ISWO International Sindhi Women Organization Dinner

My friend Rosie told me about the International Sindhi Women Organization Dinner, as she was one of the Sindhi women speaking about her career there. It was great to see a community come together from both Pakistan and India, of various faiths to raise funds to help refugee families fleeing from growing religious persecution in Pakistan, who find themselves stuck in a sort of no man's land in the desert of Rajasthan.There were great examples of diverse Sindhi women in diverse careers, providing inspiration. In addition there was a dance and music performance by Meena Makhijani. Here are a sketch of her and her father sharing Sindhi music.I hope to connect with the community further and support their good work as well as help to promote the Girnari Jogi Group, who are wonderful Sindhi musicians I have had the privelage to work with on my film "Gul" as well as on the crowd funded album I put together for them after their homes were destroyed by floods. Watch the video below for a sample of their beautiful music and consider purchasing to CD/DVD combo to support their livelihood. Without support for their art it will disappear.

Girnari Jogi Group 01 Raag Malkauns from Adnan Hussain on Vimeo.

Shivratri at the Malibu Temple with Shakti Bharat Natyam

I joined some friends in enjoying Shivrartri at the Malibu Temple, featuring a beautiful offering of a Bharata Natyam performance by the Shakti School, featuring my friend Akhila.It is inspiring to see the dedication of these students of all ages performing with such poise, delicacy, grace and fierceness.  I enjoyed this window into a tradition that has evolved over centuries, and today these dancers from Los Angeles, are still connected to dance forms practiced in Temples centuries ago.It's tough to capture poses in such quick movement, but I did manage some watercolor sketches, and an attempt to capture the energy they shared.