Haute Couture Meets Hijab, East Meets West

Khan’s Spring 2007 Collection (NYMagazine.Com)

Rising star Naeem Khan recently created a stir with his Spring, 2007 collection of flirty, vibrant cocktail dresses. Last week, Khan and other designers joined forces at New York Fashion Week to raise awareness and funds for Darfur.

Participants in “Designers for Darfur” included Luca Luca, BCBG Max Azria, and Rabia Yalcin, a conservative Muslim designer interested in marrying high fashion with Islamic sensibilities.“In private, clothing should reflect a woman’s sensuality,” says the Istanbul-based Yalcin. In public, she wants to help “show the beauty of the flower while covering the flower.”

All profits generated through the fundraiser go directly to the Save Darfur Coalition.

Khan and Yalcin join the growing cadre of eastern designers, showcasing their work in New York (remember Sabyasachi Mukherjee’s collection from Olympus Fashion Week earlier this year?).

Namesake In Chicago

Apna Ghar hosts a special screening of The Namesake in Chicago this Thursday, February 22, with donations to benefit the nonprofit organization. Mira Nair will take questions after the screening. Taking its name from a Hindi-Urdu phrase meaning “Our Home,” Apna Ghar is a domestic violence shelter serving primarily Asian women and children in the Midwest.

The film’s official North American release is on March 9. Fox Searchlight offers the chance to RSVP for free screenings of the film in selected cities.

Reviews:
Film Journal International
Time Out London
Variety
Salon

Guruji’s Canuck Clinic

Room at Brampton (OslerFoundation.Com)

Ontario’s Brampton Civic Hospital plans to open its doors in October of this year–and when it does, it’ll be “due in no small measure to the generosity of the South Asian community, particularly residents with Punjabi roots who live in the area.”

That’s because the desi community in Brampton is responsible for raising almost $3.5 million. The hospital’s ER is to be named after Guru Nanak Dev.

“I won’t lie. That (name) was a huge push for our campaign. It’s an emotional connection so it was really well-received in the community,” said Ramandeep Grewal, a fundraiser and member of the Canadian Sikh Subcommittee.

The Toronto Star reports that the Ontario Federation of Hindu Temples has pledged $2.5 million and the Muslim Friends association an additional $1 million.

When completed, Brampton Community will house 608 beds and be able to accommodate 90,000 ER visits annually.

Shake Your Biryani

Ricky Martin (MTV Finland)

When the tsunami devastated South(east) Asia two years ago, pop phenom Ricky Martin packed his bags and headed to the region (you might remember seeing him on Oprah, talking about his experiences).

Since then, the artist has deepened his ties to India, working to help little girls in Calcutta—forced into a life of prostitution—off the streets (“We started this project with one girl. Today we have 167”).

Soon after, Martin performed at the Taj Mahal in an effort to raise awareness and money for children affected by HIV/AIDS.

“After spending time in silence, away from the stage, I had the time to travel and exchange ideas with people from all over the world–Brazil, Thailand, India, Egypt,” he tells reporters. “Being influenced by all these cultures in a creative process, I’ve learned how connected we all are.”

Next month Martin returns to India, where he will be performing at a “high profile shaadi” in Jaipur.

For more on Martin’s humanitarian efforts (and how you can help), visit the Ricky Martin Foundation.

Drop That Beat

Friction: BigChill.Net

As a huge BBC Asian Network fan (Adil Ray!) I’m thrilled to hear the station’s late-night turntablist extraordinaire Bobby Friction will be in New York City next month.

You can catch Friction, part of the British Invasion Tour, on Thursday, February 1st at the Tribeca Cinemas.

The event is jointly sponsored by Project Ahimsa and HeyLetsGo.Com.

Discounted advance tickets are currently selling for $19.

All proceeds from the tour will support Project Ahimsa efforts to empower global youth through music.

