People, cultures, and products of the Indian subcontinent and their diaspora
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Since the late 1990s, the multiplex in India has emerged as a dominant site of media exhibition, almost always embedded within the shopping mall. This spatial pairing has transformed the experience of moviegoing, making it impossible to inhabit one space without also passing through the other. The rise of the mall-multiplex signals a broader shift in the spectatorial imagination: away from cinema halls built for the subaltern male viewer, toward environments curated for the aspiring, mobile, and consuming middle-class woman. Projecting Desire: Media Architectures and Moviegoing in Urban India (NYU Press, 2025) tells the story of this infrastructural and cultural transformation as it unfolded across media industries, architectural design, urban planning, and popular cinema. Tracing the multiplex's evolution in post-liberalization India, Tupur Chatterjee reveals how this new built form not only reconfigured cinematic space, but also reshaped the aesthetics, publics, and gendered politics of the contemporary Indian city. Rather than narrating a linear history of technological replacement, the book situates the multiplex within a longer genealogy of postcolonial urban design—one marked by caste- and class-based anxieties around visibility, safety, and leisure. It argues that the architectural mediation of cinema is central to how desire, modernity, and risk are organised in India's media cities. Drawing on industrial and organisational ethnography, in-depth interviews, participant observation, discourse and textual analysis, and archival research, Projecting Desire maps the multiplex as a space where film, infrastructure, and aspiration intersect. In doing so, it offers a critical framework for understanding how gendered publics are produced through the infrastructures of cinematic experience in the Global South. Dr Tupur Chatterjee is an Assistant Professor in Global Film and Media in the School of English, Drama, and Film at University College Dublin. Her research spans global media industries, feminist media studies, urban spatial politics, and the material life of media technologies. Her work has been published in journals like Television and New Media, International Journal of Cultural Studies, Feminist Media Studies, South Asian Popular Culture, and Porn Studies among others. Dr Priyam Sinha is a recipient of the Humboldt Research Award and is based at Humboldt University in Berlin. She earned her PhD from the National University of Singapore. Her research interests lie at the intersection of critical media industry studies, disability studies, gender studies, affect studies, production culture studies, and anthropology of the body. So far, her articles have been published in Media, Culture and Society; Communication, Culture and Critique; South Asian Diaspora, among others. More information on her research can be found on her website www.priyamsinha.com. She can also be reached at https://twitter.com/PriyamSinha Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/sociology
Since the late 1990s, the multiplex in India has emerged as a dominant site of media exhibition, almost always embedded within the shopping mall. This spatial pairing has transformed the experience of moviegoing, making it impossible to inhabit one space without also passing through the other. The rise of the mall-multiplex signals a broader shift in the spectatorial imagination: away from cinema halls built for the subaltern male viewer, toward environments curated for the aspiring, mobile, and consuming middle-class woman. Projecting Desire: Media Architectures and Moviegoing in Urban India (NYU Press, 2025) tells the story of this infrastructural and cultural transformation as it unfolded across media industries, architectural design, urban planning, and popular cinema. Tracing the multiplex's evolution in post-liberalization India, Tupur Chatterjee reveals how this new built form not only reconfigured cinematic space, but also reshaped the aesthetics, publics, and gendered politics of the contemporary Indian city. Rather than narrating a linear history of technological replacement, the book situates the multiplex within a longer genealogy of postcolonial urban design—one marked by caste- and class-based anxieties around visibility, safety, and leisure. It argues that the architectural mediation of cinema is central to how desire, modernity, and risk are organised in India's media cities. Drawing on industrial and organisational ethnography, in-depth interviews, participant observation, discourse and textual analysis, and archival research, Projecting Desire maps the multiplex as a space where film, infrastructure, and aspiration intersect. In doing so, it offers a critical framework for understanding how gendered publics are produced through the infrastructures of cinematic experience in the Global South. Dr Tupur Chatterjee is an Assistant Professor in Global Film and Media in the School of English, Drama, and Film at University College Dublin. Her research spans global media industries, feminist media studies, urban spatial politics, and the material life of media technologies. Her work has been published in journals like Television and New Media, International Journal of Cultural Studies, Feminist Media Studies, South Asian Popular Culture, and Porn Studies among others. Dr Priyam Sinha is a recipient of the Humboldt Research Award and is based at Humboldt University in Berlin. She earned her PhD from the National University of Singapore. Her research interests lie at the intersection of critical media industry studies, disability studies, gender studies, affect studies, production culture studies, and anthropology of the body. So far, her articles have been published in Media, Culture and Society; Communication, Culture and Critique; South Asian Diaspora, among others. More information on her research can be found on her website www.priyamsinha.com. She can also be reached at https://twitter.com/PriyamSinha Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/film
