Paranda Party is an inclusive cultural event series that celebrates the paranda, a traditional Punjabi hair tassel, as a symbol of cultural and diasporic identity. Rooted in South Asian and queer diasporic experience, the series brings together live music, dance, poetry, visual art, and collaborative making in a shared community space.
Since launching in 2024, Paranda Party has produced two events at Queer Arts Featured in San Francisco. The inaugural event, "Dekh Magar Pyaar Se," featured live performances, poetry readings, belly dancing, and a collaborative zine. The second event, "Nirbhau Nirvair," premiered an original song, "The Freedom of Movement," and debuted an original sculpture, "Big Paranda Energy," alongside continued performance and community programming.
The work is presented as live, in-person events that combine performance, visual art, and participatory making. Documentation of each event, photography, video, and social media content, extends the work's reach beyond the room, allowing the community built at each gathering to stay connected between events.
Looking forward, the series continues with Paranda Party 3, themed "Jeeti Raho." This next iteration will include a documentary-style video capturing the process of paranda-making itself: process footage, artistic cutaways, and interviews that trace how a traditional craft becomes a living act of cultural continuity and joy. Future events will continue to center collaborative creation, honoring cultural and spiritual lineage (including thoughtful engagement with the sacred origins referenced in past event names), and building durable community infrastructure, including a growing volunteer base, so the series can scale sustainably over time.
