Shahmen Suku fondly remembers his childhood growing up in Singapore. Born into a large Indian Hindu family, he loved learning familial recipes in his mother’s kitchen, and visiting local temples with his extended family on weekends. Praying to his deities at the altar or temple was always a family affair for Shahmen.
“I guess when you’re in an Indian community in Singapore it’s part of your life; it’s a culture and a religion at the same time. A lot of our family occasions would be surrounded by that [praying].”
Even though same-sex relations are not condemned in Hindu texts, as a teenager Shahmen often felt isolated navigating his sexuality in a culture where LGBTQIA+ people were never discussed or represented.
“I just didn’t hear the word ‘gay’ growing up, so it was quite hard because no one spoke about it … I actually had no idea what it meant, so I didn’t know what these feelings meant.”
Shahmen Suku as Radha La Bia performing at an event for children. Source: Insight
It wasn’t until Shahmen moved to Brisbane to study in 2009 that he felt more comfortable openly exploring how his multiple identities - gay, Indian, and Hindu - intersected with one another. After venturing into queer spaces, beats and bars, Shahmen became friends with queer artists and first made his mark as a performer with a spontaneous drag performance in a friend’s living room.
“So a friend was having a little art show about food and I was like, ‘Why don’t I do a cooking demonstration but I’ll do it in drag?’ I did it and everyone enjoyed it and that’s kind of where Radha started.”
Radha La Bia, the Diva from India, is a persona Shahmen uses in his performances to share stories about his relationship with his family, culture, faith and sexuality. Since his first DIY show in Brisbane almost 10 years ago, Shahmen’s eccentric energy has hit the stages of Secret Garden festival, MCA Art Bar, Laneway Festival, and more.
“I love the confidence it [drag] gives you. It’s a mask that you wear to sort of enamour the audience and you captivate the audience immediately.”
Despite his family disapproving of his performance art, drag allows Shahmen to explore the challenges and triumphs of being LGBTQIA+ and from a religious background.
“Through my performances it allows me to bring all the pieces of my life together: being a Hindu, being a Indian, South Asian, queer man. It’s like a puzzle coming together.”
