Keeping Warm at a Bollywood Beach Party

After unseasonably warm temperatures, the cold winter winds finally made their fashionably late arrival in the Big Apple and we were hit with the first weekend of freezing weather. Fortunately, the parties I get to are still hotter than ever! And thanks to the Diversity that’s New York, an exotic tropical beach paradise was just a short cab ride away. On Saturday, January 20, Al took me to a scorching Bollywood Beach Party, the theme of the monthly dance party called Desilicious. It’s a party for Queer Desi (A term for Indian/Pakistani/South Asian) people and their friends. Saree-draped drag queens and party-goers of all ethnicities gyrated to Bollywood and Bhangra beats spun by DJ Ashu Rai. On the walls of the club were Beach Party movies of the USA like the classic Beach Blanket Bingo with Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello and the more recent Psycho Beach Party with Charles Busch. The club was decorated with inflatable sunbursts and 1960s Beach Balls. Also in keeping with the beach theme, a tall, dark and Dravidian young man named Renny asked me to rub oil over his back and chest. The highlight of the evening was the bathing suit and body contest, presided over by a Drag Desi Diva called Zeena Deepavali who looked divine in Hindu Temple Goddess jewels. One contestant, when it was this turn on stage took off his “chocolate boy” t – shirt and revealed to the crowd that he was really a Lesbian with two breasts. The shocked crowd went wild with cheers and Zeena declared her the winner! Dancing arm in arm with a tall, dark, handsome Desi to a Hindi language version of “I Will Survive” complete with hand cymbals and sitar strums with Frankie Avalon in the background was a wonderful and beautiful was to keep warm in the middle of winter. I highly recomment trying it!
Photos: Clover Honey and Desi Drag Queens (Sholay Productions), Contestants