Since the late 1990s, the multiplex in India has emerged as a dominant site of media exhibition, almost always embedded within the shopping mall. This spatial pairing has transformed the experience of moviegoing, making it impossible to inhabit one space without also passing through the other. The rise of the mall-multiplex signals a broader shift in the spectatorial imagination: away from cinema halls built for the subaltern male viewer, toward environments curated for the aspiring, mobile, and consuming middle-class woman. Projecting Desire: Media Architectures and Moviegoing in Urban India (NYU Press, 2025) tells the story of this infrastructural and cultural transformation as it unfolded across media industries, architectural design, urban planning, and popular cinema. Tracing the multiplex's evolution in post-liberalization India, Tupur Chatterjee reveals how this new built form not only reconfigured cinematic space, but also reshaped the aesthetics, publics, and gendered politics of the contemporary Indian city. Rather than narrating a linear history of technological replacement, the book situates the multiplex within a longer genealogy of postcolonial urban design—one marked by caste- and class-based anxieties around visibility, safety, and leisure. It argues that the architectural mediation of cinema is central to how desire, modernity, and risk are organised in India's media cities. Drawing on industrial and organisational ethnography, in-depth interviews, participant observation, discourse and textual analysis, and archival research, Projecting Desire maps the multiplex as a space where film, infrastructure, and aspiration intersect. In doing so, it offers a critical framework for understanding how gendered publics are produced through the infrastructures of cinematic experience in the Global South. Dr Tupur Chatterjee is an Assistant Professor in Global Film and Media in the School of English, Drama, and Film at University College Dublin. Her research spans global media industries, feminist media studies, urban spatial politics, and the material life of media technologies. Her work has been published in journals like Television and New Media, International Journal of Cultural Studies, Feminist Media Studies, South Asian Popular Culture, and Porn Studies among others. Dr Priyam Sinha is a recipient of the Humboldt Research Award and is based at Humboldt University in Berlin. She earned her PhD from the National University of Singapore. Her research interests lie at the intersection of critical media industry studies, disability studies, gender studies, affect studies, production culture studies, and anthropology of the body. So far, her articles have been published in Media, Culture and Society; Communication, Culture and Critique; South Asian Diaspora, among others. More information on her research can be found on her website www.priyamsinha.com. She can also be reached at https://twitter.com/PriyamSinha Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network
Since the late 1990s, the multiplex in India has emerged as a dominant site of media exhibition, almost always embedded within the shopping mall. This spatial pairing has transformed the experience of moviegoing, making it impossible to inhabit one space without also passing through the other. The rise of the mall-multiplex signals a broader shift in the spectatorial imagination: away from cinema halls built for the subaltern male viewer, toward environments curated for the aspiring, mobile, and consuming middle-class woman. Projecting Desire: Media Architectures and Moviegoing in Urban India (NYU Press, 2025) tells the story of this infrastructural and cultural transformation as it unfolded across media industries, architectural design, urban planning, and popular cinema. Tracing the multiplex's evolution in post-liberalization India, Tupur Chatterjee reveals how this new built form not only reconfigured cinematic space, but also reshaped the aesthetics, publics, and gendered politics of the contemporary Indian city. Rather than narrating a linear history of technological replacement, the book situates the multiplex within a longer genealogy of postcolonial urban design—one marked by caste- and class-based anxieties around visibility, safety, and leisure. It argues that the architectural mediation of cinema is central to how desire, modernity, and risk are organised in India's media cities. Drawing on industrial and organisational ethnography, in-depth interviews, participant observation, discourse and textual analysis, and archival research, Projecting Desire maps the multiplex as a space where film, infrastructure, and aspiration intersect. In doing so, it offers a critical framework for understanding how gendered publics are produced through the infrastructures of cinematic experience in the Global South. Dr Tupur Chatterjee is an Assistant Professor in Global Film and Media in the School of English, Drama, and Film at University College Dublin. Her research spans global media industries, feminist media studies, urban spatial politics, and the material life of media technologies. Her work has been published in journals like Television and New Media, International Journal of Cultural Studies, Feminist Media Studies, South Asian Popular Culture, and Porn Studies among others. Dr Priyam Sinha is a recipient of the Humboldt Research Award and is based at Humboldt University in Berlin. She earned her PhD from the National University of Singapore. Her research interests lie at the intersection of critical media industry studies, disability studies, gender studies, affect studies, production culture studies, and anthropology of the body. So far, her articles have been published in Media, Culture and Society; Communication, Culture and Critique; South Asian Diaspora, among others. More information on her research can be found on her website www.priyamsinha.com. She can also be reached at https://twitter.com/PriyamSinha Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/architecture
