Roots with South Asian Today

The last two years have been tough for most of us in Australia. The impact of COVID and multiple lockdowns have many struggling to keep a check on both their mental health and identity crises. Why were so many international students, migrants, asylum seekers and refugees left behind during such a difficult time? Why should anyone have to be resilient to ask for basic needs? To get answers to some of her questions, Dilpreet speaks with Samantha Ratnam, Leader of the Victorian Greens. This interview is a part of our new series 'Coping with COVID', where we aim to highlight the mental, physical, social and financial recovery of South Asians in Australia post lockdowns. Tune in! Visit our website: https://southasiantoday.com.au/Buy us a coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/southasiantodaySupport the show

Our guest is the one-and-only TextaQueen. They are a Goan-Indian artist and are known for working predominantly in felt-tip pen - aka 'texta' (hence the name) - to draw out politics of gender, race, sexuality and identity on paper. In this episode, we discuss South Asians' love-hate relationship with Bollywood but with a twist. TextaQueen's exciting new project with 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art - Bollywouldn't -  imagines an alternative universe. It deconstructs all the "-isms" in the Bollywood genre, giving agency back to South Asians, particularly those marginalised within our cultures through sexuality and gender identities.We speak about what decolonising Bollywood means, re-imagining its impact on South Asians and why art is perhaps the best way to do it. Tune in!TextaQueen's image credit: Leah Jing McIntosh.Please support the show by becoming a member and helping us publish global and progressive South Asian stories: www.buymeacoffee.com/southasiantodayVisit southasiantoday.com.au for unique South Asian stories every day.Support the show

Our guest is the impeccable Indian-Australian actor Pallavi Sharda.Pallavi dreamt of acting in Hindi films and actually did it. In an industry laced with nepotism and favouritism, how did someone who was often the only brown girl in her dance class end up leading several Hindi films before turning global and working in movies and shows like Lion with Dev Patel and Gurinder Chadha's Beecham House?We talk about breaking into both Indian and western film industries and how one can find their own place in a profession that can turn overnight. Is it exciting, or is it scary to work in Australia where seeing South Asian women lead a show is still such a novelty?Tune in!Please support the show by becoming a member and helping us publish global and progressive South Asian stories: www.buymeacoffee.com/southasiantodayVisit southasiantoday.com.au for unique South Asian stories every day. Support the show

Earlier this month, South Asian Today reported 13 Academic Fellows resigned from the University of Melbourne's Australia India Institute alleging restricted academic freedom and raising concerns around the Institute's approach toward research on matters of Hindu nationalism. There is also a strong indication of interference by the Indian High Commission in the Institute's operations. In May 2019, a public lecture by Thomas Blom Hansen on ‘violence' was downgraded to an invite-only seminar. In a recent interview with The Wire, The Institute's founding director Professor Amitabh Mattoo alleged it was changed due to security concerns and suggested the Institute's then CEO Craig Jeffrey was responsible for it. Dilpreet speaks with Thomas about his lecture, if the Institute was in fact intimated by higher authorities in the Indian Consulate General and why must the University of Melbourne step up.Tune in. Support the show by becoming a member: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/southasiantodaySupport the show

Our guest today Leeza Mangaldas, is one of India's foremost sex educators. She wants us to imagine a world where all sexual experiences are consensual, safe, and pleasurable. We talk about the western gaze on sex in India, why cis-het men dominate the comment section of a sex educator, and how we should listen to our bodies. Leeza's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leezamangaldas/Become a coffee member and get early access to our podcast: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/southasiantodayIf you like our work, please buy us a coffee and rate our show. Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/southasiantoday)

Our guest today is sex educator and gender justice activist Dr Varuna Srinivasan. Varuna is a bisexual South Asian woman who breaks down myths, stereotypes and shame around sexual health. Varuna and I have a bunch of similarities which makes this episode really easy to listen to. We are both raised in India, both now migrated to the West and both consider ourselves “children of the internet”. We talk about how different it is to use the internet as people who literally got it in the first place, what is (un)sexy in talking about gender online as a woman and how important is financial and racial status when it comes to sexual health. Varuna's Website: https://www.varunasrinivasan.com/Varuna's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drvarunasrinivasan/Support the show

Are identity politics and diversity really going to solve the world's problems? Can we talk about police brutality without talking about punishment in our personal relationships? Is it possible to understand oppression without understanding capitalism?In our fifth podcast episode of Roots, we speak with Dr. Ayesha Khan about abolition, neoliberalism, justice and accountability in a world where disposing of people is an everyday reality. Support the show

Australian media is overwhelmingly Anglo-Celtic and European. Why does a country that claims to be multicultural find itself to be white-dominated time and time again?In the podcast's fourth episode, we speak with Afghan-Australian lawyer and the brand new CEO of Media Diversity Australia, Mariam Veiszadeh.Mariam was born in Afghanistan and she came to Australia in 1990 with her family as a refugee. She talks about what her vision to diversity Australia's journalism sector is, when does she feel seen, and whatever shall happen to the many international students who come to Australia to study media but are not qualified to apply for any internships or cadetships - much like our host, Dilpreet.Tune in!Support the show

