Cabal is not a queer party. Founder Rohan Kohli wants to make this very clear at the outset. “Nightlife spaces in India are already so fragmented. You see the cis-hetero folks doing their own thing and maybe queer folks are welcome there. Or you go to parties for queer folks that are further divided into different smaller groups,” he observes. “What I really wanted to do here is not separate us further as human beings. Nightlife and electronic music are meant to create spaces of unity. Historically, it’s how people from marginalised communities have always come together.”
Today when we think of raves we think of toxic masculinity: of techno bros and Bandra boys in loose jerseys paying no regard to those around them. Electronic music has become synonymous with the very entitlement and aggression that many oppressed groups once sought to escape at such sanctuaries. This appropriation makes it easy to forget that these parties have always been political: underground spaces rooted in liberation and resistance, pioneered by black, Latino, and queer folks in the 1970s USA. Last year, horror drama Sinners alluded to how communities around the world see collective singing and dancing as powerful rituals that can alter consciousness.
When hotelier Keshav Suri founded Kitty Su in 2011, this was the utopia he envisioned for all kinds of people: from drag queens hailing from Ambala to differently abled musicians. He was inspired by the vibrant underground nightlife scene in cities like Shanghai. In the last decade, organisations like Gay Gaze, Gaysi Family, and Gay Bombay have spearheaded queer parties in the city: from unfussy bar nights to elaborate, themed events. But they still remain niche, unlike Cabal, where everyone wants in.
Kohli refers to Cabal as a “soft, kind party”. Since it started in May 2025, the event series has been invite-only. Paradoxically, the purpose of this is not to exclude but rather to include. In a thorough screening process, interested attendees must first fill a form that asks simply for contact information and an Instagram handle. Following a social media check, Kohli either speaks with potential attendees over the phone or on WhatsApp. Sometimes these conversations are based on instinct as the 29-year-old tries to gauge if the interested attendee will be respectful towards the different kinds of people around them. Cabal’s Instagram stresses these non-negotiables: no queerphobia, transphobia or entitlement is tolerated, neither is over-intoxication or aggressive dancing.
From the talent to the audiences, the point is to build a space where every person is trusted, where community comes above the individual.
At about half past ten on June 12, throngs of people begin to pour into antiSOCIAL in Mumbai: 300 attendees have arrived from all over India, most dressed comfortably in preparation for hours of dancing. Someone tells me they’ve flown in specially from Ahmedabad and will check out of their hotel room tomorrow morning. Someone else mentions this is their only respite after 14 hours of working.
It is a Friday night and everyone is appropriately at ease, absorbed in Yonti’s set on the dimly lit dance floor or animatedly gossiping with strangers in the noisy smoking room. As the lights slowly shift from pink to red to green, I am amazed at the fact that I am able to walk through the crowd without being pushed, shoved, and squeezed: a first at a party of this scale. From groups of young students to silver-haired folks, everyone maintains a polite distance from each other. When we approach a group of fabulously dressed middle-aged men, they courteously decline getting their picture taken. Some minutes later, one of them approaches us again: “I’m sorry if I was rude. I’m just not used to these things.” This is compassion that hardly gets a chance to reveal itself in Mumbai’s public places. It is the euphoria that comes with knowing you are quietly accepted.
To understand the euphoria of a Cabal party, I approached some of the coolest and the best-dressed attendees and did a vibe check.
Sahil, DJ
Only at Cabal…
They actually push forward a more queer-centric scene in Mumbai rather than just saying they are.
What’s the vibe you were going for with your outfit tonight?
Sleek. If you see me, you might think I can run away from you really quickly.
What’s your biggest pet peeve at a party like this?
Having people you come with call you and ask you where you are. That’s why I go out by myself now.
Akshaj, design and art professor
What makes Cabal different?
The freedom of it. I’m based in Ahmedabad but came to Mumbai just for this. I talked to Rohan, booked my flight, booked my hotel room.
What’s your one goal for the night?
I want to connect with Yonti’s music. It’s like reading a book: once you’re halfway through it, you’re in it. I want to be in it.
What’s your favourite part of a night like this?
Apart from the music? Muscles. Hot men. Sheer tops. Seeing a lot of nipples.
Elton, makeup and hair artist
Only at Cabal…
The last Cabal was the best night of my life in maybe 20 years. The DJs from Berlin were amazing. I love queer DJs. I woke up today really ill and puking, but I just couldn’t miss this. I’d been looking forward to it for a month.
