July 2024 – Issue No. IV
Welcome to the July edition of Shor, a curation of South Asian experiences in New York City.
If you haven’t already, follow us on Instagram (@shor.nyc) for more live updates and event reminders. If you come across anything you think we should put in our newsletter, please DM there or shoot us an email at shor.newyork@gmail.com!
Events
A list of upcoming events in July.
Go Baba! Worldwide — Friday, July 5th
The DJ collective is back after their show in April, highlighting Afro, Arab, & Caribbean diasporas.
Elsewhere (Bushwick) | Dance & Music | Tickets
BIPOC Craft Circle — Wednesday, July 10th
Join the next edition of the bi-weekly craft circle at the Chai Spot.
The Chai Spot (Lower East Side) | Fashion & Community | Details
Aerial Acoustics — Thursday, July 11th
Join for the third installment of Aerial Acoustics, featuring multiple South Asian artists.
The Red Pavilion (Bushwick) | Dance & Music | Tickets
Moksha Red Carpet Premiere, Svarini New Collection Launch — Thursday, July 11th
Svarini brings their new collection to the screen with a short film and afterparty in BK.
RSVP to See Address (Greenpoint) | Film | Tickets
Haza Summer Jam — Saturday, July 13th
A summer darty hosted by Haza at Elsewhere.
Elsewhere (Bushwick) | Dance & Music | Tickets
Boiler Room: New York — Sunday, July 14th
A global dance music event ft. UK desi artists ft. performances by Nooriyah, Rico Nasty, Giggs, ZEEMUFFIN, Yaeji, and more.
Avant Gardener (Bushwick) | Dance & Music | Tickets
Yara Bey — Wednesday, July 17th
A rooftop DJ set at the Sultan Room by Yara Bey.
The Sultan Rooftop (Bushwick) | Dance & Music | Tickets
Kahani: Tea & Taste — Thursday, July 18th
A multi-course, tea infused, 5-course dining experience hosted in LES.
Location TBA (Lower East Side) | Dining | Tickets
Nikki Nair, DJ SWISHA, Bunni + Christian Tokyo, Linda — Friday, July 19th
A night at Paragon featuring various DJs.
Paragon (Bushwick) | Dance & Music | Tickets
Haza Silent Disco — Friday, July 19th
A silent disco hosted by Haza at Lincoln Center.
Lincoln Center (Columbus Circle) | Dance & Music | Tickets
Summer Mela — Saturday, July 20th
Join this year’s Summer Mela, packed with immersive experiences, a bustling bazaar, food & drinks, and a live DJ.
TBA (East Village) | Dance & Community | Tickets
New York Bengali Film Festival — Saturday, July 20th
Bengalis of NY are back for the second annual NY Bengali Film Festival.
Angelika (East Village) | Film | Tickets
Samosas & Soulmates: Summer Bash — Saturday, July 20th
Join the summer edition of live blind dates in front of a studio audience.
Location TBA | Comedy | Tickets
DJ Rekha's Basement Bhangra Beyond — Saturday, July 20th
Check out Priya Ragu, DJ Rekha, Ami Dang, Lady Pista + Guests at SummerStage for a free show out in Flushing.
Flushing Meadows Corona Park (Flushing) | Dance & Music | Details
Disco Tehran — Saturday, July 27th
A dance music event hosted by Disco Tehran featuring artists like GUI SCOTT x GOP TUN, PAPA JAZZ, HEYDI P, and MIRZA.
The Sultan Room (Bushwick) | Dance & Music | Tickets
COMING SOON (limited tickets)
ZEEMUFFIN Presents: Azadi — Friday, August 16th
The second edition of the new series hosted by DJ ZEEMUFFIN at Silo.
Silo (Bushwick) | Dance & Music | Tickets
Ali Sethi: New York — Monday, August 26th
Ali Sethi, Pakistani-American singer-songwriter performs at Blue Note Jazz Club.
Blue Note Jazz Club (Greenwich Village) | Dance & Music | Tickets
Jyoty Presents: Homegrown — Every Thursday, September
Jyoty bringing beats and good vibes to Public Records every Thursday this September.
Public Records (Gowanus) | 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 IG: @shor.nyc
Dining
New dining options in the city, from traditional to fusion flares.
Chef Hiranth Jaysinghe and Nat Milner opened a new vegan quick-serve dining option in mid-2024.
226 Front Street (Seaport) | Insta
Chef Jay Jadeja and his wife, Raquel, launched this Indian-Italian fusion joint back in April.
