DIDIHOOD ~ Issue 79

Looking back at 2024

Author

The Didihood
December 02, 2024

And that’s a wrap for 2024!

What a year Didis! We’d like to take a moment to thank every single member of our growing community for the support over the last year. Whether that means coming out to events, engaging with our content on social media or even reading our monthly newsletters, we appreciate the ongoing support.

To celebrate the end of the year, we are planning a multi-day giveaway featuring some great South Asian-owned small businesses. Follow us on Instagram and keep an eye out for the first day of giveaways.

Looking back at 2024

This month we are looking back at all our of our top moments of 2024. See you in the new year and stay tuned for more events!

Meet our 2024 Didis!

This year we published eight new features for Meet the Didi. From authors like Sadiya Ansari, Kuljinder Kaur Brar to Taniya Gupta to filmmaker and director Nimisha Mukerji and journalists like Meral Jamal, we had an array of incredible South Asian creatives across the country. Read each one below.

Meet the Didi: Taneet Grewal

Read about Taneet’s journey into becoming a writer, having the courage to write about difficult subjects, and the importance of South Asian women sharing their stories.

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Meet the Didi: Taniya Gupta

Author and poet Taniya writes emotionally rooted and accessible poetry that explores feminism, mental health, and patriarchal traditions.

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Meet the Didi: Nimisha Mukerji

Nimisha Mukerji is a force. She is a director, producer and writer based in Toronto and most recently, has worked on series like Under The Bridge and Allegiance.

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Meet the Didi: Sadiya Ansari

Sadiya is a Pakistani Canadian journalist based in London. Her book ‘In Exile’ released in August. Her work has also appeared in the Guardian, VICE, Refinery 29, Maclean’s, The Walrus, and the Globe and Mail, among others.

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Meet the Didi: priyana

Singer-songwriter priyana performed one of her original songs at our summer social this year. In this feature she tells us about her journey in pursuing a career in music.

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Meet the Didi: Mrii

Powerhouse DJ Mrii has played sets at Mazaar, Desifest and more with her signature Bollywood mixes. We chatted with her about South Asian women taking over the genre and what it takes to enter the industry.

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Meet the Didi: Meral Jamal

Iqaluit-based journalist Meral Jamal writes news and feature stories from Inuit and Indigenous communities across Canada’s North.

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Meet the Didi: Kuljinder Kaur Brar

Kuljinder Kaur Brar is a B.C. Didi who started her career as a teacher and then took the plunge during the pandemic to pursue her passion of writing children’s books.

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Galentine’s Day Shop & Sip (Toronto)

We kicked off the year with a sip and shop at South Asian-owned local goods store The Flamingo in Toronto. Co-owning the shop with her husband, Tanya Walia Monteiro is also an artist and designer herself. The Flamingo focuses on working with BIPOC artists in Canada and beyond. We also had our Didi candle available for purchase, get one for your didis here.

Connecting with local authors

Over this year we celebrated three book launches — two in Toronto and one in Vancouver. We kicked off the year in B.C. with the book launch of Hair Oil Magic with author Anu Chouhan in February. The picture book captures the magic of the tradition of hair oiling and the bond between parent and child.

We then hosted an intimate Q&A (in partnership with The Flamingo) with poet and author Taniya Gupta for her book, What Will People Say. The conversation that evening in May looked at the important discussions around mental health in South Asian communities and the pressures some may feel in patriarchal households.

Over the summer we also helped launch Sadiya Ansari’s In Exile in Markham, Ont. The breathtaking memoir and personal investigation takes a deep dive into the secret life of Ansari’s grandmother.

Didihood co-founders Nikki Gill (left) and Arti Patel (right) with author Sadiya Ansari in May 2024.

Summer social with SABW

Summer social with South Asian Boss Women in Toronto

This summer we hosted our first collaborative summer social with South Asian Boss Women (a collective of South Asian professionals in Toronto). The social at Stackt Market in downtown Toronto featured a musical performance by local singer priyana and much needed social time with so many creative women in the city!

Covering TIFF 

Thanks to our social media host and content creator Melony Manikavasagar, Didihood also got the chance to take part in the Toronto International Film Festival this year, bringing you interviews from red carpets and highlighting all the South Asian featured films.

What we’re reading:

Hair Oiling Has Gone Mainstream — But It’s So Much More Than A Trend

"Why is it that when I practice hair oiling, it's gross – yet if a white woman on TikTok does it, they're considered an influencer and it becomes a global trend with millions of views?"

Refinery29

How I Celebrate Diwali Through Makeup

A writer shares how she celebrates Diwali through makeup, including product breakdowns and photos of her looks.

PopSugar

COVER STORY: India's Hip Hop Movement Gains Momentum

Spotify is putting India’s diverse hip-hop voices and real stories in the spotlight.

Rolling Stone India

What we’re watching / listening to:

The Sex Lives of College Girls - Season 3

Didi Amrit Kaur reprises her role of Bela Malhotra in the third season of this Mindy Kaling series following four roommates navigating their new freedom on the prestigious campus of Essex College.

Anuja Joshi stars in a Hallmark Christmas movie this season with Christmas with the Singhs.

— Arti Patel

Issue 79
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