India has the largest Tribal and Indigenous population globally, yet there are only 20 National Open Scholarships for about 110 million Tribal people. Why?Our third episode is a special interview with social justice scholar Ashok Danavath about the lack of tribal representation in Indian embassies in the west and the institutionalised casteism many Indigenous, Dalit and Tribal students face.  Those who screen students, take care of administration, or are responsible for allocating funds are overwhelmingly upper caste. As we know, wherever South Asians go, they pack caste along.Ashok Danavath is a Tribal graduate scholar currently at the international institute of social studies in the Netherlands. His ongoing research pertains to the marginalisation of Tribal communities in India, and the host for this special episode is Mudit Vyas, a graduate researcher at Monash University. He specialises in the anthropology of creative industries. They talk about the role of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs of India, how the lack of further support affects students who do get the scholarships, and what happens to the many students who don't. Ashok's Twitter.Mudit's Instagram.Tune in.Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/southasiantoday)

The second guest for Roots is Sharon Johal. Sharon is an actor, writer, presenter, and one of Australia's most well-known South Asian creatives.But apart from acting, it is speaking up where I connect with Sharon the most.Earlier this year, Sharon released a public statement about facing racism on the set of Neighbours, easily one of Australia's biggest and longest-running tv shows. Before her, two Indigenous actors, Shareena Clanton and Meyne Wyatt had come out with similar experiences. It's not surprising that people were dragged for talking about race, which is often the case in white-dominated Australia; topics including racism are not taken seriously and are often dismissed or painted as a cry for attention.It isn't easy to speak up but Sharon believes she must, and even if it is difficult sometimes, she doesn't want to choose to stay silent. And she is aware that not everybody is going to like her. As she says "no one likes a strong woman".But how did she get here?What is it like to be an outspoken brown woman and a public figure in Australia, to grow up in rural areas to a Sikh-Punjabi family and to go against all odds to pursue acting?Sharon has hands-down the most unique stories to tell. For half the recording my mouth was just wide open. Tune in!Support the show

Our first guest for the second season is the one & only Rowi Singh!Rowi is an Indian-Australian make-up artist, and she is hard to miss.  Sometimes she covers her entire face in blue and sometimes she puts flowers on her eyebrows. Like one of my friends said recently, "this isn't makeup, Dilpreet, this is art."Rowi is pushing the meaning of being a creator in the fashion world today.  We speak about being Punjabi, why there is pressure on Indian girls to cover up and who decides who a good migrant is. Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/southasiantoday)

In the eight episode of Roots with South Asian Today, Dilpreet speaks with renowned Australian  journalist Bhakthi Puvanenthiran. A part of the Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora, Bhakthi  is the editor of ABC Everyday and has worked with Crikey, The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald. The conversation explores being a South Asian journalist in Australia, how do we tell our own stories and the possibilities around breaking structural barriers. Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/southasiantoday)

In the seventh episode of Roots with South Asian Today, we speak with India based researcher and preserver of the Punjabi Culture, Anuroop Kaur Sandhu, to understand the role of women in the ongoing Farmers Protests in India along with how Punjab could lose its traditional food and culture if the Modi government does not withdraw the controversial farm laws.Farmers Protests' are the world's largest strike in history. Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/southasiantoday)

In our sixth episode, we speak with feminist and filmmaker, Aman Kaleem, on what the idea of being a 'good girl' is, where feminism in India stands today and how do women fight the good fight. Based in Delhi, Aman is the CEO of Kahaani Wale Infotech and is widely known for her campaign on gender issues, 'Acchi Ladki', which translates to 'Good girl'.Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/southasiantoday)

In the fifth episode of Roots with South Asian Today, we speak with Afghan journalist Ariana Abawe, who founded the first-ever print and digital magazine exclusively focused on Afghanistan, Ariana Magazine, in 2020.We dig deep into Afghan representation and what the magazine's purpose is.Visit www.southasiantoday.com.au for more global and progressive content. Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/southasiantoday)

In the fourth episode of Roots with South Asian Today, we speak with Bangladeshi-American Muslim organiser and artist, Sharmin Hossain. Sharmin is the political director at Ambedkarite organisation, Equality Labs, and the co-founder of Bangladeshi Feminist Collective.We dig deep into US elections, Kamala Harris, Islamophobia among South Asians and how grassroots organising needs to grow now more than ever.Visit www.southasiantoday.com.au for more global and progressive content. Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/southasiantoday)

In the third episode of Roots with South Asian Today, we speak with Kamani Sutra, a bearded genderqueer Drag artist. With roots in Hyderabad, India, Kamani is currently living and studying the States. The episode explores how drag has a personal family history for them and how they later embraced it.Visit www.southasiantoday.com.au for more global and progressive content.Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/southasiantoday)

Shamila Gopalan, one of Asia's top women leaders, pushes for more representation of women, specially from culturally diverse backgrounds, in the worlds of media and business. Currently the CEO of Australia based leadership firm, HerWit, she hails from Malaysia and has worked in countries like Singapore, USA and India.In the second episode of Roots with South Asian Today, Dilpreet Kaur Taggar speaks with Shamila Gopalan on what representation looks like for South Asian women in Australia today and how we can move the needle even further.Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/southasiantoday)

Shani Dhanda wanted to meet fellow Asian women in the UK and all she could find was Saree or Wedding shops. No events, spaces or get-togethers curated for the community.And so, she took one of the biggest financial risks of her life and self funded the Asian Woman Festival (AWF) - a one day festival comprising of panel talks, workshops, art exhibition and live performances. Shani is also the founder of Asian Disability Network. Let's know her a bit more and understand her motives behind these projects in the first ever episode of Roots with South Asian Today.Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/southasiantoday)