With only standing room remaining, media types and late-comers cram the back of Mississauga's Noveltel Hotel ballroom for "MyBindi.com's 6th Annual South Asian Comedy Night." Hosted by ONMI TV and FLOW 93.5's Mohit Rajhans, the show featured six of North America's funniest South Asian comics joking about everything from President Bush, terrorism to Indian aunts who can talk on the phone for hours using just three words: ha, ji and haan -- all meaning yes.

Outside the ballroom, hectically trying to ensure everything is on schedule is Syerah Virani, Editor-in-Chief and CEO of MyBindi.com, also the organizer of the comedy show.
"Comedy is a great way to bring awareness about a lot of issues," says Virani. "People laugh about it but at the end of the day if there's a message you can take home with you that's great."

The show's headliner, Azhar Usman, is a Chicago-born Muslim of Indian descent and co-founder of the "Allah Made Me Funny -- The Official Muslim Comedy Tour." His self-deprecating style of comedy was the highlight of the night drawing huge laughs from the audience with an anecdote of his flying experiences.

"Everyone is very nice to me once the plane actually lands," he jokes, adding he's hoping for just one honest passenger to turn and say, "I thought you were gonna kill me! Remember when you got up to go to the bathroom? I was gonna stab you!"

At a time when people choose to paint an entire people with the same brush, events like this can be a catalyst for change and a forum for understanding.

"We're contending with a lot of forces that pigeonhole brown people, and portray us all in one, generally negative light," says Usman. "It's going to take time and a little effort but I'm optimistic and I think that this show is a great example of people coming together that want to make a change and want to make a difference."