S2 Ep12: YaliniDream

Queering Desi

On the season finale of Queering Desi, Priya chats with YaliniDream, a Ilankai Tamil Blood, Manchester-Born, Texas-Bred and Brooklyn-Brewed storyteller and spiritual creator who blends poetry, theater, dance and song, with expertise in integrating arts and organizing.
Yalini shares their inspiration for the work they do, and how they see it as a facilitation between the Earth and Sky. They talk about their early experiences around faith and intangible forces, and how the pressure to assimilate impacted them. Yalini also talks about ancestral trauma how their ability to connect with the power of ancestors helped them recognize the colorism, racism and social conditioning that impacted them. Priya asks how queerness and sexuality intersected with Yalini's journey, and Yalini talks about being able to be present with their own desires. Later, Yalini shares advice for her younger self and Priya and Yalini delve into the casteism and anti-blackness rampant in the South Asian community.