Poems, music, standup and more at queer open mic at Cafe Rasasvada

A newly-opened queer-friendly space in Nanakramguda, Cafe Rasasvada, hosted a queer open mic recently. Curated by Dragvanti and Humans of Nirvana, this event was meant to bring out people’s creative side. About 100 people turned up for the event for which seven artistes performed.

Performances included music, drag, storytelling and erotic poetry. The programme started with Patruni Chidananda Sastry, a dancer, dressing up in drag and singing folk songs in multiple languages such as Hindi, Telugu, Bihari, Awadhi and English.

The songs tackled issues like caste bias, being in the closet, women rights, devotion and surrendering to the creator. Following the performance, Xen, a visual artist shared her poem about erotic expression.

Musical performances by Pavan and Sai, standup by Pavan, poems by Ragavendra Chivukulla and songs by Hyderabad-based stylist Aniket Shah. Telugu actor Kireeti Damaraju shared his thoughts on the importance of cultivating new communities.