November 2024 – Issue No. VIII
Welcome to the November edition of SHOR, a curation of South Asian experiences in New York City.
In this issue we highlight November events, plug new restaurant openings, spotlight Ashish Yamdagni, and review Desi Stop & Deli’s chai.
Events
A list of upcoming events in November.
Sabri Brothers @ Barzakh — Friday, November 1st
The Qawwali Group from the UK takes on Barzakh Cafe
Barzakh Café (Crown Heights) | Dance & Music | Tickets
Laylit — Saturday, November 2nd
Lalylit returns to Elsewhere with tunes from the SWANA region
Elsewhere (Bushwick) | Dance & Music | Tickets
Fareed Ayaz and Abu Mohammad Qawwals — Saturday, November 2nd
Qawwali Sufi music in concert with two masters of the art.
Peter Jay Sharp Theatre (Lincoln Square) | Dance & Music | Tickets
No Nazar — Saturday, November 2nd
No Nazar takes on SILO Brooklyn.
SILO (Bushwick) | Dance & Music | Tickets
Diwali-Ween — Saturday, November 2nd
Yuva Presents: Diwaliween.
Red Eye (Hell’s Kitchen) | Dance & Music | Tickets
Rogue Gestures/Foreign Bodies — Sunday, November 3rd
Nava Dance Theatre takes on LES in collaboration with the Kala Collective.
53 Chambers St (Lower East Side) | Dance & Music | Tickets
Tinashe (Raveena Opening) — Monday, November 4th
Tinashe takes on her tour with Raveena opening.
Brooklyn Paramount (Fort Greene) | Dance & Music | Tickets
Mala Beads Creation Class — Thursday, November 7th
Make your own Mala for charity
BG Club House (NoMad) | Community | Details
Jetlag Presents: The Soundscape — Thursday, November 7th
Amplifying sounds from South Asia.
Shrine (Harlem) | Dance & Music | Tickets
Queer Diwali Ball — Friday, November 8th
Intro presents a charity benefit for Desi Rainbow Parents and Allies.
3 Dollar Bill (Williamsburg) | Dance & Music | Tickets
Drinks First Diwali — Saturday, November 9th
Drinks First presents its 3rd annual Diwali with sounds from Arjun Shah, Offering Rain, and others.
Georgia Room (Gramercy) | Dance & Music | Tickets
Story Time with Raakhee Mirchandani — Saturday, November 9th
Award-winning writer Raakhee Mirchandani presents two picture book readings at Greenlight’s story time.
Greenlight Bookstore (Fort Greene) | Literature | Tickets
Diwali Garba Night — Saturday, November 9th
Navratri garba event in NYC to raise money for the Women's Education Project.
Govinda’s Kitchen (Downtown Brooklyn) | Cultural | Tickets
DJ Halla @ Somewhere Nowhere! Sunset Set — Saturday, November 9th
DJ Halla takes on Somewhere Nowhere for a sunset DJ set.
Somewhere Nowhere (Flatiron) | Dance & Music | Tickets
Grand Opening - Sat Chit Ananda Art Show — Saturday, November 9th
HOUSE OF GUL and SOUTH ASIAN AVANT-GARDE present the opening of an art show in the Gul Gallery NYC space.
294 Broome St (Lower East Side) | Arts | Tickets
South Asian Fashion & Beauty Pop-Up Event — Saturday, November 9th
Discover the latest collections from Jaipur Rose jewelry, Simmi + Guntaj clothing, and Oceglow skincare.
208 West 30th Street (Midtown South) | Fashion and Jewelry | Tickets
Abby Govindan: How to Embarrass Your Immigrant Parents — Monday, November 11th
Abby Govindan performs as part of New York Comedy Festival.
Union Hall (Park Slope) | Comedy | Tickets
NAAAP NY Presents: A Cross-Industry Diwali Celebration — Tuesday, November 12th
Join NAAAP for a Diwali celebration at 30 Rock.
30 Rock (Midtown) | Culture and Community | Tickets
South Asian Trailblazers Presents: Jay Sean — Thursday, November 14th
Jay Sean joins South Asian Trailblazers for a live podcast event in Hudson Yards.
