February 2025 – Issue No. XI
Welcome to the February edition of SHOR, a curation of South Asian experiences in New York City.
In this issue we highlight February events, spotlight Saud Khan (@chaiguyy), and review Chaivio.
Events
A list of upcoming events in February.
Cha Festival — Weekends in February
NYC’s first celebration of Tea Culture.
161 Water Street (Seaport) | Community and Culture | Details
Veer Munshi: Healing Wounds — February 1 - March 8
Veer Munshi’s first NYC solo exhibit, displaying Kashmiri art and motifs of displacement from home and separation from one’s culture.
Aicon (NoHo) | Community and Culture | Details
BIPOC Craft Circle with Sounds by Jakari Wing— Wednesday, February 5th
BIPOC Craft Circle, hosted by Iman Usmani is headed to Jupiter Disco.
Jupiter Disco (Flushing) | Music and Community | Tickets
Harleen Kaur NYC Sample Sale — Friday—Saturday | February 7th - 8th
NYC sample sale for Indowestern clothing for all.
264 West 40th Street (Midtown) | Fashion | Tickets
Jetlag Presents: Spin the Bottle — Friday, February 7th
Jetlag presents a night at Nublu just in time for Valentine’s Day.
Nublu (Alphabet City) | Dance & Music | Tickets
PRIYA — Saturday, February 8th
PRIYA hosts a birthday concert with a live recording of her debut album.
The Cutting Room (Kips Bay) | Dance & Music | Tickets
VOYAGER : BOMBAYS, VYNL — Saturday, February 8th
BOMBAYS hits up the Sultan Room for his NYC debut.
Sultan Room (Bushwick) | Dance & Music | Tickets
Manasi Arya Presents: Chai & Paint — Monday, February 10th
Manasi Arya hosts a Chai and Paint at BG Clubhouse with cocktails by Teju.
BG Clubhouse (NoMad) | Art and Community | Tickets
Stay for Supper x Curry in a Hurry — Saturday, February 15th
A collab between Chef Lottie Gurvis and the twins behind Curry in a Hurry.
Brooklyn (Location TBA) | Food and Community | Tickets
Lunar Eclipse: KSHMR — Saturday, February 15th
KSHMR is back in NYC for a show at the Brooklyn Hangar.
The Brooklyn Hangar (Sunset Park) | Dance & Music | Tickets
Galentine’s @ Bazaar Supper Club— Saturday, February 15th
A 4-course South Asian fusion menu for galentines.
Location upon RSVP | Food and Community | Details
Drag Comedy Cabaret — Saturday, February 15th
Lady Bushra takes on Hell’s Kitchen.
Don’t Tell Mama (Hell’s Kitchen) | Comedy | Tickets
South Asia Archive: Library Pop Up — Saturday, February 15th
The first South Asia Archive library pop up at Climax Books NYC.
Climax Books (East Village) | Literature and Community | Details
Haza: Throwback Edition — Friday, February 21st
Haza returns with a throwback party at Littlefield.
Littlefield BK (Gowanus) | Dance & Music | Tickets
Floating Points — Friday, February 21st
Sam Shepherd at Knockdown Center, with Arushi Jain opening.
Knockdown Center (Flushing) | Dance & Music | Tickets
Omar’s World — Friday, February 21st
Omar takes on Xanadu for a night of blending cultural rhythms.
Xanadu (Bushwick) | Dance & Music | Tickets
Sahaiva Art Co. — Saturday, February 22nd
Put on by Saiva and SahayaTV to amplify the impact of art in fostering healing and connection.
G-Gallery (SoHo) | Art | Tickets
Tarka X Le Bain — Saturday, February 22nd
A curated night of global south DJ’s - Dynoman, Zara Dekho, Rajah Betta, and Amita.
Le Bain (Meatpacking) | Dance & Music | Tickets
Charu Suri — Sunday, February 23rd
Pianist and composer Charu Suri performs her original raga jazz compositions.
DROM (Alphabet City) | Dance & Music | Tickets
El Souq: Pop-Up Market — Sunday, February 23rd
SWANA & South Asian designers, artists & brands for a Ramadan market.
9 W. 8th Street (Greenwich Village) | Community | Details
Barzakh Majlis — Sunday, February 23rd
An evening of celebrating folk, devotional, world music, and dance by Barzakh.
Funoon (Greenpoint) | Community | Tickets
Reflections of Roman Art in the Buddhist Sculpture of Southern India — Tuesday, February 25th
Examine Gandhara art at the National Arts Club.
National Arts Club (Gramercy) | Art | Tickets
Saree About It — Friday, February 28th
A comedy show with Lady Bushra.
Don’t Tell Mama (Hell’s Kitchen) | Comedy | Tickets
COMING SOON
Manasi Arya Presents: Chai & Paint — Monday, March 10th
Manasi Arya hosts a Chai and Paint at BG Clubhouse.