What’s the vibe you were going for with your outfit tonight?
I’m very Berlin-coded. All black, a cut-up skirt. I like being sweaty and grungy.
What’s one goal you have for the night?
I just want to dance with my friends next to me. Just hold them and hug them and kiss them. It’s my friend’s last party in Mumbai, so this is going to be our goodbye.
What is your biggest pet peeve at a party like this?
Watching people make out.
Pranshu, ice-cream shop owner; Dora, writer
What brings you to Cabal?
Dora: There are a lot of raves in Mumbai, but Cabal is one where queer people can be themselves. For instance, I’m tits out today.
How long did it take to put together your outfit?
Pranshu: Minus two minutes, because I came straight from work. Usually, I like to overdress compared to women. Today I am normally dressed compared to men.
Dora: Weeks. I wanted to be out there but also chic about it.
What is your one goal for the night?
Pranshu: To shake that ass.
Palash, writer
Only at Cabal…
Intention makes Cabal different because raves started as a protest and were never about money but community. Cabal is reclaiming what raves used to be. Raves are made for queer people. As a straight person, you can come be part of the community but know your history and culture before you put out a fan and bandana on your Instagram.
What’s your one goal for the night?
Dancing it out to the point that I’m breathless because this is cardio to me and I need my cardio.
What’s your favourite part of a night like this?
The after-party.
Deepit Chugh, creative director
What is your favourite kind of person on the dance floor?
My friend who’s here with me. At our last party together we found him drunk and lying on the ground outside. That’s the best kind of person.
What’s your biggest pet peeve on a night like this?
When I don’t get my alcohol fast.
What’s your favourite part of such nights?
The ride back home.
Sid, Sara, Arayna, advertising professionals; Neeraja, writer
How long did it take all of you to put your outfits together?
It was a week-long endeavour. The collective vibe is Coachella at night.
What is your biggest pet peeve at a night like this?
Someone who won’t stop chatting and just won’t leave you alone.
What is your favourite part of a night like this?
The pre-game.
Aayushi, producer
What’s the vibe you were going for with your outfit tonight?
I just wanted to wear something comfortable because it’s a four-hour-long set.
What is your favourite kind of person on the dance floor?
The one who doesn’t give a f**k about anything else.
Rachna, marketer; Para, mental health coach
What brings you here tonight?
Para: I’m getting out of my house after a while and this is the best place to be by yourself and still be yourself.
What is your biggest pet peeve at a party like this?
Rachna: Someone who can’t handle their drink.
Para: Someone who can’t handle their hands.
What is your favourite part of a night like this?
That it feels safe.
Salome, producer
How long did it take you to put together your outfit?
Only about 10 minutes.
What is your favourite kind of person on the dance floor?
Someone who makes way for people and still enjoys.
What is your biggest pet peeve at a night like this?
Sweaty people.
Sam, DJ
How long did it take you to put your outfit together?
I never have to take really long on my outfits because my outfits are my tattoos. I can wear the most basic-ass outfit and still be set.
What is your favourite kind of person on the dance floor?
Frontliners for sure. Anyone who’s right at the front encouraging the DJ, like “we’re here for you”.
What is your biggest pet peeve at a party like this?
When people go “Ooo ooo” at a techno event. F**k off.
Shen, designer
What vibe were you going for with your outfit tonight?
Slutty but still sophisticated.
What is your favourite kind of person on the dance floor?
Respectful but still wild.
Shriya, writer
What brings you to Cabal?
Techno is my stress relief and this is the only place where I’d be absolutely comfortable coming on my own.
What’s the vibe you were going for with your outfit?
It’s London ’90s grunge with Tumblr girl because I’m wearing Converse too.
What’s your one goal for the night?
Getting my steps in.
Suraj, drag queen; Sagar, model
Only at Cabal…
The freedom to wear whatever you want and enjoy with the community.
What’s the vibe you were going for with your outfits?
Lots of leather, lots of shine, lots of gay.
What is your favourite part of a night like this?
The ending set because the energy is so high.
Fareed, promoter
Only at Cabal...
You don’t see anyone random over here. You see people you have actually come for the music.
What is your biggest pet peeve at a party like this?
People who shout. I hate that shit.
What’s your favourite part of a night like this?
It feels so nice talking to so many people and sharing energies with each other.