214 1st Ave (East Village) | Resy
Chai Corner: The Hideout
A monthly review of a chai spot in NYC.
The Hideout Chai Bar, established in 2016 in the Lower East Side, is a craft chai brewing company created as “a haven for tea enthusiasts seeking a cafe atmosphere.” Anuva Kachru (shoutout!) recommended it to me after spotting their “chai flight” on Instagram. The flight seemed like an ingenious concept, but execution is key, so I went to try it for myself with my friend Aakash, who was visiting from out of town.
Walking into Hideout, we were greeted with a sleek, minimalist ambiance reminiscent of Danish design and akin to a spot like La Cabra in the East Village. The spot brings third-wave coffee to chai in a way I haven’t seen replicated elsewhere. From chai flights to freshly crafted nitro chai, the intentional and limited menu added a modern twist to the traditional chai experience.
The chai flight let us sample a few different drinks, so we got to try their Earl Grey, Hojicha, Golden Milk, and masala chai. Each drink was refined and refreshing—perfect after a long morning outside in the city summer heat. The biggest surprise was that all of their drinks used oat milk. Although I typically prefer whole milk in my chai (you may recall me judging my sister’s Kolkata Chai Order back in the April edition #tbt), I was pleasantly surprised to find it creamy and packed with flavor. Given that all of Hideout’s drinks are dairy-free, it’s a great option for people looking for a good vegan chai in the city.
To be clear, this isn’t the spot to get the most authentic masala chai in New York—but, it’s not trying to be. If you’re downtown and want to cool down or get work done, this spot is a vibe and worth checking out.
— Archit
July Spotlight: Svarini
A micro-profile of South Asian changemakers.
In late June, I met with Sheel Yerneni, the 25-year old founder of Svarini, a sustainable, slow fashion brand blending Indian and American aesthetics with a Gen Z twist. Throughout our conversation, I learned more about what drove Sheel to start her own fashion brand, how her background inspires her work, and her latest pursuits as a filmmaker.
Though she studied software engineering in college, Sheel always knew she wanted to be an artist. Like many navigating the dual worlds of creative pursuits and the 9-to-5 grind, she realized early on that tech wasn’t her calling. “I was just doing what I thought I was supposed to be doing,” she admits.
Driven to start something of her own, Sheel’s venture into fashion sprouted organically. “I just started making clothes,” she states matter-of-factly, taking sewing classes with a local seamstress and trying her hand at dress designs. “I wanted to create something that I wish I had growing up.”
For Sheel, Svarini is more than a brand; it’s a love letter to her younger self. Raised in a conservative household, Sheel found inspiration in the contradictions of her upbringing. “I think there’s a lack of sex positivity, especially for women of color and brown girls,” she reflects, highlighting the cultural tensions that drove her towards the styles for Svarini. “I wanted to focus on this narrative of how you own how you want to dress.”
Although the name of the brand, Svarini, derived from Sanskrit, historically strikes a derogatory tone, Sheel hopes to reclaim the words' original meaning: a woman living by her own will, free from societal constraints. Taking a look at Svarini’s first collection, the brand achieves just that. The pieces effortlessly fuse Indian and American aesthetics, and staples like the “Svarini Corset” or the “Lounge Lehenga,” bring unique spins to traditional styles by using bold cuts and modern trends.
Last year, Svarini’s breakthrough at South Asian New York Fashion Week (SANYFW) marked a turning point. “I quit my job in September right after our break at fashion week,” she recalls, now working on the brand full-time. Over the past year, Sheel has poured herself into the second collection—a bold lineup almost double the size of her debut.
Breaking convention, she opted to debut the collection alongside a semi-autobiographical short film, “Moksha,” intertwining personal narrative with fashion. Written as a fantasy tale of her own coming-of-age, which is also the story of how Svarini came together, each scene of the film will reveal a new piece in the second collection. The short premieres at a screening party (linked above!) on July 11th and offers the only viewing of the film before it hits the festival circuit. The event will also debut the 25-piece second collection for the first time.
It’s always inspiring to chat with young South Asian creatives paving their own path. I’m certain this is only the beginning for Sheel and Svarini. I can’t wait to follow the story along, both on screen and on the runway.
— Urooba
Thank you!
If you read this far, thank you for checking out the July issue of SHOR! Feel free to follow our IG: @SHOR.NYC where we’ll be posting event reminders and more frequent updates.
We’ll see you in August!