BG Clubhouse (NoMad) | Art and Community | Tickets
Kiran Deol — Saturday, March 29th
Kiran Deol takes on NoHo with her comedy show, curated by Margaret Cho.
The Public Theater (NoHo) | Comedy| Tickets
Habibeats — Saturday, April 19th
Habibeats stops by NYC on his North America tour.
Brooklyn Paramount (Downtown Brooklyn) | Dance & Music | Tickets
Four Tet & Friends— Saturday-Sunday, May 17th-18th
Four Tet and Friends return to Under the K Bridge in May.
Under the K Bridge (Greenpoint) | Dance & Music | Tickets
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Know an event we should add to our next list? Shoot us a message at shor.newyork@gmail.com or DM us on Instagram!
February Spotlight: Saud Khan (Chaiguyy)
A micro-profile of South Asian changemakers.
Saud Khan, better known as Chaiguyy to his thousands of online followers, grew up in upstate New York, learning to cook in his parents' Pakistani restaurant. Still, his journey to the kitchen wasn’t a direct one.
As a NYC college student, Khan envisioned a future in martial arts, dedicating years to training in taekwondo. Yet, something always pulled him back home. “I’d call my mom and ask, ‘What’d you make for dinner?’ Biryani? I’m on my way,” he recalls. “Then I’d drive three hours home.”
That deep yearning for home-cooked meals would later define his approach to food. Khan’s philosophy is simple: the best Pakistani food isn’t found in restaurants—it’s found in someone’s home. His pop-ups, curated under the name Azad Kitchen, were built around that ethos, featuring menus that felt like something your grandmother might serve. “When I do my tasting menus, I think about it that way—as if you guys are coming to my house,” he says.
Though Kaafi, a small café in Harlem and Khan’s latest venture, only opened a few months ago, he is no newcomer to the restaurant industry. With over eight years of experience, he has launched cafés across upstate New York, including Alif Cafe in Lake George and Glens Falls, and has spent the last few years fine tuning his recipes in pop ups across New York City. Azad Kitchen has served everything from traditional dishes like papri chaat and nihari to creative twists like the gulab jamun doughnut—a dish that has since found its way onto the menu at Kaafi.
At Kaafi, Khan is filling a rare niche in the South Asian food scene: chai made to order. Every cup is brewed fresh, whether it’s a classic masala chai or the fan favorite brown sugar cardamom chai (check out Archit’s review last month!). And just as much attention is given to food. The menu, made entirely in-house, offers alu samosas, handmade rusk cake, parathas, and Khan’s personal favorite—the beet pakora.
His advice for newcomers in the industry? “Be 100% obsessed with whatever you do. If you’re going to change your career for something, make sure you don’t have a backup plan.”
After all, it’s this philosophy that has made Khan such a successful restaurateur. To him, it’s clear food isn’t just about business—it’s about recreating the comfort of home, one cup of chai at a time.
— Urooba
February Chai Corner: Chaivio
A monthly review of a chai spot in NYC.
If you had told me a few months ago that I’d be telling everyone I know to check out a chai spot inside a subway station in FiDi, I would have been highly skeptical. Not only because the words “NYC subway” and “good food and drink” rarely belong in the same sentence, but also because Fulton Street Station—crowded with chain restaurants and grab-and-go snack kiosks—doesn’t exactly inspire confidence. And yet, Chaivio, tucked inside this transit hub, has challenged my expectations.
Unlike the many chai cafés that strive to cultivate a sense of aesthetic serenity, Chaivio embraces the kinetic energy of its setting. Situated just steps from the subway entrance, it feels less like a cozy retreat and more like an efficient pit stop—one that instantly reminded me of a quick chai break at the Delhi airport.
The menu is expansive, spanning signature chais, kati rolls, and desi snacks—ideal for decompressing after a long workday or braving the throngs of tourists in lower Manhattan.
I’ve been twice—first with my friend Chailuv and then with Simran. On my initial visit, I sampled both the masala and adrak chai. The masala, with its warm spice blend, was a welcome antidote to a brisk afternoon in Nolita. But it was the adrak chai that stole the show—a perfect balance of creamy sweetness and sharp ginger heat. It has since become my go-to order. Both times, I took my cup to the Oculus, a seating compromise that wasn’t exactly comfortable but provided prime people-watching as I sipped.
Whether you're commuting home, catching a Liverpool match at Carragher’s, or playing tour guide for visiting relatives, Chaivio is a worthy detour—a chai spot that, against all odds, makes its home in the heart of the subway.
— Archit
Thank you!
If you read this far, thank you for checking out the February issue of SHOR! We will keep updating our events calendar throughout the month, but feel free to follow our instagram for event reminders and more frequent updates.
We’ll see you in March!