New York City's South Asian Cultural Guide

We don't list everything. That's the point.

Issue No. 020 · July 16, 2026

Editor's Note

Twenty issues. This Saturday in Queens. And a week that starts tonight.

Today, we're launching Being Okay in NYC.

We want stories. South Asian New Yorkers who built a life here without a map, alone or together with someone, and came out the other side knowing they'd made something real. Not the highlight reel. The part you actually remember.

It goes into a living archive, something you and your kids can look back on, a record of the city you built together. Write it yourself or let us do it interview-style. Either works, as long as it's true and all yours.

Write to us at contact@bollywood.nyc or on Instagram at @212.Bollywood.NYC.

Now, the week. Tomorrow: Umer Piracha performs Pakistani Sufi songs at Beef Up Noodle, a Chinese noodle restaurant in Gramercy, 3 to 5pm. That sentence is not a typo. It's the premise of a recurring series called From Zayton to New York -- and Zayton is the ancient Arab name for Quanzhou, the Silk Road port city where Chinese and Islamic traders converged for centuries. Vol.14 of the series. The Words section explains why this matters.

July 18: DJ Rekha at Flushing Meadows (free), Barzakh Mehfil at Saint John's in the Village (7pm), and Sharam Nahi! comedy at Cheeni in Brooklyn (8pm). Three ways to spend a Saturday. July 24: Fatimah Asghar reads from her new collection Daughter of the Mountains at Judson Memorial Church. RSVP at mcnallyjackson.com.

-- The Editors, Bollywood.NYC

This Week

Tonight, Jul 16: Akash Bajpai "Next Up" at Greenwich Village Comedy Club, 9pm. Sat, Jul 18: DJ Rekha at Flushing Meadows, 5pm (free). Barzakh Mehfil, Saint John's in the Village, 7pm. Sharam Nahi! at Cheeni Brooklyn, 8pm. Wed, Jul 23: Kahat Kabir: BRM at Barzakh Cafe, 8pm. Night before Ronobir Lahiri at Sultan Room and Fatimah Asghar at Judson (Jul 24).

The Edit
01
Editor's Pick Free

DJ Rekha's Basement Bhangra Beyond -- Flushing Meadows-Corona Park

Saturday, July 18 · 5 PM · Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, Queens · Free

In 1997, DJ Rekha started Basement Bhangra at SOB's in SoHo. The promoters told her to keep it safe and not play too much Punjabi music. She ignored that. The party ran for 20 years and launched careers -- M.I.A.'s first US performance was at Basement Bhangra. The New York Times called her Bhangra's Ambassador. She has a master's degree in Comparative Media from MIT. On Saturday July 18, Basement Bhangra Beyond comes to Flushing Meadows-Corona Park in Queens. Free. With Jaz Dhami, Mitika Kanwar, and Babbulicious. Presented in association with the Queens Borough President. Bring someone who hasn't heard of her.

Details -- cityparksfoundation.org
02
Comedy

Sharam Nahi! An Evening of Comedy and South Asian Bites -- Cheeni, Brooklyn

Saturday, July 18 · 8 PM · Cheeni, 485 Tompkins Ave, Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn · $15

Sharam Nahi means No Shame. Hosted by Kesav Wable, with a dessert takeover by Black Zaffron and South Asian snacks from Cheeni. Saturday July 18 at 8pm, $15, Bed-Stuy. The same evening as DJ Rekha at Flushing Meadows and Barzakh Mehfil at Saint John's in the Village. Three boroughs, one Saturday. Plan accordingly.

Tickets -- Resy
03
Music

Kahat Kabir: BRM Concert and Jam -- Barzakh Cafe, Brooklyn

Wednesday, July 23 · 8 to 10 PM · Barzakh Cafe, 147 Utica Ave, Brooklyn

Brooklyn Raga Massive and Barzakh Cafe co-present an evening of Kabir's poetry in music. "Kahat Kabir" means "Kabir speaks." Kabir was a 15th-century mystic poet from Varanasi who rejected caste from both Hindu and Islamic traditions. His dohas -- the two-line couplets he wrote -- are still sung at weddings, in devotional gatherings, and at concerts like this one, 600 years later. Wednesday July 23, 8 to 10pm, Barzakh Cafe, Crown Heights. The night before Ronobir Lahiri at Sultan Room and Fatimah Asghar at Judson Memorial Church.