More:
On Project Ahimsa
On Bobby Friction
Friction’s MySpace
Bobby Friction and Nihal on BBC Radio 1

Two Years Later

Lanterns over Andaman Sea in tribute to tsunami victims. REUTERS/Chaiwat Subprasom

Two years ago, one of the most powerful earthquakes recorded triggered giant waves that destroyed villages in several nations along the Indian Ocean shores and took the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. On Tuesday people in the affected areas marked the tsunami’s second anniversary with all manner of tributes, including tears, prayers, silence and jitters induced by powerful earthquakes in Taiwan that triggered a temporary tsunami alert.

Last year Nirali covered the stories of survivors and those who helped out with the recovery efforts following the destruction (“Wave of Destruction,” 2/05). Orlantha Ambrose, a Sri Lankan American whose work with children and music education took her from Los Angeles to Colombo, was one of those people in the path of the tsunami who did not survive. Look for more on Ambrose and Strings by the Sea, the non-profit she founded which continues her mission of bringing music to underprivileged kids, in an upcoming issue.

Related: Swing Batter-Batter, Becoming Family: A Tsunami Relief Documentary

Swing Batter-Batter

Babu/Reuters

You knew he could swing a racket, but a cricket bat?

Roger Federer spent yesterday 100 miles south of Chennai, playing a few rounds of cricket with the displaced children of the Pudupettai rehabilitation colony.

The children have been homeless since the tsunami hit on December 26, 2004.

The tsunami-death toll stands at just under 300,000 people (18,000 in India alone).

“In the beginning they threw the ball at me slowly, and then realized that I was not that bad after all,” said Federer of his fellow cricketers.

“In the end, they did get me out.”

The boys, of Tamil Nadu’s Cuddalore district, were said to be “delighted” with the visit. Roger Federer is a top-seeded tennis player and a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF.

For more on how you can help with tsunami recovery efforts, visit MercyCorps.Com or go to the UNDP’s relief site.

Singing for South Asia

ZameerMusic.com

Bhangra legends and rock stars on the same night? Sharing a stage?

Wow. Double wow.

On January 20th, Toronto’s “Harbourfront Centre” will host the Sing for South Asia charity event. All proceeds will be dedicated to the “ongoing rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts following the devastating earthquake that shook Kashmir on Oct 8, 2005.”

$45 Canadian (40 if you’re a student) gets you in to see Bhangra powerhouse RDB, and the brothers Zameer, live. As a bonus we’re told Noori and, Nirali fave, Deesha will be performing.

Tickets will be available soon and are expected to sell out. Go here for details.

Yunus Takes It To the Bank

Banker to the poor, Muhammad Yunus accepted this year’s Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo last Sunday.

The 66-year old Bangladeshi economist shared the award with his revolutionary “Grameen Bank.” For the past twenty years, Yunus and Grameen have helped impoverished people get out of debt, and go on to become self-sufficient entrepreneurs. Most recipients of the bank’s small loans (known as “microcredits”) are women.

“We must address the root causes of terrorism to end it for all time,” Yunus told guests at Oslo’s City Hall. “I believe putting resources into improving the lives of poor people is a better strategy than spending it on guns.”

Read the complete transcript of Yunus’s speech here.

For more on the Grameen Foundation–and to find out how you can help this holiday season–visit their website.

Bulay Bulay: Do It For The Kids

Click here for more details.

Voted one of the top five nights for dancehall, dub and worldly beats by the San Francisco Bay Guardian, Non Stop Bhangra is a collective of DJs, dancers and dhol players who produce local events bringing bhangra to the Bay area.

Project Ahimsa is a non-profit bringing music teachers and instruments to children around the world. (Visit the web site to learn more about the organization and listen to some great tracks playing in the background.)

Together, they present a Bulay Bulay benefit for kids on Thursday, December 7, at the Roe Lounge in San Francisco. All funds raised will benefit Project Ahimsa’s grantees—NGOs/non-profits providing youth music education programs in Nicaragua (Building New Hope), Guatemala (Escuela Oficial Urbana Mixta), Argentina (Tantanakuy Assosiation) and the Bay Area (Bay Area Video Coalition, art in action).

Update: Another musical fundraiser for Project Ahimsa.