A Curried Chorny Cooweer’s Architecture

We are beautiful surya-touched people who are Shikhandi queer, Ardhanarishvara embracing, Brahmagupta intellectual, Kama sexual, Rati sensuous, Prakrti spiritual, Radha-Krishna romantic, and Meluhha innovative and these words are intertwined and inclusively used together to describe us, not either / or, it’s an and and and and and and and and an everlasting-continuous abundance of more.

As we approach our favorite time of the year, June, Pride, natural sweating, humidity overflowing summer. I want my queer curries to feel the abundance of pride being queer & curry in 2020. It’s difficult sometimes for us due to the impacts of euro-christian colonization making us believe that hetero is the norm.

First, let me break down the origins of the word, curry, which as we curries know, is a vague lazy blanket catchall term for all foods with spices. Karuppu in Tamil & Malayalam (dravidian languages) means black, which is one of the words derived from the root kar. British heard indigenous folks in South Asia say ‘kari’, which means charcoal, or something that is blackened/grill/season to describe what they were eating, and thus the word “curry” was formed. Usually, kari doesn’t standalone — it’s always paired with something else such as ‘katthirikkai kari’ meaning grilled/seasoned eggplant. Any(thing really) vegetable can turn into a ‘curry’ since it means to cook with spices.

So, when I say curries, I mean folks who’s origins eat, breathe, radiate turmeric tamarind, black pepper, cardamom, and embody yellow-stained fingernails type of Kari who’s skin is deeply enamored by the sun. My charming spicy & savory curry babies. ❤ ❤ ❤

2020 — I want my curries to not feel any shame and to embrace however much loving and romancing you want to jump into today, tomorrow, every day hereafter, and to step away from the guilting and isolation began by Anglo-European influences.

Going in on sexuality of Ammalands before Judeo-Christian terrorism would take up multiple books so there are articles linked that touch on pre-colonization sex workers aka sacred concubines being protected as a regulated system, third-genders included and favored, and queers enjoying arts for you to read during your free time. However, this read isn’t meant to convince folks that colonization ruined queer nature-loving peaceful civilizations everywhere, such as turning devadasis — meaning the servants of God- into child prostitutes due to colonization, because we all have the marvelous invention of GOOGLE (click).

This is for my beautiful curries to decolonize our curry minds, lips, hands, hips, penis, and clitoris.

Daily reminder: You are a scrumptious masala dosa with hot sambar and coconut chutney on the side with chai to wash all that down. I got wet just typing that. Warning: put away the wonder bread with the cold cheese stick on the side, while reading this. I got dry just typing that.

Let’s embrace our sexualities with all the love positions that every ancient, contemporary, and future temple in South Asia has/will have, consisting of an array of loving between men, women, intersex, everyone, all at once, by themselves. Every single temple (with a recorded of over 3 million temples and more being built with every passing day) in South Asia has at least one.

Read some heart-felt quotes, look at some gorgeous structures, and marvel in our architects from as far as 5000 years ago to 5 years ago in our Ammalands.

— — — — —— — -A Lifestyle -— — — — — — — —

“Love is necessary to satisfy the mind, ethics to satisfy the conscience, and spiritual seeking for peace of soul. Without food and clothes, the body becomes thin and weak. Without eroticism, the mind becomes restless and unsatisfied. Without virtue (ethics), the conscience goes astray. Without spirituality, the soul is degraded.” — Kama Sutra, 400 BCE

“When we repress our desires, they do not disappear but stay beneath the surface and continue to exert their influence. Prohibition arouses desire and suggests stratagems for satisfying it.” — Kama Sutra, 400 BCE

“Love does not care for time or order” — Kama Sutra, 400 BCE

“Kama is the enjoyment of appropriate objects by the five senses of hearing, feeling, seeing, tasting and smelling, assisted by the mind together with the soul. The ingredient in this is a peculiar contact between the organ of sense and its object, and the consciousness of pleasure which arises from that contact is called Kama.” — Kama Sutra, 400 BCE

“A person who does nothing will enjoy no happiness.” — Kama Sutra, 400 BCE

“Happiness both given and received is mutual enjoyment. For this shared happiness and pleasure, a person is willing to give themselves entirely. The total gift of self is a source of wonderful happiness and luck. Sexual intercourse is not merely a pleasure of the senses: more important is the sacrifice of oneself, the gift of self. To understand the mystery of sexual intercourse, to know and make use of what is fitting is the essential difference between human and beast.” — Kama Sutra, 400 BCE

“Krishna’s beautiful curling locks are adorned with radiant, fully blossomed flowers, giving the impression of the moon hidden amongst a mass of dark clouds. That is, the rays of the moon are pervading His dark tresses. The Malayan sandalwood tilaka on Krishna’s dark forehead looks like the full moon risen in the dark sky. Rädhä’s presence casts a golden tint on Krishna’s clothing and ornaments as She now beholds that golden Çyämasundara.” — Gitagovinda, 11th century

