Comedian Raj Suresh splits his time between Bentonville and New York City. In addition to touring, he co-directs the Big Diamond Comedy Festival in Bentonville. | Courtesy photo.
Raj Suresh combines comedy with community in the place dear to his heart: Bentonville, Arkansas. Being a stand-up comedian, festival director, bar co-owner and garden enthusiast is time consuming, but he makes it work to serve the community he loves.
Suresh said growing up he “never envisioned any of this.”
“I had a very abstract idea for the future, I knew it would be something in the creative space – maybe a career in marketing.” It was on a night out with his friends that he discovered his love for standup.
“I got drunk and stumbled into an open mic,” Suresh said. “And then I just never really looked back.”
“Sometimes you do things because you love a place and the people that live in it”
Raj Suresh
Never having taken so much as a comedy class, Suresh is a completely self-taught comedian. He learned from watching comics online, such as Chris Rock.
“I still don’t know if I am funny,” Suresh said. “But I do know this is something I love doing, and I knew that probably a decade ago.”
Close friend and fellow comedian Shawna Blake said something that makes Suresh’s comedy stand out is that he “always has a unique take on things.”
Suresh pulls a lot of his comedic inspiration from his own life with his unique perspective as an Indian-American who has lived in an oddity of locations across the U.S. Suresh moved to Bentonville about 10 years ago and fell in love with the area.
“I love it there, I love the summers there, the art scene, but also have a lot of friends there and the bar as well.” He now splits his time between Bentonville and New York City.
It was in Bentonville that Suresh decided to open a bar with some of his friends that was “accessible for everyone.”
“I just felt like Bentonville’s culture was starting to change,” Suresh said. “All our bars were starting to lean in an incredibly corporate direction if I’m being honest.”
Suresh said they wanted a place where locals could “feel at ease” while getting a “somewhat upscale experience” and not be concerned about what they are wearing or what company they are with. His vision for the interior was “light, airy and full of plants”
Suresh said he wanted the bar to be a communal space for the community to gather, and that is what it became. While he was passionate about the curation of Botanical Bar, Suresh said the Big Diamond Comedy Festival is “his baby.” The Big Diamond Comedy Festival is a three-day stand-up comedy event in Bentonville featuring entertainers from across the country. He partnered with two friends, Sam Tallent and Kazie Sparkman, to make the vision a reality.
“I love that we can bring talent from around the country to experience NWA in a different way,” Suresh said. “I want people coming to the festival to be like, ‘I got my money’s worth and then some’ and enrich their lives in a meaningful way.”
While Bentonville may be known for its art and outdoor recreation scenes, Suresh is bringing comedy to NWA and trying to improve its reputation at the same time.
“I want people to be like, “Wow, Arkansas was a weirdly, unexpectedly good time,” Suresh said. “We do have a stereotype that we have to combat, and I’m happy to be a part of that fight.”
Suresh admits his endeavors can be time consuming but never draining.
“These things take time but if you are doing it with community at the center of your mind, I think it has the capacity to actually give you more energy,” Suresh said. “It gives [me] a little sense of purpose.”
Blake said when she first met Suresh he was “a little big for his britches,” but in hindsight he has always been a very driven person which shows in his current endeavors.
What you would not know from a google search or his standup is that the thing Suresh loves most in the world (besides his family) is gardening. This love began during Covid at his Bentonville home when he started renovating his backyard. Suresh grows tomatoes, watermelon and lettuce, and he also planted a butterfly patch for monarch butterflies.
“I really get into tomato season,” Suresh said. “Gardening is what I do to chill out, and standup is what I do to feel alive.”