Cuppa filled moments hosted by Writer, Director and Actor Raimu Itfum.
Chai with Rai is a weekly Life & Culture podcast diving into mindset and business of being a creative whilst sipping and spilling some Hot (Garam) Chai.
Presenting the Second Audio Collections Series, produced by Chai with Rai and titled An Ode: Reframing the Classics.
In 2025, in collaboration with the LGBTQ+ Community Centre at London Bankside, we introduced a new audio series: An Ode: Reframing the Classics—continuing its mission to amplify diverse voices and creative perspectives.
Selected as Artist of the Month for July 2025, Raimu Itfum presented An Ode: Reframing the Classics as a public exhibition at Theatre Deli, which opened throughout July and was free to attend.
This exhibition seeked to reframe and celebrate storytelling through a queer lens. At its heart was a curated selection of original audio works by ; Amar Bains, Rupinder Kaur, Tarek Khwiss, Punya Rajput, Bethany Henry Gemmell, Gayathiri Kamalakanthan and Anthony Pius. Complementing the audio stories were three short films:
Queerifying the Dulhan by Sammy Kumar
The Search by Rupinder Kaur
Jheel by Raimu Itfum — a preview of their forthcoming poetry mixtape MYTHS: From the Diary of Just A F£@K Boy with Feelings, scheduled for release later this year.
In this episode you will be listening to the following stories (in order):
Fire in my Room by Amar Bains
What the Waves Remember: Amrit Kaur by Rupinder Kaur
Confessions by Tarek Khwiss
The Sari Chronicles by Anthony Pius
The Sabhã no Longer Stands by Punya Rajput
29 Dec 2025
“I hear that... but” w/ Bethany Henry Gemmell
On today’s episode, I’m joined by writer Bethany Henry Gemmell for a special end-of-year conversation. It felt like the perfect way to close out the final episode of 2026—thoughtful, generous, and deeply inspiring. This marks Bethany’s second time on the podcast (or, as I like to call it, the Chai Room), and it was such a joy to reconnect.
In this episode, we dive deep into the dramaturgical process, with Bethany leading the conversation around working as dramaturg on the second audio series of Chai with Rai, An Ode: Reframing the Classics, now streaming on Patreon. We also explore the “grass is greener” mindset, Bethany’s upcoming projects—including a new play and a new novel—and then shares valuable advice for emerging playwrights, freelance creatives, and dramaturgs.
You’ll also hear a snippet from Catherine, the short story Bethany wrote for the very first storytelling series, Symphonies of Beaded Threads.
24 Dec 2025
“Being Arab, Being Queer” w/ Tarek Khwiss
Now joining me today IN THE CHAI ROOM (should I keep calling it that?) is my dear friend—dancer, choreographer, model, performer and now writer—Tarek Khwiss.
This was Tarek’s second time on the podcast, and what a special episode it was. A lot of you often ask what it’s like having friends on the podcast, and this episode is truly the epitome of that. We have a deep conversation about dance culture in the UK, friendships within the industry, and kindness toward ourselves and others while navigating the creative world.
Tarek and I also get into politics and activism—using our social platforms to speak out, and the balance (or imbalance) of doing so while managing a creative, freelance life. We discuss how this seeps into our work, the challenges it brings, and how it has shaped our personal viewpoints.
We also talk about being Arab and queer, and dive into Tarek’s new business, Haus of Hurriyah, as well as queer spaces such as Hishek Bishek in London . Of course, we discuss Tarek’s story “Confessions” for An Ode: Reframing the Classics—which, by the way, you can stream in full now on Patreon. You’ll also hear a soundbite in this episode.
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