Since the late 1990s, the multiplex in India has emerged as a dominant site of media exhibition, almost always embedded within the shopping mall. This spatial pairing has transformed the experience of moviegoing, making it impossible to inhabit one space without also passing through the other. The rise of the mall-multiplex signals a broader shift in the spectatorial imagination: away from cinema halls built for the subaltern male viewer, toward environments curated for the aspiring, mobile, and consuming middle-class woman. Projecting Desire: Media Architectures and Moviegoing in Urban India (NYU Press, 2025) tells the story of this infrastructural and cultural transformation as it unfolded across media industries, architectural design, urban planning, and popular cinema. Tracing the multiplex's evolution in post-liberalization India, Tupur Chatterjee reveals how this new built form not only reconfigured cinematic space, but also reshaped the aesthetics, publics, and gendered politics of the contemporary Indian city. Rather than narrating a linear history of technological replacement, the book situates the multiplex within a longer genealogy of postcolonial urban design—one marked by caste- and class-based anxieties around visibility, safety, and leisure. It argues that the architectural mediation of cinema is central to how desire, modernity, and risk are organised in India's media cities. Drawing on industrial and organisational ethnography, in-depth interviews, participant observation, discourse and textual analysis, and archival research, Projecting Desire maps the multiplex as a space where film, infrastructure, and aspiration intersect. In doing so, it offers a critical framework for understanding how gendered publics are produced through the infrastructures of cinematic experience in the Global South. Dr Tupur Chatterjee is an Assistant Professor in Global Film and Media in the School of English, Drama, and Film at University College Dublin. Her research spans global media industries, feminist media studies, urban spatial politics, and the material life of media technologies. Her work has been published in journals like Television and New Media, International Journal of Cultural Studies, Feminist Media Studies, South Asian Popular Culture, and Porn Studies among others. Dr Priyam Sinha is a recipient of the Humboldt Research Award and is based at Humboldt University in Berlin. She earned her PhD from the National University of Singapore. Her research interests lie at the intersection of critical media industry studies, disability studies, gender studies, affect studies, production culture studies, and anthropology of the body. So far, her articles have been published in Media, Culture and Society; Communication, Culture and Critique; South Asian Diaspora, among others. More information on her research can be found on her website www.priyamsinha.com. She can also be reached at https://twitter.com/PriyamSinha Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/south-asian-studies
Welcome to Diaspora, the show where we share the remarkable stories of immigrants from the Indian subcontinent. In this episode, host Aditya Mehta interviews Ranil Herath, a senior executive in the education sector. Ranil discusses his journey from Kandy, Sri Lanka, to the UK, then New Delhi, Toronto, Calgary, and finally Seattle. He shares his experiences growing up in Kandy, studying in India, and navigating career shifts from pharmaceuticals to tech to education. Ranil delves into his decision to immigrate to Canada amidst a civil war in Sri Lanka and his challenges securing his first job in Toronto. The conversation also explores his transition to Calgary, cultural integration, and his current role as the Chief Revenue Officer at Shorelight. Additionally, Ranil discusses his involvement with the Washington State Opportunity Scholarship, his interest in angel investing, and the importance of building a professional network. Tune in for an inspiring conversation that touches on adaptability, community, and the pursuit of growth. Remember to check out the show notes for more information and subscribe for more fascinating stories from the South Asian Diaspora. 00:00 Introduction to Diasporaa 00:39 Meet Ranil Herath: A Journey Across Continents 01:41 Life in Kandy and Cricket Memories 02:56 Education and Early Career in Sri Lanka 06:25 Transition to Canada: First Impressions and Challenges 10:25 Settling in Canada: Building a New Life 23:42 Career Growth and Moving to Calgary 24:44 Calgary's Tight-Knit Community 25:40 The Calgary Stampede Experience 27:31 Comparing Immigration Experiences 30:28 Life in Canada vs. the US 34:18 Shorelight's Mission and Services 36:51 Angel Investing and Networking 42:44 The Rainier Club and Social Networking 45:04 Nostalgic Sounds and Smells 46:10 Mango Memories 48:13 Conclusion and Farewell List of Resources: 1996 Cricket World Cup Semi Final - India vs. Sri Lanka at Eden Gardens, Kolkata: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/icc-world-cup/news/world-cup-semifinal-of-1996-a-day-to-forget-for-indians/articleshow/105252281.cms Calgary Stampede: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calgary_Stampede Delhi University: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delhi_University Kandy Asgiriya Cricket Stadium: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asgiriya_Stadium Kumara Sangakkara: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kumar_Sangakkara Muttiah Muralitharan: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muttiah_Muralitharan Nigerian Church in Mira Road: https://stjosephchurchmiraroad.com/ Rainier Club: https://www.therainierclub.com/ Raw Mango with Spices Recipe: https://vspiceroute.com/tota-keri-chaat-raw-mango-chaat/ Shorelight: https://shorelight.com/ Sri Lankan Civil War: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Lankan_civil_war Washington State Opportunity Scholarship: https://waopportunityscholarship.org/ About the Podcast: Diasporaa was the name of Aditya's startup based in Vancouver, BC. It focused on helping new immigrants in Canada find their feet, get off to a running start