Tickets -- Viewcy
Coming Soon -- Worth a Look
Thu, Jul 24

Ronobir Lahiri: Ronobir Live in Brooklyn -- Sultan Room Rooftop, Bushwick

Sitarist described as the Jimi Hendrix of the Sitar. He invented the Dautar, a hybrid of guitar, sitar, and cello. Has worked with Katy Perry, Ziggy Marley, and Lil Nas X. Thursday July 24 on the Sultan Room Rooftop, 234 Starr St, Bushwick. Elevator access. 21+. Same night as Fatimah Asghar at Judson Memorial Church.

Tickets -- DICE
Fri, Jul 31

Sammy Virji: North America Tour 2026 -- Brooklyn Army Terminal

DJ Mag Best Producer 2025. Record-breaking crowds at Coachella. UK Garage pioneer. British-Indian. Open-air show at Brooklyn Army Terminal, 140 58th St, Sunset Park. Friday July 31, 4pm. 18+. Rain or Shine. Tickets from $95. Continues Saturday August 1.

Tickets -- DICE
Sat, Aug 1

2026 Bengali Film Festival -- SVA Theatre, Manhattan

4th annual Bengali Film Festival by Bengalis of New York. SVA Theatre, 333 W 23rd St, Chelsea. Bengali cinema, filmmaker Q&As, and the Bengali Met Gala red carpet. Saturday August 1. Same night as Sammy Virji's second night at Brooklyn Army Terminal.

Tickets -- Posh
Sun, Aug 2 -- Selling Fast

Vishal-Shekhar: Superhit Tour -- Tilles Center, Greenvale, NY

Vishal Dadlani and Shekhar Ravjiani at Tilles Center for the Performing Arts, LIU Post, Greenvale, Long Island. Sunday August 2, 6pm. From $49. Selling fast. Day after the Bengali Film Festival.

Tickets -- Sulekha

Words

"Ask not the caste of the sage -- ask instead for wisdom. Value the sword for its blade; let the scabbard lie."

Kabir (c. 1440-1518), doha (couplet), 15th century

Kabir was born to a Muslim weaver family in Varanasi. He rejected caste from both Hindu and Islamic traditions -- considered an outsider by both. When he died, his Hindu and Muslim followers fought over the body. When they lifted the shroud, they found only flowers. His words are still performed at weddings, in temples, at Sufi gatherings, and on Wednesday July 23, at Barzakh Cafe in Brooklyn by Brooklyn Raga Massive. Six hundred years later. The doha is not a poem about religion. It is a poem about what actually matters.

Know someone who should be reading this? The list grows one good recommendation at a time.

Forward this issue →

Being Okay in NYC -- Now Open

The inaugural essay, "Alone in NYC," is at bollywood.nyc/features. We are looking for contributors -- South Asian New Yorkers who built a life here without a map. Write to us at contact@bollywood.nyc or on Instagram at @212.Bollywood.NYC.

ICYMI: The City Around You

Fatimah Asghar and Chani Nicholas at Judson Memorial Church, July 24, 7pm -- RSVP at mcnallyjackson.com. Hans Raj Hans at HK Hall August 7 and 8. India Day Parade, Madison Avenue, August 16, free. Sonu Nigam at Nassau Coliseum, September 13. L Shankar at Adler Hall, September 18 (WMI). Charli XCX (half Gujarati, half Sri Lankan) at Barclays Center, September 14 and 15. Kanan Gill at Town Hall, October 3. Laughing Lassi NYC South Asian Comedy Festival, October 16-18. Carnegie Hall inaugural Indian music festival, May 21-23, 2027.

Be Part of It

If you have something worth saying,
we will help you say it louder.

Bollywood.NYC proudly supports South Asian comedians and women-run businesses. These are not afterthoughts. They are priorities. If you're a comic building an audience, a founder running something with purpose, or an organizer putting on something this community needs to know about, write to us at contact@bollywood.nyc. We read every one.

We're especially looking for:

  • Comedy shows and stand-up showcases
  • Women-led businesses, brands, and events
  • Cultural performances and live music
  • Panels, professional mixers, and community gatherings
  • Anything that feels intentional, not just loud

We don't feature everything. But when we do, we mean it. And so does our audience.