soho ● world club

Poetry
Wajiha Rizvi is a poet and writer based in Austin, Texas. She recently completed her first manuscript titled Ghosts of All of Them about the displacement of a family during the Partition of India in 1947 told through the eyes of a churail: a demoness from south Asian folklore. Her writing has been featured on Brown History and you can find more of her writing on her Substack @wajihasultana.

Kathak Dance
Rabia Meghani (she/her) is a Medical Researcher, Behavioral Therapist, Montessori Educator, Yoga Therapist and a student of Kathak. Rabia’s formal education is in public health, epidemiology and education. Rabia has spent over 20 years both practicing and learning Yoga, Mindfulness and Ayurveda. Merging her knowledge of disease and education with the ancient science of Yoga and Ayurveda, Rabia aims to make these practices accessible to the masses while honoring the roots of the science. Rabia’s yoga and meditation classes are centered around inclusivity and social justice. Her passion lies in integrating Social Emotional Learning (SEL), decolonized yoga and mindfulness in K-12 and higher education spaces. To learn more about Rabia, please visit www.rabiameghani.com

Sara Shah is a corporate lawyer turned beauty founder of Journ, a beauty company. She is a lifelong student and ardent lover of dance. She has a dance minor in undergrad with a primary focus on Latin dance forms, and has most recently been exploring Kathak. 

Rabia and Sara will be performing a Kathak piece to the timeless Urdu ghazal "Ranjish Hi Sahi", a poignant expression of love, longing, and the pain of separation written by renowned poet Ahmed Faraz and performed by Ali Sethi. This dance was choreographed by Aashima Kotwal an esteemed, exponent, performer and teacher of Kathak and the founder of the Kaumudini Academy of Dance in Austin. 

Music
Mashal Awais is originally from Lahore Pakistan and immigrated to Houston, Texas in 2008. Her work explores her influences living and finding sparks of joy in the mundane of diaspora, through everyday rituals of texture, sound, conversation, fabric and thought, holding onto and exploring new spaces. She currently works as the Community Science Manager at Bayou City Waterkeeper, where she advocates for flood mitigation, protecting habitat, ensuring equitable access to nature and clean water by centering the community. She is a student of the bansuri, a traditional bamboo folk instrument from North India/Pakistan/Nepal, under the mentorship of the renowned living legend, Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia. She lives with her family in Houston Texas.

Edwin Gomez is a professional musician with over 25 years of experience. As a percussionist, drummer, producer, and session musician, he has worked with numerous renowned and emerging artists, and has performed live with great skill and passion. Edwin has also led Latin American music workshops with his project Debarro at Boston University and Berklee College of Music. In addition to his musical career, he works as an assistant electrical engineer and has experience in graphic design and audiovisual production. His holistic approach to music has led him to become a medicine musician, using sound to heal and transform. He is passionate about Colombian, ancestral music, flamenco, and jazz, and constantly explores and fuses these styles to create unique sonic experiences.

Brandon Verastegui is an ambidextrous guitarist born in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico. He follows his own philosophy of Holohedrism.

Benefitting Ayesha Chundigar Foundation
Saira Khan is a Pakistani American who grew up in the Middle East and Pakistan, moved to Austin, Texas to attend the University of Texas for both her undergraduate and law school degrees, and then moved to New York for twelve years. Austin is now home again, but no matter where she lives she continues to have strong ties to Pakistan.  She is currently assistant general counsel at the Teacher Retirement System of Texas, a pension fund that manages the pensions for everyone who works for the public education system in Texas, and she also sits on the board of directors of several non-profits, including ACF Animal Rescue USA, which supports the rescue and rehabilitation of the most abused and injured animals in Pakistan and is the first and largest animal rescue in Pakistan.

Visual Art
Aasiyah Baig featuring azadi a reflection on the meaning of freedom. All sale from the art will benefit Ayesha Chundigar Foundation. Learn More.