and ease their assimilation into Canadian life. A big part of the platform were conversations, community and support. Though the startup stopped growing once Aditya moved to Seattle, WA - it remained alive in the form of several discussion groups and online communities. About Aditya Mehta: Aditya is a Bombay boy who has lived in Austin, Los Angeles, Washington DC, and Vancouver before making it to his current home in Seattle. He has degrees in marketing, urban planning, real estate and strategy but has spent his career in financial services, social media and now real estate - mostly as an entrepreneur and partly as an employee at Amazon. Connect with Diasporaa: -Instagram: @diasporaapodcast -YouTube: https://linke.to/dspyoutube -Bio Link: linke.to/diasporaa -Listen on Spotify: https://linke.to/dspspotify -Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://linke.to/dspapple -Diasporaa Podcast on KKNW Alternative Talk Radio: https://linke.to/kknw1150
From Rig to Retail: Karthik's Journey from Oil and Gas to TikTok | Diasporaa Podcast Episode 7 Welcome to Diaspora, the show where we share the remarkable stories of immigrants from the Indian subcontinent. In this episode, host Aditya Mehta interviews Karthik Gangiredla, a seasoned professional in the oil and gas industry and supply chain logistics. Karthik discusses his extensive career journey, instrumental role in creating Amazon's last mile delivery network, and his current endeavors in building the fulfillment network for TikTok Shop. He shares his academic background from IIT Bombay and London Business School, highlighting his global experiences living in eleven countries. The conversation delves into cultural adaptability, professional transitions, and insights into the evolving landscape of e-commerce logistics. Don't miss this inspiring conversation that explores resilience, cultural richness, and professional triumphs. Remember to like, comment, and subscribe for more inspiring stories from the South Asian Diaspora! 00:00 Introduction to Diasporaa and Guest Karthik Gangiredla 02:04 Karthik's Early Life and Education 04:46 Life at IIT Bombay 12:56 Career Beginnings in Oil and Gas 17:48 Transition to Amazon 27:14 Joining Flexport: A New Opportunity 28:30 Transition to TikTok: Building from Scratch 30:01 TikTok's Unique Value Proposition 30:45 Navigating Political and Legal Challenges 31:46 Cultural Differences at TikTok 34:37 Global Family Coordination 36:27 Favorite Places to Live 40:21 London Business School Experience 48:15 Advice for Later Career MBA 50:44 Mango Memories and Conclusion List of Resources: Amazon Logistics Network Expansion from 2021: https://www.supplychaindive.com/news/amazon-ecommerce-logistics-fulfillment-network-grows-fedex-ups/611432/ Bombay Hindi: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombay_Hindi Bombay and Mumbai etymology: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mumbai#Etymology Hyderabadi Harry Potter: https://www.instagram.com/p/DHONiYmPTK1/ Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Institutes_of_Technology London Business School: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Business_School Tiktok Shop: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TikTok_Shop About the Podcast: Diasporaa was the name of Aditya's startup based in Vancouver, BC. It focused on helping new immigrants in Canada find their feet, get off to a running start and ease their assimilation into Canadian life. A big part of the platform were conversations, community and support. Though the startup stopped growing once Aditya moved to Seattle, WA - it remained alive in the form of several discussion groups and online communities. About Aditya Mehta: Aditya is a Bombay boy who has lived in Austin, Los Angeles, Washington DC, and Vancouver before making it to his current home in Seattle. He has degrees in marketing, urban planning, real estate and strategy but has spent his career in financial services, social media and now real estate - mostly as an entrepreneur and partly as an employee at Amazon. He balances Indian, Canadian and American culture, loves helping those who are new to North America and looks forward to the interesting stories that his interview guests bring each week. When not podcasting, he is helping his wife Prachi build her pharmaceutical business or hanging out with his son Arjun. Connect with Diasporaa: -Instagram: @diasporaapodcast -YouTube: https://linke.to/dspyoutube -Bio Link: linke.to/diasporaa -Listen on Spotify: https://linke.to/dspspotify -Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://linke.to/dspapple -Diasporaa Podcast on KKNW Alternative Talk Radio: https://linke.to/kknw1150
Spicing up Canada: Karan Suri's Journey through Food, Culture and New Beginnings | Diasporaa Podcast Episode 6 Welcome to Diaspora, the show where we share the remarkable stories of immigrants from the Indian subcontinent. In this episode, host Aditya Mehta interviews Karan Suri, a talented chef with experience across multiple continents. Karan discusses his journey from Delhi to Vancouver, highlighting his global culinary adventures, including significant roles at the Oberoi and Fairmont hotel chains. He delves into the unique challenges and triumphs of adapting to different cultural cuisines, his noteworthy contributions to A&W Restaurants with the Masala Veggie Burger, and his experiences as a new immigrant in Canada. Karan also shares his thoughts on the evolving landscape of Indian food in Vancouver and his passion for authentic flavors. Don't miss his insightful story and culinary wisdom. Tune in for an inspiring conversation that explores heritage, innovation, and community. Remember to like, comment, and subscribe for more inspiring stories from the South Asian Diaspora! 