian artists.

Devika Dhir trains in the patiala gharana of kathak as a disciple of Ustad Dilshad Khan. She has also trained in bharatanatyam, completing her arangetram in 2017 under her guru, Priya Narayan. Devika has studied and performed several South Asian folk-dance styles, from Malaysia, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala. Today, she also studies ballet, flamenco and raqs sharqi styles of international dance.

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