South Asian Studies at Stanford

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The South Asian Studies at Stanford (SASS) Podcast features conversations between the Center for South Asia at Stanford and guests who have a connection to Stanford as faculty, staff, students, or alumni. The podcasts feature a wide range of topics, ranging from poetry to politics, from manuscript collecting to music, from business to Bollywood. Every podcast consists of an informal and informative conversation about South Asia and its meaning in the world, in our lives, and at Stanford. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Center for South Asia


    • May 19, 2025 LATEST EPISODE
    • monthly NEW EPISODES
    • 36m AVG DURATION
    • 92 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from South Asian Studies at Stanford

    Identity, Empire, and the Revolution

    Play Episode Listen Later May 19, 2025 35:54 Transcription Available


    Lalita du Perron talks to Amrit Deol of Fresno State University about her project on the Ghaddar party and Sikh diasporic history, and her future work on life in the borderlands.

    Part 2 - Wisdom, kindness, and designing your life

    Play Episode Listen Later May 5, 2025 28:35 Transcription Available


    Lalita du Perron talks to Stanford Life Design Fellow Deepak Ramola in this 2-part episode, about what it means to be a wisdom historian, an artist, and a writer, while we try to figure out why grandmothers are always so wise!Over the last 15 years, Deepak has worked at the intersection of wisdom and lifelong learning through his organization Project FUEL, collecting life lessons from 195 countries.

    Part 1 - Wisdom, kindness, and designing your life

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 10, 2025 32:30 Transcription Available


    Lalita du Perron talks to Stanford Life Design Fellow Deepak Ramola in this 2-part episode, about what it means to be a wisdom historian, an artist, and a writer, while we try to figure out why grandmothers are always so wise!Over the last 15 years, Deepak has worked at the intersection of wisdom and lifelong learning through his organization Project FUEL, collecting life lessons from 195 countries.

    Dance and Healthy Aging

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 24, 2025 27:31 Transcription Available


    Lalita du Perron talks to Vidyani Suryadevara of the Stanford School of Medicine on her work on healthy aging, the benefits of dance, and the Stanford Heritage Dance Series.Read the Stanford Report article on the transformative power of dance in health.

    Gender Apartheid in Afghanistan

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 24, 2025 35:26


    Guest host Anuradha Bhasin talks to Halima Kazem about her work on gender apartheid in Afghanistan and her role in the Stanford Program in Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. Follow Halima on X at @halimakazem.

    Shandana Waheed on Rawalpindi, the politics of heritage, and hostile histories

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 3, 2025 34:40


    Lalita du Perron talks to Shandana Waheed, Doctoral Student in the Department of Anthropology and the Archaeology Center at Stanford, about her work in Rawalpindi, the politics of heritage, and the concept of hostile histories.

    Mental Health in the South Asian community and beyond

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 20, 2025 46:33


    Lalita du Perron talks to psychiatrist Apurva Bhatt about her Stanford clinic, meeting the needs of adolescents and children with mental health challenges, and attitudes towards mental health in the South Asian community. Intro and outro: Roslyn by Rishab Rikhiram Sharma, creator of Sitar for Mental Health. Many thanks for allowing us to use the music! Find out more at rishabsharma.com. Mental Health Resources:988 - mental health emergencyChild Mind Institute (childmind.org)Brown Girl Therapy/Sahaj Kaur Kohli (sahajkaurkohli.com)Rcoz.us

    Journalism in the time of authoritarianism and big tech

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 16, 2024 39:39


    Lalita du Perron talks to Arfa Khanum Sherwani about her JS Knight Journalism Fellowship at Stanford and her long-standing work with the Indian independent news outlet The Wire (thewire.in).

    The anti-blasphemy movement in Pakistan

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 2, 2024 40:14


    Lalita du Perron talks to Stanford Anthropology PhD student Saad Lakhani about his work on the Tehreek-e Labaik Pakistan (TLP), also known as the anti-blasphemy movement.

    Kalpana Desai and SACHI

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 28, 2024 30:06


    Lalita du Perron welcomes Kalpana Desai, President of the Society for Arts and Cultural Heritage of India to talk about the history and evolution of SACHI and an upcoming event at Stanford about the novel Wave.

    History and Context of Student Protests in Bangladesh – with Stanford Students Zarif and Arwa

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 15, 2024 40:40


    Lalita du Perron talks to CSA-Markaz fellow Zarif Ahsan and Abbasi-Markaz fellow Arwa Faruk, who both identify as Bangladeshi-American, about recent events in Bangladesh.