00:00 Introduction to Diaspora the Show 00:36 Meet Karan Suri: A Culinary Journey Begins 01:59 Growing Up in India: From Delhi to Assam 07:26 Pursuing Culinary Dreams: Education and Early Career 12:44 Exploring the World: From Dubai to Kenya 17:13 Settling in Canada: First Impressions and Challenges 25:17 Navigating the Rental Market as a New Immigrant 26:05 Building Credit and Financial Challenges 27:15 Media Appearances and Culinary Adventures 28:49 Spot Prawns and Pollinator Series Dinners 31:44 Transitioning from Hotels to A&W 34:14 Innovating the A&W Menu 36:24 The Success of the Masala Veggie Burger 45:09 Vegetarianism and Indian Cuisine in Canada 48:45 Future Plans and Comfort Food 51:48 Conclusion and Farewell List of Resources: A&W Canada's Masala Veggie Burger: https://web.aw.ca/en/our-menu/burgers/masala-veggie-burger A&W Canada's New Menu Development Process: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJ4TlPO3Jmw Baingan Bharta Recipe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZgWjsuO384 Dal Chawal recipe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQtZXZvS-lc Fairmont Hotel Bee Garden: https://www.fairmont-waterfront.com/sustainability/bees-gardens/ Northeast India: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northeast_India Rajma Chawal Recipe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXq9IAM-ad0 The Oberoi Delhi: https://www.cntraveler.com/hotels/new-delhi/the-oberoi-new-delhi About the Podcast: Diasporaa was the name of Aditya's startup based in Vancouver, BC. It focused on helping new immigrants in Canada find their feet, get off to a running start and ease their assimilation into Canadian life. A big part of the platform were conversations, community and support. Though the startup stopped growing once Aditya moved to Seattle, WA - it remained alive in the form of several discussion groups and online communities. About Aditya Mehta: Aditya is a Bombay boy who has lived in Austin, Los Angeles, Washington DC, and Vancouver before making it to his current home in Seattle. He has degrees in marketing, urban planning, real estate and strategy but has spent his career in financial services, social media and now real estate - mostly as an entrepreneur and partly as an employee at Amazon. He balances Indian, Canadian and American culture, loves helping those who are new to North America and looks forward to the interesting stories that his interview guests bring each week. When not podcasting, he is helping his wife Prachi build her pharmaceutical business or hanging out with his son Arjun. Connect with Diasporaa: -Instagram: @diasporaapodcast -YouTube: https://linke.to/dspyoutube -Bio Link: linke.to/diasporaa -Listen on Spotify: https://linke.to/dspspotify -Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://linke.to/dspapple -Diasporaa Podcast on KKNW Alternative Talk Radio: https://linke.to/kknw1150
Pedaling Through New Beginnings: Joohi Sinha's Inspiring Journey | Diasporaa Podcast Episode 1 Welcome to Diaspora, the show where we share the remarkable stories of immigrants from the Indian subcontinent. In this episode, host Aditya Mehta interviews Joohi Sinha, an entrepreneur from Ahmedabad, India, now thriving in Vancouver, B.C. Joohi shares her experiences of moving from India to Canada, building a tech business, and embracing the outdoor lifestyle in Vancouver. Learn about her journey, challenges, and triumphs as she navigates life in a new country while staying connected to her roots. Don't miss her inspiring story and practical advice for new immigrants. Tune in to hear about her participation in the grueling Grand Fondo Whistler bike race and her entrepreneurial ventures. Remember to like, comment, and subscribe for more inspiring stories from the South Asian Diaspora! 00:00 Introduction to Diaspora 00:39 Meet Joohi Sinha: Entrepreneur and Outdoor Enthusiast 01:47 Growing Up in Ahmedabad 03:29 Pursuing a Career in Tech 07:50 Moving to Vancouver 11:25 First Impressions of Vancouver 13:13 Adapting to Vancouver's Work Culture 19:22 Embracing Outdoor Activities 23:32 Living the Outdoor Life in Vancouver 24:39 The Grand Fondo Whistler Challenge 28:29 Conquering the Grouse Grind 31:16 From Tech Startup to Business Acquisition 41:30 Advice for New Immigrants 43:29 Nostalgic TV Ads and Favorite Songs 46:26 Conclusion and Farewell List of Resources: Dhara Cooking Oil ‘Jalebi' Ad: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7I5OvEzLG6I Chaiya Chaiya from the movie Dil Se: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQKNOtjYWwU Gran Fondo Whistler: https://www.rbcgranfondo.com/ The Staying Power Podcast on Spotify: https://linke.to/SBr76H About the Podcast: Diasporaa was Aditya's third startup based in Vancouver, BC. It focused on helping new immigrants in Canada find their feet, get off to a running start and ease their assimilation into Canadian life. A big part of the platform were conversations, community and support. Though the startup stopped growing once Aditya moved to Seattle, WA - it remained alive in the form of several discussion groups and online communities. Now, Diasporaa has been resurrected in the form of a podcast focused on uncovering and sharing interesting immigrant stories from the South Asian diaspora. It is available on YouTube, all major podcast platforms such as Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, etc. and is also broadcast as a radio show on Alternative Talk 1150 AM and 98.9 FM HD Channel 3 on Wednesdays from 2-3pm PST. About Aditya Mehta: Aditya is a Bombay boy who has lived in Austin, Los Angeles, Washington DC, and Vancouver before making it to his current home in Seattle. He has degrees in marketing, urban planning, real estate and strategy but has spent his career in financial services, social media and now real estate - mostly as an entrepreneur and partly as an employee at Amazon. He balances Indian, Canadian and American culture, loves helping those who are new to North America and looks forward to the interesting stories that his interview guests bring each week. When not podcasting, he is helping his wife Prachi build her pharmaceutical business or hanging out with his son Arjun. Connect with Diasporaa: Instagram: @diasporaapodcast YouTube: https://linke.to/dspyoutube Bio Link: linke.to/diasporaa Listen on Spotify: https://linke.to/dspspotify Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://linke.to/dspapple Diasporaa Podcast on KKNW Alternative Talk Radio: https://linke.to/kknw1150
