TSC Summer Social 2025
Tucked away in a nook of Regent’s Park on a gorgeous and sunny July afternoon, colourful saree fabric tied to the trees swayed gently in the breeze. This was the gathering spot for a group of queer South Asians who had come together for an afternoon of connection, celebration, and nourishment. The sunshine perfectly complemented our gathering, as we celebrated the launch of The Suryan Collective (TSC). Fittingly, Suryan means ‘sun’ in Sanskrit (derived from “Surya”), a name that speaks to warmth, light, and the life-affirming energy the collective hopes to nurture.
Like seeds lying dormant before spring, TSC’s rebrand marked a quiet season of rest and reflection that allowed it to emerge renewed and radiant. Evolving from its former identity as The Open Minds Project, TSC has become something broader, bolder, and deeply rooted in community care. At its heart, it seeks to be a positive, sustainable hub for LGBTQIA+ South Asians, built through reflection on what has worked before, alignment with the community’s needs, and a commitment to centring inclusivity, anti-oppression, and joy. Importantly, the collective welcomes LGBTQIA+ folks from across all South Asian communities, especially those often marginalised within the diaspora and by wider systems of oppression, whether because of caste, colour, class, disability, age, or other factors.
From their very first in-person event in Regent’s Park, TSC successfully cultivated a warm, cosy, and unapologetically queer-desi picnic space that sparked joy. A potluck spread anchored the gathering, with highlights like samosas paired with the most delicious homemade mint-coriander chutney. Attendees brought along their own favourite snacks, drinks, games, books, and picnic mats — an informal but heartfelt way of co-creating the space together and taking up space with our intersectionality.
The afternoon was interspersed with activities designed to help us connect, play, and reflect, including:
Guided movement session: Kireth led us in exploring our body’s rooting system through breath, cultivating space, choice, strength, integrity, and joy. This was followed by a mini workshop on releasing and caring for back pain.
Fun-filled activities: Inspired by theatre and creative facilitation spaces, Manju led a group activity where we arranged our bodies into living sculptures embodying selected words and phrases. A particularly memorable one was “ice-cream,” which then turned into “melted ice-cream” in the heat (I’ll leave it to your imagination how that might have looked!). We also re-introduced ourselves through a playful name-and-action game.
Card games: We enjoyed some fun card games. I introduced the group to my favourite one, nicknamed “Mountain Attack”, which I learned from a hiking guide in Nepal.
We closed out the gathering with a circle, each of us sharing something we had learned or something we were grateful for. I was grateful for the connections I’d made during the sessions, and the ability to open myself up to new experiences with like-minded folks. We also decorated a banner with messages, drawings, and stickers — symbolically taking up space on paper. Those of us who stayed behind to help pack up began talking about our favourite queer and/or South Asian books, and we rounded off the evening with an impromptu poetry reading from Pooja Nansi’s fantastic collection “We Make Spaces Divine”, my contribution to the gathering.
Overall, it was a lovely way to spend a summer evening. What stood out to me most was the balance of structure and spontaneity, the freedom to engage in what spoke to us, and the gentle invitation to step into something new. It felt both nourishing and expansive, a reminder of what can happen when queer South Asians gather in community.
As the picnic wrapped up, the invitation was extended: What dreams, ideas, or skills might you want to share with the community? What would you love to see TSC hold space for in the future?
The Suryan Collective is still planting its roots, but that afternoon made it clear — those roots are already strong, joyful, and deeply connected.