“Hindu mythology makes constant references to queerness, the idea that questions notions of maleness and femaleness. There are stories of men who become women, and women who become men, of men who create children without women, and women who create children without men, and of creatures who are neither this, nor that, but a little bit of both, like the makara (a combination of fish and elephant) or the yali (a combination of lion and elephant). There are also many words in Sanskrit, Prakrit and Tamil such as kliba, napumsaka, mukhabhaga, sanda, panda, pandaka, pedi that suggest a long familiarity with queer thought and behavior. It is common to either deny the existence of such fluidity in our stories or simply locate them in the realm of the supernatural or point to law books that, besides endorsing patriarchy and casteism, also frown upon queer behavior. Yet the stories are repeatedly told and shown. Gentle attempts, perhaps, of wise sages to open up stubborn finite minds and lead them towards infinity” — Devdutt, 2014

“When you make a tomb, make another tomb next to mine.’ When asked why, he said, ‘When my poet friend hears of my departure, he will come to me and want to die and be buried beside me.’ ‘But you have never met him. How do you know he will come?’ ‘I know him. And he knows me. He will come.’ And the poet did come. And the two friends were buried next to each other.” — Devdutt, 2014

“Queerness isn’t only modern, Western or sexual. Take a close look at the vast written and oral traditions in Hinduism, some over two thousand years old, and you will find many overlooked tales, such as those of Shikhandi, who became a man to satisfy her wife; Mahadeva, who became a woman to deliver his devotee’s child; Chudala, who became a man to enlighten her husband; Samavan, who became the wife of his male friend; and many more” — Devdutt, 2014

“The devadasis stand in the direct line of one of the oldest institutions in India. The word comes from Sanskrit: deva means “god” and dasi means “a female servant.” At the heart of the institution lies the idea of a woman entering for life the service of a deity.” — Devadasis, 3 BCE

“Amrapali was a famous courtesan in the Kingdom of Ajatasatru. She lived a lavish life and even donated a resting place to the Buddha and his followers. Prostitution was a recognized profession in ancient India and we cannot judge them according to our current standards. Unlike today, the profession was controlled and regulated mostly by women rather than men. Women who engaged in the profession of entertainment and sensuality were both despised and admired. They were despised because they enticed men and emptied their wealth. They were admired for their beauty, artistry, and their professional skills in keeping men engaged. India had been a land of Kamasutra.” — Amrapali, 500 BCE

“As the battle of the love arts began,
there arose so many obstacles —
When they tried to embrace each other intensely,
they became covered in goosebumps;
when they tried to look thirstily at each other,
their eyes still blinked;
As they drank the nectar of each other’s lips,
they could not stop speaking loving words to one another —
The overwhelming joy that overcame them
was the biggest obstacle of all.
Thus truly was this beginning of their lovemaking
dear to them both. “ — Gita Govinda, 11th century.

“Blessed indeed are they who drink the sweetness of the doe-eyed Rädhä’s face rapturous in the aftermath of lovemaking — eyes only slightly open, lips bathed by the rays of Her teeth as She emitted indistinct sweet murmurs combined with continuous sighs, Her body lost in lassitude, Her breasts slightly trembling in Krishna’s compelling embrace”- Gitagovinda, 1100 AD

“You cannot count on the physical proximity of someone you love, all the time. A seed that sprouts at the foot of its parent tree remains stunted until it is transplanted. Every human being, when the time comes, has to depart to seek their fulfillment in their own way.” — Valmiki, 500 BCE

“a woman should be treated in such a way that she reaches ecstasy first.” — Kama Sutra, 400 BCE

“So long as lips shall kiss, and eyes shall see, so long lives this, and this gives life to thee.” — Mallanaga Vātsyāyana, 400 BCE

“If variety is sought in all the arts and amusements, such as archery and others, how much more should it be sought after in the art of love” — Kama Sutra, 400 BCE

This is for my curries to feel free knowing that sexuality has always been fluid for us, we’ve always been celebrated for loving ourselves, person, peoples, we’ve always been loved and we’ve always been talentedly gifted with the art of giving. We learn growing up from curries, God is everywhere around us and with everyone including ourselves.

Satisfy God by satisfying yourself, my curries. ❤ ❤ ❤

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History Checkpoint:

For folks who don’t know what South Asia consists of (but also borders aren’t real) since American education is a disappointment and puts disrespect on the word education:

• Afghanistan: 32 million (2018)
• Bangladesh: 170 million (2017)
• Bhutan: 820,000 (2017)
• India: 1.4 billion (2017)
• Maldives: 450,000 (2017)
• Nepal: 30 million (2017)
• Pakistan: 213 million (2017)
• Sri Lanka: 22 million (2018)

Here is the global migration movement that y’all might’ve missed out on from your local Ashley who isn’t going to teach you about the THHHHHHHRIVING love-embracing Black and Brown cultures originating more than 100,000 years ago in Africa → South Asia→ Southeast Asia & Australia → Middle East & Central Asia → (all happening simultaneously) Europe & East Asia → North America & South America.

South Asia consists of more than one-fourth of the world’s population, making this region the most populated geographical area in the world, and the most densely populated in the world. Desis getting arranged marriages and **stillllllllll** fucking more than Nick and Karen.

Ending with our mantra, let’s put our hands together and pray for our godly love-creating curries of all types — all around the world —

We are all beautiful surya-touched people who are Shikhandi queer, Ardhanarishvara embracing, Brahmagupta intellectual, Kama sexual, Rati sensuous, Prakrti spiritual, Radha-Krishna romantic, and Meluhha innovative and these words are intertwined and inclusively used together to describe us, not either / or, it’s an and and and and and and and and an everlasting continuous abundance of more.