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Oral History Interview with Paramjit Rai (2014)
Paramjit Rai was a volunteer and co-coordinator at Desh Pardesh for a number of years. She discusses her experience as a social policy worker and academic at the festival and how this role of “outsider” informed her perspective on the festival. She…
Oral History Interview with Ian Iqbal Rashid (2015)
Ian Iqbal Rashid is a poet and writer, and one of the co-founders of Desh Pardesh. In this interview he discusses the conception of Desh, its original visions and its its manifestation into an internationally recognized event. Rashid was not involved…
Oral History Interview with Michelle Mohabeer
Mohabeer discusses her experience of moving to Canada during the 1970s, when racism, sexism and homophobia were rampant. She also discusses briefly her experience as a Pakistani person in a time where Paki-bashing was common place. Mohabeer then goes…
Oral History Interview with Zainab Verjee (2015)
Verjee talks about her experience interacting with the Desh Pardesh festival in the late 1990s. She was not involved directly at an organizational level, but comes from a background in community organization because of her involvement in groups such…
Oral History Interview with Pamila Matharu (2014)
Matharu discusses the critical progressive nature of the Desh Pardesh festival, and how this was targeted specifically for a population of people of colour. Matharu also touches briefly on the intergenerational nature of the festival, and how this…
Oral History Interview with Shyam Selvadurai (2015)
Selvadurai, a writer and cartoonist, discusses his involvement with the Desh Pardesh festival and analyzes the deep identity politics that permeated every conversation held at the festival. He is a Sri Lankan born gay man in a festival where Sri…
Oral History Interview with Natasha Singh
In her oral history, Natasha Singh articulates why Desh was so influential, and also goes into depth about the world-wide influence Desh had on South Asian festivals. Additionally, she gives an example of how Desh empowered her in her everyday life.
Oral History Interview with Leah Lakshami (c.2015)
Leah Lakshimi, in this oral history, recounts her experience coming to the arts scene in Toronto, where she felt included and respected as a South Asian artist. This was distinct from her experience in the United States and other areas of Canada,…
Oral History Interview with Gitanjali Kolanad (2015)
In this oral history, Gita Kolanad talks about performing both in Singapore and in Toronto, as a writer, dancer, and martial artist. She says that what is most distinct about audiences in Toronto is their refusal of essentializing South Asian art.…
Oral History Interview with Dunstan Egbert (2015)
In this oral history Dunstan Egbert describes how he started volunteering with the Alliance for South Asian AIDS Prevention (ASAAP), and Desh Pardesh. He also worked with Khush, but explains why he identifies more as a ASAAP and Desi participant than…