Boston Consulting Group (Hudson Yards) | Community | Tickets
Society of Cloth — Friday, November 15th
Society of Cloth opens an in-person store in LES.
61 Hester St. (LES) | Fashion | Walk In
We Go to Raves — Friday, November 15th
Sincerely Ophelia hosts a collection of South Asian DJs.
221 2nd Avenue (East Village) | Dance & Music | Tickets
Haza: 5th Anniversary — Friday, November 15th
Haza’s 5th anniversary at Superior Ingredients.
Superior Ingredients (Williamsburg) | Dance & Music | Tickets
Asian AF Presented by the New York Comedy Festival — Saturday, November 16th
New York Comedy Festival brings this premier comedy variety show to UCB Theater.
242 E 14th St (Union Square) | Comedy | Tickets
Heat.Wav Vol.2 — Saturday, November 16th
Rajah Betta, Raga, King Tutt, LovelyDaze, and Coco Prosecco at Keybar.
Keybar (Bushwick) | Dance & Music | Tickets
Kutti Gang — Sunday, November 17th
Kutti Gang takes on The Stand as part of New York Comedy Festival.
The Stand (Union Square) | Dance & Music | Tickets
The Spaces In-Between: Conversations on Feminism, Sexuality, and Identity — Monday, November 18th
Sabyn Javeri, author of "Hijabistan," speaks about her work on women's sexuality, identity, and the hijab.
19 Washington Square N (Greenwich Village) | Literature | Tickets
StoryTell Big Talk: Forgiveness — Wednesday, November 20th
Isha Joshi hosts a gathering of intellectual and emotional connection.
RSVP for Address (Bushwick) | Community | Tickets
Nayantara Roy: The Magnificient Ruins — Thursday, November 21st
Nayantara Roy in conversation with Megha Majumdar.
Books are Magic Montague (Brooklyn Heights) | Literature | Tickets
Governing Forests Book Launch — Friday, November 22nd
Arpitha Kodiveri launches Governing Forests in conversation with Charanya Ramakrishnan.
Bluestockings Cooperative Bookstore (LES) | Literature | Tickets
Mira Nair’s Take on Modern Indian Cinema — Saturday, November 23rd
Mira Nair presents a hand-picked program of contemporary films at Metrograph.
Metrograph (LES) | Film | Tickets
Silsila x Fundraiser — Saturday, November 23rd
A DJ set fundraiser supporting Building Beats and MECA.
JADE (Bushwick) | Dance & Music | Tickets
DJ Rekha's Bollywood Disco: Thxgiving Edition — Wednesday, November 27th
DJ Rekha at the Sultan Room.
Sultan Room | Dance & Music | Tickets
SUKHA — Saturday, November 30th
Sukha’s first NYC show at Musica NYC.
637 West 50th Street (Hell’s Kitchen) | Dance & Music | Tickets
Secret Supper — Saturday - Sunday, November 30th - December 1st
Zainab Saeed partners with Makani Homes to provide another supper club experience.
Location on Day Of Dinner (TBD) | Dining | Tickets
COMING SOON (limited tickets)
Bollywood Bounce — Saturday, December 7th
Myyuh from Haza Party performs at Xanadu.
Xanadu (Bushwick) | Dance & Music | Tickets
Dina Ayeda — Wednesday, December 11th
Dina Ayeda takes on NYC in early December.
Baby’s Alright (Williamsburg) | 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!
Dining
New dining options in the city, from traditional to fusion flares.
A new Bengali restaurant that recently opened in LIC.
10-57 Jackson Ave (LIC) | Reserve via Google
Sri Lankan and South Indian food at a recently opened restaurant on the UES.
1136 1st Avenue (UES) | Reservations
November Spotlight: Ashish Yamdagni
A micro-profile of South Asian changemakers.
In late October, I sat down with Ashish Yamdagni, a NYC-based video producer, founder, and content creator, dedicated to forging a path for South Asian stories. Through our conversation, I learned about the “butterfly effect” of Ashish’s career, and the different experiences that eventually led him towards The Third Place, the creative agency he co-founded earlier this year.