Engineering Dreams: Vikram Marthandam's Journey from India to Amazon | Diasporaa Podcast Episode 2 This week, your host Aditya Mehta sits down with Vikram Marthandam, a senior manager at Amazon who originally hails from Chennai, India. From being a student in the bustling streets of Chennai to achieving multiple degrees in the US, and finally, navigating his professional journey to a leadership role at Amazon, Vikram shares his experiences, challenges, and triumphs. Get an insider's view on adapting to a new culture, the importance of not losing touch with one's roots, and of course, some fun dad jokes! Join us as we dive deep into Vikram's life, his time in different industries, and his current role in Amazon Pharmacy. Don't miss Vikram's invaluable advice for new immigrants and hear his fascinating mango memories. Remember to like, comment, and subscribe for more inspiring stories from the South Asian Diaspora! 00:00 Introduction to Diaspora the Show 00:38 Meet Vikram Marthandam 01:37 Life in Chennai and Moving to the US 03:18 Grad School Journey 06:21 First Impressions of the US 08:11 College Life and Cultural Adaptation 13:49 Career Beginnings in the US 15:49 Transition to the Oil and Gas Industry 16:58 Moving to Seattle and Entering Tech 17:30 MBA Experience and Joining Amazon 20:13 Working at Amazon 23:58 Amazon Pharmacy and Future Plans 25:59 Reflections on Life in Texas 26:43 Austin's Transformation Over the Years 27:19 Balancing Work and Family at Amazon 29:39 Dad Jokes and Cultural Connections 31:30 Language and Identity in India 36:23 Advice for New Immigrants 39:16 Challenges and Low Points 44:45 Mango Memories and Final Thoughts List of Resources: Alphonso (Hafus) Mangoes: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alphonso_mango Banganapalle Mangoes: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banganapalle_(mango) Indian English: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_English Gujarati Dialects: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gujarati_language Mumbai Indians Cricket Team: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mumbai_Indians The Staying Power Podcast on Spotify: https://linke.to/SBr76H About the Podcast: Diasporaa was Aditya's third startup based in Vancouver, BC. It focused on helping new immigrants in Canada find their feet, get off to a running start and ease their assimilation into Canadian life. A big part of the platform were conversations, community and support. Though the startup stopped growing once Aditya moved to Seattle, WA - it remained alive in the form of several discussion groups and online communities. Now, Diasporaa has been resurrected in the form of a podcast focused on uncovering and sharing interesting immigrant stories from the South Asian diaspora. It is available on YouTube, all major podcast platforms such as Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, etc. and is also broadcast as a radio show on Alternative Talk 1150 AM and 98.9 FM HD Channel 3 on Wednesdays from 2-3pm PST. About Aditya Mehta: Aditya is a Bombay boy who has lived in Austin, Los Angeles, Washington DC, and Vancouver before making it to his current home in Seattle. He has degrees in marketing, urban planning, real estate and strategy but has spent his career in financial services, social media and now real estate - mostly as an entrepreneur and partly as an employee at Amazon. He balances Indian, Canadian and American culture, loves helping those who are new to North America and looks forward to the interesting stories that his interview guests bring each week. When not podcasting, he is helping his wife Prachi build her pharmaceutical business or hanging out with his son Arjun. Connect with Diasporaa: Instagram: @diasporaapodcast YouTube: https://linke.to/dspyoutube Bio Link: linke.to/diasporaa Listen on Spotify: https://linke.to/dspspotify Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://linke.to/dspapple Diasporaa Podcast on KKNW Alternative Talk Radio: https://linke.to/kknw1150
Leaving, Arriving, Belonging: Sonal's Journey from Dehra Dun to Portland | Diasporaa Podcast Episode 3 This week, your host Aditya Mehta interviews Sonal Bhargava, a biopharmaceutical scientist based in Seattle. Sonal shares her experiences of moving from Dehra Dun, India to the United States, navigating her career in biopharmaceuticals, and raising her child in a multicultural environment. Learn about her journey, the challenges and triumphs she faced, and her perspective on balancing Indian and American cultures. Don't miss her inspiring story and practical advice for new immigrants. Tune in to hear about her career in oncology drug development and her passion for encouraging women in STEM fields. Remember to like, comment, and subscribe for more inspiring stories from the South Asian Diaspora! Remember to like, comment, and subscribe for more inspiring stories from the South Asian Diaspora! 00:00 Introduction to the Podcast 00:38 Meet Sonal Bhargava 01:31 Life in Dehra Dun 02:38 Moving to the USA 03:25 Settling in Beaverton 04:47 Schooling in the USA 07:51 Cultural Adjustments 14:48 Choosing a Career Path 16:17 Parenting in a New Culture 24:09 Celebrating Indian Culture Abroad 24:23 Balancing Assimilation and Cultural Heritage 25:54 Language Challenges for Immigrant Families 28:08 Career Aspirations and Parental Guidance 28:48 Advice for New Immigrant Parents 31:00 Navigating Cultural Differences 37:03 Sonal's Professional Journey 38:38 Fun and Lighthearted Segments 46:28 Conclusion and Farewell List of Resources: Bollywood Film Andaz Apna Apna: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttCUfDtrYlU Beaverton, OR: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beaverton,_Oregon Diwali festival: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diwali Gujarati Dialects: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gujarati_language Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell: https://www.amazon.com/Outliers-Story-Success-Malcolm-Gladwell/dp/0316017930 Pav Bhaji