Desi News Corp - Index

Desi News Corp - Desi News - July 2009 - Index

Masala! Mehndi! Masti!
Three words that make
most desi hearts go
mmm!
Jyoti Rana, one half of the
husband and wife team that’s
behind the exhuberant celebration
of all things desi, describes
M!M!M! as “our first child!”
From the time he first thought
of it, Abhishek Mathur envisioned
a Canadian event, not a
South Asian one. His dream, his
strongest desire, was to make it a
long-lasting event on Toronto’s
calendar of events, says his wife.
“It used to amaze me that
even though I was born and
raised in Canada and Abhishek
came here on a student visa to
do his MBA at Schulich, he was
the one talking about Canadian
identity,” recalls Rana.
Since its debut at Harbourfront
Centre in 2000, Masala!
Mehndi! Masti! has grown from
strength to strength. That first
event had seven food vendors,
20 market vendors, 60 artistes
and drew 25,000 visitors.
Last year’s event, with 80-85
artistes and 40-plus market vendors,
drew 80,000.
This month’s event, scheduled
to be held at Exhibition
Place, July 24-26, is being sponsored
by Scotiabank and State
Farm. Rana promises a weekend
full of fun, and yes, masti!
It is a part of the City of
Toronto’s 175th-year celebrations
and she sees it as recognition
of being a part of the larger
community, as being a part of
the family.
“We were all at a photo shoot
the other day and someone said,
‘Has it really been nine years?’
We’ve had children, got degrees,
and through all that,
M!M!M! has been with us. It was
a surreal moment. We’d started
out wanting the event to be a
part of people’s lives and we realized
how much it had enriched
our own lives.”
It’s been a journey with its
ups and downs. Even the name
had its detractors.
10 Desi News July 2009
“There were people
who wanted to
know why we didn’t
call it Apna something,
or Kaleidoscope or
something like that...it
was a bit of a giggle
whenever we thought
of all the suggestions.
Most were well-meaning,
but we wanted
something that would
cause a stir. An event
title that would have
people saying, ‘Hey,
that’s a cool name’ or,
‘Why would they
choose that name?’ We
were okay with both
reactions as it meant
the name would generate
interest and
arouse curiosity. Once
they came in to check
us out, we were confident
we’d hook them!”
At the same time,
Rana stresses, they
were looking for a
name that was synonymous
with various
aspects of the desi
identity, that would
Masti time in Toronto
ANNIE SAKKAB PHOTOGRAPHY. MAKE-UP AND HAIR BY GLAM LABS.
Masala! Mehndi! Masti! returns to the city for three days, July 24-26, at Exhibition Place
describe a multi-disciplinary
event.
“M!M!M! is not just an arts
event. It is not just a food event.
It is all of these and more. We
wanted a name that tied-in all
these aspects.”
Then there were those who
wondered why the event could
not be held at community halls
like other events. But Mathur
and Rana were not happy with
the formula. They were clear
about the fact that unless you
put an event smack dab down
in the middle of the city, you
wouldn’t get mainstream recogition.
“We designed
an event that
included everybody,”
says Rana.
Commenting on
the fact that there are
now other similar
events – RBC Desi-
Fest in May, Luminato
and Mosaic in
June, to name just three – Rana
says that they consider themselves
the pioneers. And they
are proud of the fact that other
events have grown from their
success.
As for vying for sponsors
and attendees in these challenging
times, Rana says they are not
worried. At least on one front.
“We absolutely do not have
any concerns about people attending.
Even in the beginning,
even when we faced major ob-