Alice Sparkly Kat is a Brooklyn based astrologer with a contemporary, cross-disciplinary practice that ranges from meticulous natal chart readings, to team building workshops, creative writing and art projects, and meme making, all with a view to decolonizing and queering astrology. Kajal staff writer Tara Kenny sat down with her to discuss the pitfalls of … Read More
The One Who Loves You So, writer and director Arun Welandawe-Prematilleke’s widely-anticipated original play, ran at Colombo’s Namel Malini Punchi theater in August. The play is a complex depiction of a short-lived relationship between two men, one “a wealthy Colombo trust-fund baby” and the other a British expatriate. Their relationship starts with an ordinary match … Read More
Hungama is new a club night curated by Ryan Lanji that launched in June 2018. “Hungama” loosely translates to “Bedlam” or “Chaos.” I recall my mother using similar words to describe my mental and physical state when I came out to her. I can imagine many queer South Asian people have been cussed out by … Read More
“Sanson ki mala pe simruun main pi ka naam…” she sings, “I bead my beloved’s name on the garland of my breaths…” The way a song comes back to us, how music filters in and out of our lives revisiting us when an event turns or emotions well up, is magic. When dancer and educator … Read More
Looking through the early works of Indian photographer, Sunil Gupta, I’m struck by the purity of their intimacy and the easy way in which he captured the warmth of his subjects. Gupta did not yet identify as an artist when he created the works, now on view at Stephen Bulger Gallery in Toronto. He was … Read More
Representation helps us unlearn. This year, I grappled with my perspectives about celebrity, integrity, and accuracy because of the U.S. state of affairs. I asked myself how much representation really mattered or how much it could really change things. I became increasingly critical of mainstream TV shows and cinema. I lost faith in the power … Read More
Marvia Malik, a 21 year old journalism graduate and model, has just been hired as Pakistan’s first transgender news anchor. Malik was hired by the station Kohenoor TV. She made news earlier this month as the first transgender model on the runway at the Pakistan Fashion Design Council. Overwhelmed by the love and support she … Read More
In a country where homosexuality is outlawed, the internet provides both an escape and meeting place for LGBTQ Sri Lankans. Experts in Colombo are now studying ways to ensure the safety of LGBTQ Sri Lankans as they log on. A recent study into internet use amongst LGBTQ Sri Lankans was launched in Colombo earlier this … Read More
My Beautiful Laundrette (dir. Stephen Frears) is a beloved British film of the 1980s. It was pioneering in its depiction of a romance between a young Pakistani entrepreneur, Omar (Gordon Warnecke), and his lapsed-fascist former schoolmate, Johnny (Daniel Day-Lewis), as they strove together to revive Omar’s uncle’s failing laundrette in South London. While it was … Read More
Prince Manvendra Singh Gohil of Rajpipla, India’s first openly gay prince, opened the doors of his palace to LGBTQ people in need this week. Among other things, he plans to offer them shelter, medical facilities, vocational training. A long-time gay rights activist, Gohil made headlines in 2006 after coming out to his family. His family promptly disowned him and people of Rajpipla … Read More