    SALA part 2: the 2024 festival, Sept 28-29

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 29, 2024 34:33


    Lalita du Perron talks to Mayuranki Almaula and Kiran Malhotra about the speakers, artists, scholars, and poets who will be joining us for the South Asian Literature and Arts festival this year. Get your tickets here and check out this year's program @salafestival.org. Hosted by the Center for South Asia at Stanford on September 28-29, 2024.Questions? Email southasiainfo@stanford.edu

    Indo Pak Dosti Forum: Luv and Aimen

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 14, 2024 35:41


    Stanford undergrads and best friends Luv and Aimen describe their vision for the student-led Indo-Pak Dosti Forum.Get in touch with Luv and Aimen @ aimen@stanford.edu, luvj@stanford.edu , or through the Indo-Pak Dosti Forum email @ indopakdostiforum@stanford.edu.

    South Asian Literature and Arts Festival with Ambika Sahay

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 22, 2024 32:39


    Lalita du Perron talks to Ambika Sahay of Artforum SF about the origin and importance of the South Asian Literature and Arts Festival (SALA), which will be cohosted by the Stanford Center for South Asia at the end of September 2024. Social media: @artforumsf Website

    Women's education in Afghanistan

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 10, 2024 33:50


    Lalita du Perron talks to Pashtana Durrani, Executive Director of LearnAfghan.org and visiting fellow at the Wellesley Centers for Women about her journey into advocacy and activism and the role of US higher education institutions in addressing the educational needs of Afghan women and girls.

    Ambika Vishwanath of Kubernein Initiative

    Play Episode Listen Later May 29, 2024 32:02


    Lalita du Perron talks to Ambika Vishwanath, Co-Founder and Director of the Kubernein Initiative, an independent, female led, geopolitical advisory firm based in India, about her vision, her projects on water security, and her recent visit to Stanford.

    On being Hindu, a multi-faith chaplain, and taking care of oneself and others

    Play Episode Listen Later May 13, 2024 33:46


    Lalita du Perron talks to Ken Kula Pradipa Lee about his multi-faith multi-ethnic background, his journey into Hinduism, and his work as the Faith and Flourish multi-faith and Hindu chaplain at Stanford.Check out the Office for Religious and Spiritual Life at Stanford here.

    Paternalistic discrimination and gender inequality

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 22, 2024 29:46


    Lalita du Perron talks to Nina Buchmann, PhD candidate in Economics, about her journey from Frankfurt (“only known for its airport”) to Stanford, her childhood fascination with South Asia, and her work on gender norms and human trafficking.

    Gender norms, women's work, and digital jobs

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 8, 2024 35:14


    Lalita du Perron talks to Suhani Jalota, PhD candidate at Stanford, about her life as a social entrepreneur, her time at Stanford as an economist studying labor, and her work with the Myna Mahila Foundation in Mumbai.

    Cooperatives, Caste, and Political Economy in Maharashtra

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 11, 2024 50:22


    Lalita du Perron talks to Stanford Anthropology PhD candidate Shantanu Nevrekar about his work on cooperatives in Maharashtra, the role caste plays in cooperative membership, and his recent fieldwork trip to India.

    Noopur, Raagapella, and Bhangra: meet the student groups!

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 14, 2024 40:48


    Lalita du Perron talks to Anusha Dwarkanath, Aakriti Lakshmanan, and Josh Singh, about the student groups they run. Find out about the origin, motivations, and activities of these groups in this fun and busy episode! Follow them on Instagram:@stanfordnoopur @stanfordbhangra @stanfordraagapella

    Care, Kinship, & Cognitive Disability in India

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 29, 2024 35:53


    Lalita du Perron talks to Paras Arora, PhD Candidate at the Department of Anthropology at Stanford University, about their work on people with cognitive disabilities in India, what care and kinship look like, and the value and importance of art in their ethnographic work.

    Habib University and the importance of liberal arts education

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 17, 2024 46:04


    Lalita du Perron talks to Wasif Rizvi, President of Habib University, Pakistan about the state of higher education in the US and Pakistan, and the global importance of liberal arts studies. Because this podcast episode was recorded live, the sound is not our usual high standard. Please bear with us as this is a great conversation – please turn up the volume and enjoy it all the way through!

    Home in the Field in Rajasthan

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 11, 2023 45:17


    Shubhangni Gupta talks about her study of heritage and the havelis in Shekhawati, Rajasthan, and her experience of doing fieldwork in a place that is home - and also not home. Follow Shubhangni and her fieldwork notes on Instagram @shubhangnigupta.

    Environmental history and temporality in South Asia

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 15, 2023 36:00


    Lalita du Perron talks to Eduardo Acosta (Mellon Fellow at Stanford History) about his PhD from the University of Chicago, the colonial preoccupation to control rivers, climate change, and how time is in fact a cultural construct.

