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Oral History Interview with Sheila James and Rachel Kalpana James (2014)
Sheila and Rachel, in this oral history interview, speak about their roles in Desh Pardesh, as a contributor and a programming coordinator, respectively. They explain the internal mechanisms of Desh, as well as its public perception at the time. They…
Oral History Interview with Leela Acharya
Acharya was an activist that was involved in the progressive feminist scene in Toronto prior to hearing about Desh Pardesh. She later went on to work in the programming committee for Desh Pardesh. In this interview, Acharya discusses how the…
Oral History Interview with Anthony Mohamed (2015)
In this interview Anthony Mohamed, and HIV/AIDS activist and attendee of the Desh Pardesh festival discusses several social movements that took place for the LGBTQ community from the 1940s till the 1990s. He discusses the impact of racism within the…
Oral History Interview with Shelly Bahl (2015)
Shelly Bahl was one of the founders of the South Asian Visual Arts Centre (SAVAC). In this interview she discusses her role in several small collectives prior to her full involvement in SAVAC, and how these collectives worked hand in hand with the…
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 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 Cameron Bailey (2011)
In this oral history, Cameron Bailey focuses on the uniqueness of Toronto’s art scene; he says that artists in Toronto can work together despite difference. He is only vaguely aware of the politics within Desh Pardesh. He also speaks about…