Ashish Yamdagni’s creativity journey began in the quiet suburbs of Orlando, where he grew up. From afternoons spent playing Neopets on his dad’s computer to creating impromptu videos with friends in his backyard, Ashish’s childhood was always filled with imaginative exploration. Though he developed a love for storytelling early on, the decision to study film at the University of Miami was a fraught one. Despite having no connections to the industry and switching out of pre-med halfway through college, however, Ashish was determined to forge a creative path for himself.
Throughout Ashish’s journey, however, one quality has remained constant: his entrepreneurial spirit. Though not a dancer himself, Ashish got involved with the Bollywood dance community at the University of Miami, growing infamous for producing videos for dancers and trying his hand at event production. Eventually, his connections in the space led to him launching Legends, a national Bollywood dance championship created with the Desi Dance Network.
Still, Ashish remained steady in his determination to return to work in storytelling and production. Blending his film background with his role in Legends, Ashish partnered with Zee TV, one of the biggest television networks in the world, to create a documentary special about the championship. The project eventually lead him to work with Zee TV full-time as a production manager. And later, his roles in production and editing led him to Popshift, where his work as a video producer amassed over 150M+ views.
Today, Ashish brings his portfolio and experience to The Third Place, a full-service creative agency he co-founded and where he now serves as an executive producer. Built by a small three-person team, all children of immigrants, the founders hope to bring their skills together to help brands reach the heart of their community. The agency’s mission is ambitious but focused: to bring South Asian voices into the mainstream, approaching their projects with a social-first content strategy. Though only launched in March of this year, the agency is already making an moves with familiar clients like Kolkata Chai Co., TapTap Send, and Skillshare.
We can’t wait to see how The Third Place grows, and follow Ashish’s creative journey in NYC.
— Urooba
November Chai Corner: Desi Stop & Deli
A monthly review of a chai spot in NYC.
I’ve walked past Desi Stop & Deli in the East Village for over two years and just haven’t gone in. Finally returning to the city after some time away, I decided to walk in. Time away makes the heart grow fonder? I don’t know, there’s definitely an idiom or lesson in there somewhere. Someone correct me or let me know if this I’m wrong, but I think this might be the only area in Manhattan where you can hit three desi delis (Punjabi Deli, Pakistani Punjabi Deli, and this spot) within a five-minute walk. Shoutout to the East Village I guess.
Walking in, the vibe is exactly what you'd expect: no frills, filled with people just hanging out and grabbing a quick bite to eat. It's the kind of place you stumble into after a long day at work, or when you're catching up with a friend and your both are craving Channa Bhatura. I’ve mentally clocked it as a spot to check out when I’m craving home food (my cooking isn’t cutting it yet).
The chai itself? Not bad. Truthfully, the first sip was underwhelming – and perhaps my expectations were too high. I think I was expected a doodh heavy / doodh chai like the other neighborhood desi delis. But it did grow on me after I changed my frame of mind on what I had ordered. It's definitely built for grab-and-go and would sip well with desi food, but it’s not necessarily a spot to go out of your way to get chai. The masala game is subtle – maybe too subtle – and something about it makes me think the milk boil could’ve been longer. Sometimes I worry that I'm turning into one of those annoying sommeliers who claim they can taste "notes of whatever" in everything. Soon I’m going to be saying things like “I can just TELL they used tea leaves from Darjeeling rather than Assam.”
This whole review experience sent me down an existential chai spiral: What actually makes chai good? Is it the boiling time with the chai patti? Is it the type of milk you use or the length of boiling? Or can adding enough sugar and masala mask everything?
Bottom line: If you're already there grabbing a quick bite, the chai will do the job. It's not destination-worthy, but it's also not trying to be. Sometimes, that's exactly what you need – a no-nonsense cup of chai that gets the job done without making you think too hard about whether the cardamom was hand-ground or if the tea leaves were harvested at the perfect altitude. Excited to be back and appreciate everyone sending me chai spots to check out. Cheers.
— Archit
Thank you!
If you read this far, thank you for checking out the November 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 November!