DIDIHOOD ~ Issue 15

May marks Asian Heritage Month and here at Didihood, we want to take a moment to celebrate all the women who have been working their butts off to inspire the next generation of brown creatives. 

May is also a special month our chapter in Vancouver: We are partnering with 5X Fest to present a gallery exhibit called Himmat: Celebrating the Women Around Us.

Himmat means strength and this event will be a gallery-social commentary event showcasing a glimpse into the lives of 10+ diverse women from the South Asian diaspora. With Mother's Day on May 12, we decided to recognize the strength, courage, toil, and resilience South Asian women of the generations before us foster. You can get tickets here.

Meet the Didis:

This month we spoke to Pakistani-Canadian punk rock star Urvah Khan. Khan is all about disrupting spaces and inspiring a new generation of rockers. 

Tell me more about your interest in punk rock? When did this start?
Looking back, It feels like my childhood journey to Canada from Pakistan (by way of Abu Dhabi), set me on a collision course with punk and rock in general. I'm not sure I could have escaped it. I started rapping, and recording about 10 years ago. I was exposed to rock and roll whilst in the studio and took to it pretty hard.

You don't see many (if any) brown women taking up space in this scene. What has this meant for you? My music is the expression of Old World/New World culture clash at its messy finest. Trying to navigate between eastern and western cultures has been the narrative of my upbringing, and my music is its cathartic reflection.

You have created a sort of hybrid with your sound — when did you start this and why was it important for you? Tell me more about scrap rock.

It was natural for me to mix sounds and textures from South Asia into my music. It's an odd pairing, but I feel it best represents that duality and conflict I've always felt as an immigrant. "Scrap" is the name I give to the style, again mirroring my life; built from the scraps or remnants of a broken past.

What would be your advice for other brown girls interested in having a career in music?
It is a labour of love and there is no sensible safe way to do it — so stop thinking and act. Start with finding a core group or a partner to team up with and crank out those songs. Social media is the new frontier, but without content, social media can't help you. Get creative!

What's next for you?
Currently, I'm finishing up two albums: one in English and the other in Urdu and aiming for a fall 2019 release. [Then] I and will be heading over to Pakistan in the fall to film music videos. I am also trying to enjoy the moment more and find my calm and grounded place.

What we're reading:

The Toronto Observer put together this sweet piece about tiffin services growing for South Asian communities in Canada. Read it here.

In "Why I, An Unmarried Woman, Wear Bengali Hindu Wedding Bangles," author Shreyasi Biswas said men were not receiving of this idea. Read it here. 

What we are watching:

THE 410: named after the Toronto highway connecting Brampton to the Greater Toronto Area, THE 410 on the CBC is about a South Asian woman who turns to a life of crime to help her father. Watch it here.

Upcoming events:

Toronto Didis, stay tuned... we have some events coming in the summer. 

For Vancouver Didis, don't forget to buy tickets for Himmat.

— Arti Patel

Issue 14
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