@lentilsthecat and I are running the @royalparkshalf this weekend!
The event falls on my birthday and we thought it's a good excuse to fundraise and stay motivated in the summer to go for runs.
We're raising money for @warchilduk and @refugeeaction who provide support for people suffering from symptoms of war and displacement. Regardless of whether people stay where they are, or flee for a better life, they face unimaginable hardships, and this is the least we can do to support them reestablish their lives.
So yea, in case you now feel peer pressured enough to buy me a gift, or want to support Thi's run, go to either of our profiles, and donate to one of these great charities instead!
Cheers y'all 🤜🏼🤛🏼
This is my childhood home in Gheytariyeh, Tehran.
Last night, bombs fell less than 5 kilometres from here. From the home where I grew up. From where my grandmother still sleeps at night.
I’ve been scared to speak up.
Scared of being attacked. Scared of not being liked. I know that fear deeply. I was bullied as a child, and that fear of being targeted has followed me into adulthood.
I’ve stayed quiet for too long. But silence has a cost.
I am the daughter of a former hostage.
I hate the Islamic regime with every fibre of my being.
I cannot return to my own country. I’ve watched Iran rot from the inside out, eaten alive by a regime that murders, tortures, censors and crushes the spirit of its people.
And yet, I cannot support war.
Not even if some believe it might bring “freedom.” Because war has never worked, not in the Middle East, not anywhere.
US bombed Iraq to « liberate » it. They destroyed Saddam, but gave birth to ISIS.
The U.S. spent 20 years in Afghanistan. The Taliban is back.
Israel has bombed Gaza relentlessly. Has Hamas disappeared?
And now, Iran is being bombed, cheered on by some who think that if you kill enough people, a regime collapses. But history says otherwise. You do not kill ideology with bombs. You fuel it. You radicalise survivors. You hand dictators the perfect excuse to tighten their grip and claim “self-defence.”
I know some will say, “But the regime must fall somehow.” I agree. I want it gone. But killing children and civilians is not strategy, it’s slaughter. It doesn’t bring democracy. It brings trauma.
So yes, I speak from pain. But I also speak from truth.
You do not liberate a people by bombing them.
And you do not trade one form of violence for another and call it freedom.
I am scared for my people.
For the ones who’ve been caught between empires and ideologies for far too long.
Two truths can exist simultaneously:
I want this regime gone more than anything.
And I reject the idea that war will save us.
I’m done being scared to speak. This is my line.
Memories from travelling in India's western regions (Mumbai, Goa, Kerala) with @lentilsthecat .
Music is "Sarod Dub Journey" by @byzantinetimemachine , @morillomusic & @souryasarod , released recently on my label @outtallectuals . I was really excited to find beautiful artwork for it from a local Goan artist.
Some things I learnt on this trip:
1. Black, green and white tea are not different tea plants. They are all from the same tea plant, just different names based on the age/quality of the tea leaves. Also higher tea quality is less ground leaves and it has lighter colour and lots of polyphenols, while darker tea is more bitter and caffeinated.
2. Fruits, curries and dosas are next level in India.
3. The level of noise and fire cracker pollution on Diwali in Mumbai is impressive.
4. There's a massive Christian population in this region of India.
5. Overnight train from Goa to Kerala is pretty decent.
6. Superb serendipity happened when I realised I went past the only place named Bison Valley on planet earth, and unknowingly the only song I had made in recent years had the same title. What are the odds that a rare song name you choose suddenly appears in front of you IRL on the other side of the globe? It was right after Cardamom Hills which also coincidentally was related to my other most recent song, 'Cardamom Daze'. Kerala synchronicities.
Also bigups to @mister_mime , @brijplease & @rattyatty for the hangs n hospitality.
Diwali really put the bomb in Bombay.
Anyway, nirgun nirakar is a Sanskrit philosophical concept combining two terms: nirgun (without attributes) and nirakar (formless), describing the ultimate divine reality beyond physical form and qualities.
مثل چگونه و بیگانه ولی نگونه.
The etymology reveals deep Proto-Indo-Iranian linguistic roots:
- The "nir/ni" prefix, meaning "without," shares origins with Persian "nī" and English "ne/no/not"
- "Guna" (quality) relates to Persian "gooneh" (type/form)
Practical applications include:
- Formless meditation
- Focus on inner experience over rituals
- Emphasis on direct spiritual experience
- Rejection of physical representations of divine
The concept became particularly important during the medieval Bhakti movement (12th-17th centuries), where it helped democratize spirituality by emphasizing direct divine experience over ritual and caste-based restrictions.
Anyway, inconvenience regretted.
Big love @mister_mime and @brijplease for the hospitality.
This Friday, I'll be celebrating Nowrouz / Spring at @folklorehoxton with a DJ set for 'Dawn Unveiled'; an event dedicated to the reunification of Indo-European Equinox celebrations.
The event also features live music by @hosseinhadisi@solmaz_naraghi , Ignacio Agrimbau & Mate Szigeti, while @mindbodyshalo and her crew perform a choreographed dance and @naz.art.mrd live bodypaints them.
Should be a wonderful experimental event with interactive elements so if you want to try something different, the event link is in my bio.
🌸🌏🌱🌌
