Holding
history,
making
futures.

A South Asian cultural collective — artists, writers, researchers & thinkers making space on our own terms.
Get on the list ✦
Loot.
Community Gatherings✦ Arts & Culture✦ Panels & Workshops✦ And More✦ Community Gatherings✦ Arts & Culture✦ Panels & Workshops✦ And More✦

✦ our story

A word
reclaimed.

Loot is a South Asian cultural collective bringing together artists, writers, researchers and thinkers to collaborate across mediums and ideas.

The word loot carries a complicated history. Originating in South Asia, it entered the English language during the period of British colonial rule in India, where it came to signify “the taking” of objects, wealth and culture.

Loot holds the word in tension. It becomes a space to gather, remix, reclaim and transform cultural forms — acknowledging the past while creating new possibilities for exchange and collaboration.

Loot Live 🎉
Big cultural nights. Arts, food, performance and conversation under one roof.
events
Loot Salon 💬
Intimate workshops for the curious. Identity, storytelling, creative practice.
workshops
Sharam Masala 📺
South Asian diaspora commentary. Sharp, honest, on YouTube.
content
Substack ✍️
Long-form fiction drawn from PhD research on the immigrant experience.
writing

✦ why loot exists

“

I’ve been looking for a room my whole life.
So I built one.

There’s a specific kind of loneliness that doesn’t really have a name yet. The story of why Loot exists — and what it means to finally build the room you’ve always needed.

Read the full story →
Founder of Loot

✦ the person behind the curtain

Hi, I'm the
founder of Loot.

PhD researcher · strategic designer · South Asian diaspora commentator

By day I lead strategic and design research. By night (and weekends) I run Sharam Masala, a YouTube channel about South Asian diaspora identity that somehow convinced 8,200 people to keep watching.

I also write In formation on Substack — ficto-critical accounts drawn from my PhD research on the experiences of immigrants. It's part cultural analysis, part storytelling, part processing things I couldn't fit in a thesis.

Loot is the thing that (kind of) ties it all together. A space for the South Asian diaspora in Melbourne and beyond — to gather, make noise, share ideas and take up room.

What
we do.

01 ——

Live events & gatherings

Flagship cultural nights that bring together performance, food, art and conversation. Big enough to feel like a moment. Intimate enough to feel like community.

02 ——

Salons & workshops

Smaller, deeper gatherings for the curious. Storytelling, identity, creative practice, cultural research. A room where ideas get worked through together.

03 ——

Sharam Masala

South Asian diaspora identity examined through a sharp, honest lens. Commentary, culture, conversation — on YouTube.

Watch on YouTube →

04 ——

Substack

Long-form fictional accounts drawn from PhD research on the immigrant experience. Culture through story, not just argument.

Read on Substack →

Get in
the loop.

Two ways to be part of Loot — pick yours (or both).

🌶️ I'm here for the events

Get first access to Loot events, salons and cultural programming in Melbourne. No spam — just culture worth showing up for.

Tell us your name, where you're based and what you're keen to come to. Takes 30 seconds. We read every one.

Sign me up ✦
🎨 I want to collaborate

Are you an artist, performer, writer, musician or creative who wants to work with Loot? Drop us an email and tell us about yourself and what you do. We'd love to hear from you.

Tell us who you are, what you make, and how you'd like to be involved. We read every email.

Email us ✦
🌏

Created on Wurundjeri land, Naarm (Melbourne).
Always was, always will be, Aboriginal land.