    Periyar: authority, caste, and women's rights

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 23, 2023 45:19


    Lalita du Perron welcomes Karthick Ram Manoharan to discuss his latest book Periyar: a study in political atheism (Orient Black Swan, 2022) and his new research while a visiting fellow at the Stanford Humanities Center. Apologies for occasional sound issues.

    Transnational Tibetan Buddhism, Performing Identity, and the 84,000 Project

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 16, 2023 41:23


    Lalita du Perron talks to Ana Cristina Lopes about her work on transnational Tibetan Buddhism, her book Tibetan Buddhism in Diaspora, and her new work on the 84,000 project, whose mission is to translate all of the Buddha's words into modern languages, and provide open and free access to over 230,000 pages. Find out more at 84000.co.

    Robert Rakove, Days of Opportunity: The United States and Afghanistan before the Soviet Invasion

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 21, 2023 38:47


    Lalita du Perron welcomes Robert Rakove from International Relations at Stanford to talk about his new book Days of Opportunity: The United States and Afghanistan before the Soviet Invasion.Book link: http://cup.columbia.edu/book/days-of-opportunity/9780231210454

    Gowri Shankar, Protecting King Cobras

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 31, 2023 35:12


    Lalita du Perron talks to Gowri Shankar of https://www.kalingafoundation.org/ about his work on the King Cobra, how being bitten by a snake sparked his PhD research, and how to keep ourselves and animals safe.

    Rabia Saeed: The power of writing, serendipity, and luck

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 17, 2023 48:51


    Lalita du Perron talks to Rabia Saeed, current Wallace Stegner Fellow in Creative Writing, about her journey from Kohat, Pakistan, to Stanford and beyond. Links to her stories:https://theseventhwave.org/rabia-saeed/https://www.litromagazine.com/usa/2021/03/jfk-by-rabia-saeed/

    Isabel Salovaara, Tuition and coaching in Patna

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 8, 2023 37:00


    Lalita du Perron talks to Isabel Salovaara, Ph.D. student in Anthropology at Stanford University, about her research project on the tuition and coaching industry in India, and her fieldwork in Patna in particular.

    Aidan Milliff, How people respond to violence

    Play Episode Listen Later May 30, 2023 36:20


    Lalita du Perron talks to Aidan Milliff, Postdoctoral Fellow in Contemporary Asia, Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center (APARC), about the choices people make when faced with state or community violence, what it means to be a political scientist, and the excellent community of South Asia scholars at Stanford!

    Shripad “Tulja” Tuljapurkar, Travels and the chili pepper

    Play Episode Listen Later May 15, 2023 35:52


    Lalita du Perron talks to Shripad “Tulja” Tuljapurkar, Professor of Biology at Stanford, about his work on demographics, his love of food, and his undergraduate class on the chili pepper.

    Gulika Reddy, Teaching as Advocacy

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 24, 2023 34:41


    Lalita du Perron talks to Gulika Reddy, Assistant Professor in the Stanford Law School and Director of the International Human Rights and Conflict Resolution Clinic, about her work as a lawyer, teacher, organizer, and activist, and the NGO she started, Schools of Equality.

    Feyaad Allie, Muslim Politics in India

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 23, 2023 30:56


    Lalita du Perron talks to Feyaad Allie about his PhD research on political representation and identity, facial recognition and voting, and post-PhD life.

    Elspeth Iralu, Indigenous Mapping and Identity

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 10, 2023 34:19


    Lalita du Perron talks to Elspeth Iralu, 2022-23 Mellon Fellow at the Stanford Humanities Center, about her work on Indigenous mapping, Indigeneity, surveillance, and her identity as Angami Naga.

    Nasiruddin Nezaami, Stanford after Afghanistan

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 17, 2023 42:00


    Lalita du Perron talks to Nasiruddin Nezaami about August 2021 and being sponsored by Institute for International Education Scholar Rescue Fund (IIE-SRF), his work with the American University of Afghanistan and Stanford Law School, and his research on global cyber crime.

    Max Bruce: South Asia, Urdu, and Shibli Nomani

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 6, 2023 32:35


    Lalita du Perron talks to Gregory Maxwell Bruce (https://sseas.berkeley.edu/people/gregory-maxwell-bruce/), who teaches Urdu at Berkeley and Stanford, about his multiple book projects, love of language, and the Journal of Urdu Studies, published by Brill (https://brill.com/).

    Halima Kazem, Stories from Afghanistan

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 23, 2023 34:17


    Lalita du Perron talks to Halima Kazem (Twitter @halimakazem) about the Afghanistan Oral History Project at Hoover Institution Library & Archives at Stanford University and her work training journalists in Afghanistan.