Recipe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gbuse4WX01I About the Podcast: Diasporaa was the name of Aditya's startup based in Vancouver, BC. It focused on helping new immigrants in Canada find their feet, get off to a running start and ease their assimilation into Canadian life. A big part of the platform were conversations, community and support. Though the startup stopped growing once Aditya moved to Seattle, WA - it remained alive in the form of several discussion groups and online communities. Now, Diasporaa has been resurrected in the form of a podcast focused on sharing interesting immigrant stories from the South Asian diaspora and uncovering how much we have in common despite our differences. It is available on YouTube, all major podcast platforms such as Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, etc. and is also broadcast as a radio show on Alternative Talk 1150 AM and 98.9 FM HD Channel 3 on Wednesdays from 2-3pm PST. About Aditya Mehta: Aditya is a Bombay boy who has lived in Austin, Los Angeles, Washington DC, and Vancouver before making it to his current home in Seattle. He has degrees in marketing, urban planning, real estate and strategy but has spent his career in financial services, social media and now real estate - mostly as an entrepreneur and partly as an employee at Amazon. He balances Indian, Canadian and American culture, loves helping those who are new to North America and looks forward to the interesting stories that his interview guests bring each week. When not podcasting, he is helping his wife Prachi build her pharmaceutical business or hanging out with his son Arjun. Connect with Diasporaa: Instagram: @diasporaapodcast YouTube: https://linke.to/dspyoutube Bio Link: linke.to/diasporaa Listen on Spotify: https://linke.to/dspspotify Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://linke.to/dspapple Diasporaa Podcast on KKNW Alternative Talk Radio: https://linke.to/kknw1150
The Shashank Redemption: From Dubai to Its Opposite | Diasporaa Podcast Episode 4 Welcome to Diaspora, the show where we share the remarkable stories of immigrants from the Indian subcontinent. In this episode, host Aditya Mehta interviews Shashank Mehta, an entrepreneur and clean technology leader originally from Delhi, now living in Sudbury, Ontario. Shashank talks about his journey from India to Dubai, and then to Canada, sharing his experiences, challenges, and triumphs along the way. Tune in to learn about life in Dubai, his experience at the London Business School, his immigration story, and his advice for new immigrants. Remember to like, comment, and subscribe for more inspiring stories from the South Asian Diaspora! 00:00 Introduction to Diaspora the Show 00:38 Meet Shashank Mehta: Entrepreneur and Thought Leader 02:14 Shashank's Early Life and Move to Dubai 05:03 Experiences in Dubai and the Entrepreneurship Bug 07:30 Pursuing an MBA and Networking in Dubai 15:22 Transition to Canada: Challenges and Reflections 23:50 Strategizing the Next Steps in Canada 26:06 Building a Social Circle in a New Country 28:49 Experiencing Canadian Culture and Warmth 31:59 Future Plans and Reflections 32:26 The Significance of the Last Name 'Mehta' 35:10 Balancing Small Town Life and Big City Opportunities 39:25 Advice for New Immigrants 44:13 Global Citizenship and Future Aspirations 45:51 Fun Segment: This or That 47:04 Conclusion and Farewell List of Resources: Atlantis, The Palm Hotel in Dubai: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantis,_The_Palm Canada Express Entry Program: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/immigrate-canada/express-entry.html Dubai Marina: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dubai_Marina London Business School: https://www.london.edu Mehta Surname: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mehta Northeastern Ontario: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northeastern_Ontario Rooh Afza Recipe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vFpEMSkZyk About the Podcast: Diasporaa was the name of Aditya's startup based in Vancouver, BC. It focused on helping new immigrants in Canada find their feet, get off to a running start and ease their assimilation into Canadian life. A big part of the platform were conversations, community and support. Though the startup stopped growing once Aditya moved to Seattle, WA - it remained alive in the form of several discussion groups and online communities. Now, Diasporaa has been resurrected in the form of a podcast focused on sharing interesting immigrant stories from the South Asian diaspora and uncovering how much we have in common despite our differences. It is available on YouTube, all major podcast platforms such as Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, etc. and is also broadcast as a radio show on Alternative Talk 1150 AM and 98.9 FM HD Channel 3 on Wednesdays from 2-3pm PST. About Aditya Mehta: Aditya is a Bombay boy who has lived in Austin, Los Angeles, Washington DC, and Vancouver before making it to his current home in Seattle. He has degrees in marketing, urban planning, real estate and strategy but has spent his career in financial services, social media and now real estate - mostly as an entrepreneur and partly as an employee at Amazon. He balances Indian, Canadian and American culture, loves helping those who are new to North America and looks forward to the interesting stories that his interview guests bring each week. When not podcasting, he is helping his wife Prachi build her pharmaceutical business or hanging out with his son Arjun. Connect with Diasporaa: Instagram: @diasporaapodcast YouTube: https://linke.to/dspyoutube Bio Link: linke.to/diasporaa Listen on Spotify: https://linke.to/dspspotify Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://linke.to/dspapple Diasporaa Podcast on KKNW Alternative Talk Radio: https://linke.to/kknw1150
This episode is dedicated to raising awareness around 'mental health' within South-Asian diaspora and communities. This episode features Ms Tania Biswas and has been presented by Dr Chris Mallika Bhadra on the lands of the Kulin Nation.
