Looking for emerging writers of short stories, poetry and drama in the GTA.
Deadline is May 9, 2008.

Diaspora Dialogues invites submissions to its annual publishing/mentoring program, from emerging GTA writers of short stories or creative nonfiction less than 3,000 words in length; plays of any length; or up to 5 poems, with each poem being no more than 75 lines.

Please click HERE for submission guidelines and eligibility requirements. Early submissions are encouraged. Submissions will not be accepted after the deadline. Successful applicants will be notified in early June 2008.

Glenhyrst Art Gallery Of Brant, 20 Ava Rd. (Brantford)

All clubs meet on the first Wednesday of the month at 7pm

May 7 - A Pakistani Bride by Bapsi Sidhwa

Toronto - Starbucks in Chapters – 142 John Street
Mississauga - 5390 Terry Fox Way, Unit #6
Richmond Hill - Chapters at 8705 Yonge Street (& Hwy.7)

Wednesday May 7: Featuring Lawrence Hill; Kelley Armstrong; Anand Mahadevan; Miriam Toews

"Kama" is the Sanskrit word for pleasure, and WLC’s annual Kama Reading Series celebrates the pleasure of reading, writing and living with books. Now in its 16th year, Kama's lineup always includes both up-and-coming and well-loved authors writing in diverse fiction and non-fiction genres.

Anand Mahadevan was born in India. His writing explores the nature of the immigrant experience and the role of kinship ties to understand better the marginalization of individuals within social structures.

The Strike explores the idea of love in a Tamil family. Love here operates in the context of kinship ties and cultural symbols and is as much a learned experience as it is considered to be an innate expression in the West.

A $275 series ticket includes 6 evenings of readings at the Royal Ontario Museum, conversation, book signings, complimentary cocktails and hors d’oeuvres as well as a charitable tax receipt for $150.

Please click HERE for the full author series line-up and to reserve tickets

Individual days will be available for $60 each with a tax receipt for $25.

Sunday, May 8 @ 9:00pm
Lula Lounge, 1585 Dundas St. W.

Tasa is a world music ensemble that performs original repertoire inspired by the traditions of India as well as contemporary versions of traditional songs from the Indian diaspora. Blending instruments and musical motifs from several world traditions Tasa is able to create a rich and seamless tapestry of sound.

Monsoon is a modern Indo-Jazz ensemble that features original compositions, and blends aspects of Indian Classical music with elements of modern Jazz. Adding to Monsoon's appeal is a cross-generational dynamic, with the founders' youthful energy and passion enhanced by the virtuoso musicianship of renowned players such as Ravi Naimpally of Tasa, and string virtuoso George Koller on bass.

Tickets: $15 advance / $20 door.
Online Ticket Reservations click HERE

For more information on TASA click HERE

For more information on Monsoon click HERE

May 8th and May 9th - 8pm
at the Church of St. Stephen’s in the Field, 103 Bellevue (at College)

The vocabulary of Kathak allows this dance form to move between tradition and innovation easily. The flow of movement and dramatic expression (abhinaya) inherent to the form, enables the dance to reveal themes that are common and mythic. Rina and Joanna will come together in an unforgettable evening of high-energy, narrative dance choreography!

Moods of Spring is a fifty-minute solo and company work that brings to life the traditional representations of spring - India style. The beautiful choreography is set to music by some of India's finest musicians.

Walk the Talk is a fifty-minute solo work, by Joanna de Souza. Here, de Souza uses the potent vocabulary of Kathak in telling her story, as a contemporary, non South Asian classical Indian dancer. The integrated musical score travels the gamut from solo tabla to Ray Charles and Rose Kazi of LAL!

Tickets: $20

For information on Toronto Tabla Ensemble click HERE

Sunday May 9 at 8:00pm.
Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe Street.

One of the most spectacular experiences in Indian Music, Zakir Hussain's Masters of Percussion offers the audience a breathtaking display of rhythm, melody and movement. Combining forces with the world's preeminent tabla player are four additional percussionists, two masters of melodic instruments and the dazzling and athletic dancing drummers of Manipur. The concert will feature the traditional repertoire of North Indian drumming on tabla in solo and combinations, as well as excursions exploring the frontier between traditional and contemporary, folk and classical.

Tickets: $49.50 - $69.50 Purchase online HERE

Sunday May 10 at 7:30 pm
Premium Banquet Hall, Mississauga

Hosted By: Dilwale Dilliwale

Ticket : $30 Per Person / $250 Per Table

Saturday May 10 to Sunday May 11
Hindu Mandir and Cultural Centre, 6875 Professional Court, Mississauga, Ontario

Admission: $10 per person per day
Free for kids under 3

Sunday May 11 at 5:30 pm
Glenforest Secondary School, 3575 Fieldgate Dr., Mississauga

Admission:
Level I - $35
Level II - $25
Level III (For Children below 5yrs) - $5

Tuesday May 13 from 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm
Signy & Cléophée Eaton Theatre, ROM

Curator Dr. Deepali Dewan presents the recently acquired Jhabvala Collection of South Asian photography for the first time. Consisting of more than 2,000 images from the late 19th to the mid-20th century, this magnificent array of visual art juxtaposes portraits of maharajahs taken by some of the most famous studios right along those of everyday people taken by itinerant photographers. What role do these images play in recording our personal and collective memories? How do they frame our understanding of South Asian history?

Wednesday May 14th, 2008

This event provides our existing members as well as non-members, a monthly opportunity to meet with each other and have interactive discussions, networking, and knowledge-sharing to facilitate mutual growth and exposure to various business and professional opportunities.

The event is held simultaneously in Richmond Hill, Toronto, Mississauga and Ajax.

Richmond Hill Venue:
The Host - Fine Indian Cuisine
670 Highway 7 East, Richmond Hill ON L4B 3P2
Ph: 905-709-7070
Between 404 and Leslie, on Highway 7.

Time: 6.00 PM to 7.30 PM

Ajax Venue:
Copper Chimney Restaurant
619 Kingston Road, Ajax ON L1S 6L8
Ph: 905-686-8386
At Kingston Rd W (Hwy 2) and Church St N.

Time: 6.00 PM to 7.30 PM

Mississauga Venue:
The Host - Fine Indian Cuisine
33 City Center Dr, Mississauga ON
Ph: 905-566-4678
At Hurontario Rd and Robert Speck Parkway, beside Square One Mall.

Time: 6.00 PM to 7.30 PM

Toronto Venue:
The 5th Element
1033 Bay Street, Toronto, ON M5S 3A5
Ph: 416-923-8159
North East Corner of Bay & St.Joseph.

Time: 5.30 PM to 7.00 PM

Fee: $15.00 per person - cash at the door (includes 2 beverage coupons and complimentary appetizers) No Credit Cards Please.

Media Partner:www.mybindi.com

Please RSVP by e-mail or phone.

Sunday May 15 at 9:00 pm
Lula Lounge, 1585 Dundas St. W.

Tickets: $20 advance HERE / $25 door

For more information on Abhijit Pohankar click HERE

Registration deadline is May 4, 2008.
Trinity College, University of Toronto - 6 Hoskin Avenue

The Centre for South Asian Studies at the University of Toronto and the University of Windsor jointly host "Being Human; Being Tamil: Personhood, Agency and Identity," the third annual Tamil Studies Conference.

The objective of this conference is to invite papers that investigate how “human” or "personhood" have been imagined, conceptualized, practiced and performed throughout history within the Tamil regions and traditions. Was there ever a conception of a universal human being? What are the continuities and transformations in Tamil conceptions of the self, particularly in defining men and women and caste identities?

For more information, please click HERE