    Moogdho Mim Mahzab, Reducing Environmental Pollution in Bangladesh

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 9, 2023 28:43


    Lalita du Perron talks to Moogdho Mim Mahzab, postdoctoral scholar at Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment, about his work on improving brick kilns and lead acid batteries operations in Bangladesh and the challenges of developmental economy.

    South Asia in Motion at Stanford University Press

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 5, 2022 43:19


    Lalita du Perron talks to Stanford University Press South Asia in Motion series editors Thomas Blom Hansen and Dylan Kyung-lim White about the history of the Press, the motivation behind the series, and what makes a great book proposal. Links: Stanford University Press and South Asia in Motion

    Anuradha Bhasin: Journalism, the Media, and Kashmir

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 21, 2022 33:03


    Lalita du Perron talks to Anuradha Bhasin about her role as executive editor of the Kashmir Times, the challenges facing the media in Kashmir, and her time at Stanford as a JSK Journalism Fellow. Follow Anuradha on Twitter: @anuradhabhasin_

    Thenmozhi Soundararajan, The Trauma of Caste

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 7, 2022 52:15


    Lalita du Perron talks to Thenmozhi Soundararajan of Equality Labs about her forthcoming book The Trauma of Caste, survivor power, caste in Silicon Valley, the importance of mentorship, and healing for all.Link to book: https://www.northatlanticbooks.com/shop/the-trauma-of-caste/

    Chandra Vadhana Radhakrishnan, Gender Equality: activism meets entrepreneurship

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 24, 2022 36:43


    Lalita du Perron talks to the multifaceted Chandra Vadhana Radhakrishnan, a Fulbright Program Fellow in the Gender Innovations Lab at Stanford History, about gender equality, entrepreneurship, self-care, and having/wanting to do it all. Links: https://history.stanford.edu/people/chandra-vadhana (Her Stanford History page) https://prayaana.org/ (Prayaana Labs) https://shesightmag.com/ (Shesite) https://pracol.com/ (E-commerce site) https://youtu.be/hbiflnwVYPU (Identity film)

    Gayatri Sethi: Belonging, unbelonging, and the complexity of identity

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 11, 2022 38:17


    Lalita du Perron talks to Gayatri Sethi (@desibookaunty on Instagram) about her time at Stanford Graduate School of Education, her book Unbelonging (from which she reads an excerpt), and what is considered home. Apologies for occasional internet issues. Links referenced in episode: 1947 Partition Archive: https://www.1947partitionarchive.org/ (https://www.1947partitionarchive.org/) Unbelonging: https://mangoandmarigoldpress.com/products/unbelonging (https://mangoandmarigoldpress.com/products/unbelonging)

    Decolonizing collections: South Asia Open Archives

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 12, 2022 39:08


    Lalita du Perron talks to Elizabeth Lhost, Digital Librarian at South Asia Open Archives (SAOA), about the work of SAOA, the challenges and the joys of digitization, access, availability, and decolonizing the archive. Visit the SAOA website at saoa.crl.edu. Submit suggestions via email to saoa@crl.edu.

    Jonathan Peterson: Vedanta, atheism, and body modification

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 3, 2022 42:20


    Lalita du Perron talks to Jonathan Peterson of Stanford Religious Studies about his research and teaching on Vedanta, atheism, ritual branding, body modification, and interreligious love.

    Shaili Chopra, The power of digital and SheThePeople

    Play Episode Listen Later May 13, 2022 38:58


    Lalita du Perron talks to Shaili Chopra about her digital platform SheThePeople, the women's health bot DoctorDidi (https://bit.ly/3Fv5JWw (Click on this link to open on your WhatsApp)), her time at Stanford, and the ups and downs of a life lived online. 

    What's going on in Sri Lanka? With Sharika Thiranagama.

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 18, 2022 48:47


    Lalita du Perron talks to Sharika Thiranagama, Associate Professor of Anthropology at Stanford, who explains and helps us understand--as much as we can cram into one podcast--what is happening in Sri Lanka right now. Date of recording April 14, 2022.

    Radhika Koul, Conversations in the Humanities

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 11, 2022 34:13


    Lalita du Perron talks to Radhika Koul, 2021-22 Dissertation Prize Fellow in Stanford Humanities Center and Ph.D. candidate in Department of Comparative Literature within Division of Literatures, Cultures, and Languages, about creating conversations between 10th-century Kashmir and 17th-century France as well as between techies and fuzzies.

    Rushain Abbasi, Secularism and Islam

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 28, 2022 41:00


    Lalita du Perron talks to Rushain Abbasi about his fellowship at Stanford Humanities Center, being a lecturer in Religious Studies at Stanford, and his book projects on secularism, worldliness, and the intellectual history of Islam. And we share our love of footnotes!

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