Mango Bites 🥭

If you’re new here, welcome to Mango Bites - a newsletter featuring the best South Asian professional events happening in NYC. Reply and say hi!

Summer, I’ll miss you 😢 

I’m gonna be in denial that nice weather is over until I freeze my ass off without a jacket. To celebrate my delusion (and squeeze in the last few outdoor hangs), we’ve got two collab events lined up while the sun still shows up:

🌏️ Event 1: NY Climate Week and UN General Assembly – Changemaker Social
We’re teaming up with OneUp Action International on their annual Changemaker Social! OneUp Action is a youth-led org tackling climate solutions, and it’s only fitting to wrap up Climate Week (and park season) with an outdoor mixer in Central Park. Think of it as the final park day of the summer - with new friends, good vibes, and maybe even a vada pav sighting 👀. Open to all!

🍺 Event 2: The Rupee Beer 5K
We’re joining forces with the city’s best South Asian run crew, Masala Milers, for an end of season 5K at Brooklyn Bridge Park. Run it, walk it, crawl it - just survive it - and grab your free beer at the finish line. We’ve only got 40 spots (no one wants 50+ sweaty, tipsy people sprinting around), so snag your spot fast. Post-run, we’ll all hang out and celebrate 🍻 Ty to Rupee Beer for giving us all the beer!

Upcoming Mango Events 🎇

Register at the links below! 

• South Asian Changemaker Social (9/21) - Only prerequisite is a love for the planet!

• Masala Milers x Mango: The Rupee Beer 5K (10/4) - Open to all!

The Scene 🪔

Other South Asian events I’m keeping an eye on in NYC

Cool Desis Doing Cool Things 🐘

Highlighting people in our community making strides in diverse fields!

Devi Peot is a casting professional at Casting by ARC, with credits including Chicago The Musical (Bway), Life of Pi (Tour), A Wonderful World (Bway), Gatsby (A.R.T), and Real Women Have Curves (Bway). She is also the Founder and CEO of South Asians on Broadway, which amplifies South Asian representation in theater. Through this platform, she has developed projects like Pigeonhole and Maya: The Musical (UK Premiere, 2025). Devi is part of the 2024 TPOC cohort.

Why do you do what you do?
I work to create space where it hasn’t existed. Theater often operates behind closed doors, rarely open to people like me. That’s why I started South Asians on Broadway—to spotlight artists who’ve always been here but overlooked. Casting is about who gets invited into the room. Together, these roles let me push for access, visibility, and inclusion.

What does your Desi identity mean to you, and how has it influenced your journey?Being mixed—half white and half Tamil—shaped how I see the world. I often felt caught between communities, never “enough” for either. Over time, I’ve come to view that in-between space as powerful. My Desi identity connects me to a resilient, vibrant culture and grounds me in making sure South Asian stories are told authentically. It also drives me to be in rooms where decisions are made, advocating for identities that don’t fit neatly into boxes.

What advice do you have for those entering your field?
Discipline is the best form of self-love. This industry can be unpredictable, but consistency sustains you. Do the work even when no one’s watching, hold yourself to your own standards, and stay rooted in your “why.” Talent matters, but discipline creates longevity. Invest in yourself like you’re worth it—because you are.

Devi’s favs 🌟 
🎬 Bollywood Movie: Thalapathi
🍛 Desi Eats: Ven Pongal
🌶️ NYC Restaurant: The Handpulled Noodle

Meme Bazaar 👳🏽‍♀️

Random Stuff 💃

• Mango Resume Drop - if you’re looking to make a career switch!

• Love what Mango is doing? 🥭 Buy us a coffee - any support would go a long way and let us keep hosting events!

• Want to sponsor an event or host something with me? Get in touch!

• Have a friend who’d want to be on this newsletter? Sign up for Mango Bites here!