In this episode, I sit down with Vivek Bald, a filmmaker, writer, and scholar dedicated to uncovering the hidden histories of the South Asian diaspora. For the past twenty-five years, Vivek has explored the migration patterns and cultural impact of South Asians in the US and Britain through his documentaries, books, and academic work at MIT's Comparative Media Studies Department. His latest documentary, “In Search of Bengali Harlem,” with actor and playwright Alaudin Ullah, which premiered in early March, reveals the forgotten history of Bengali migrants who settled in Harlem during the 1920s, integrating into Black and Hispanic communities. Key Takeaways History of South Asian Migration: Overview of South Asian migration to the United States. Experiences of early South Asian immigrants. Impact of immigration laws on the South Asian community. Personal and Family Experiences: Vivek Bald's upbringing and influences. His mother's activism and its impact on his perspectives. Development of his interest in documentary filmmaking. In Search of Bengali Harlem: The undocumented migration of Bengali Muslim men to the US in the early 20th century. Intermarriages with African American and Puerto Rican women. Challenges faced by these communities. Personal stories and the research process behind the documentary. The intersection of Race, Class, and Identity: How these elements have shaped the experiences of South Asian immigrants. The cultural influence of South Asians in cities like New York. Political undertones in the narratives of South Asian migration. Additional Links: To learn more about In Search of Bengali Harlem, http://bengaliharlem.com The film is available to stream on PBS as part of the documentary series America ReFramed: On PBS/WORLD's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=os-PxQ2q3Ig Using the PBS App on your TV or Mobile Device: https://www.pbs.org/pbs–app/ At America ReFramed: https://worldchannel.org/episode/america-reframed-in-search-of-bengali-harlem/ http://bengaliharlem.com/watch Immigrantly is a weekly podcast that celebrates the extraordinariness of immigrant life. We do this by providing our listeners with authentic, accurate insights into the immigrant identity in America. Immigrantly has garnered significant recognition and has been featured in renowned media outlets such as the Nieman Storyboard, The Guardian, The Slowdown, and CNN. Join us as we create new intellectual engagement for our audience. You can get more information at http://immigrantlypod.com. Please share the love and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts & Spotify to help more people find us! You can connect with Saadia on Twitter @swkkhan Email: saadia@immigrantlypod.com Host & Producer: Saadia Khan I Content Writer: Saadia Khan & Adiba Hussain I Editorial review: Shei Yu I Sound Designer & Editor: Paroma Chakravarty I Immigrantly Theme Music: Simon Hutchinson | Other Music: Epidemic Sound Immigrantly podcast is an Immigrantly Media Production. For advertising inquiries, you can contact us at info@immigrantlypod.com Don't forget to subscribe to the podcast for more insightful episodes. Follow us on social media for updates and behind-the-scenes content. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Despite the many dating apps available, why is matchmaking making a comeback among South Asian Americans of all faiths?
What's س ? Pronounced ‘'scene'' or ‘'seen'', encapsulates the spirit of unity, belonging, and creative expression. This dynamic gathering serves as a platform where individuals from unique backgrounds can share their stories, art, traditions, and passions with a like-minded and appreciative community. For their first event, Two Chickpeas in a Podcast were invited to host a live podcast exploring our relationship with our South Asian heritage and the many stories and experiences that have made up the South Asian Diaspora in the UK today. This episode is very special and was recorded in a room full of people with love, forming new connections and a safe space to share our stories, be vulnerable and feel part of a community where we feel SEEN.
We are the descendants of Indian indentured laborers, brought to the Caribbean after the abolition of slavery. Our roots run deep, interwoven with Indian, African, European, and Caribbean influences, and forged through centuries of migration, colonialism, survival, and resilience. Yet, our story remains largely untold. As Brenda Beck puts it in a 1992 South Asian Diaspora article, media narratives of our people are often based on derogatory stereotypes that fail to capture the richness and complexity of our heritage. So, what does it truly mean to be Indo-Caribbean? For us, it means embracing a history of displacement and triumph, speaking English while cherishing our connection to the Indian language and dialects. It means losing ourselves in Bollywood movies, from the beloved "Kuch Kuch Hota Hai" to the soul-stirring "Dil To Pagal Hai" and "Kal Ho Naa Ho." It means dancing to Hindi film songs at birthdays, weddings, and basement jams, despite not knowing the meaning behind all the lyrics. It means cultivating a love for cricket, music, and dance, drawing from our Caribbean surroundings while honoring the cultural traditions of our ancestors. Our food, a fusion of Indian and Caribbean flavors, showcases the intricate blend of spices and ingredients, enriched with local delights like plantain, cassava and, of course, Guyana Shrimp. Join us for Episode 7 of the Pepper Pot Podcast as we explore the challenges we encountered in forming our identities as descendents of Indian Indentured Workers. Together, we reclaim our narrative, honour the generations before us, and inspire those to come. Follow and connect with The Peppa Pot Podcast online, we'd love to hear from you! Instagram YouTube LinkedIn Credits Beats and Music by Noyz Research by Ryan N. Ramdin Creative Direction by Sara-Sati Ramprashad Produced by WESTINDIECO Resources Bahadur, G. “Coolie Woman: the Odyssey of Indenture” (The University of Chicago Press: 2014). Barratt, S. A. & Ranjitsingh, A. N. “Dougla in the Twenty-First Century: Adding to the Mix,” (University Press of Mississippi: 2021). Breman, J. & Daniel, E.V. (1992) “Conclusion: The Making of a coolie,” Journal of Peasant Studies, 19(3-4). Hearn, L. (1886) “A Study of Half-Breed Races in the West Indies,” Cosmopolitan; New York. Jagessar, R. “Kiss and Breathe: Only the Broken Ones Will Rise” (Rohit Jagessar: 2022). Kaup, K. (1995) “West Indian Canadian Writing: Crossing the Border from Exile to Immigration,” Essays on Canadian Writing; Toronto, Issue 57. Mahase, R. Roopnarine, L. & Hassankhan, M.S. (eds.) (2016) “Social & Cultural Dimensions of Indian Indentured Labour and its Diaspora: Past and Present,” (Routledge, London). Sengupta, S. & Toy, V. S. (7 Oct. 1998) “Two Groups of East Indians Are Brought Closer, for Now,” New York Times. Siddiqui, H. (1992 Oct. 15) “Children of the Raj,” Toronto Star. New York Times, (1998 Sept. 22) “Racial Motive Is Seen in Beating of Indian- American Man in Queens,” New York Times.
Join us on the latest episode of the Peppa Pot as we explore the history of Indentured Indian Women and the challenges they faced once they arrived in the Caribbean. Throughout the period of Indian Indentureship, the number of men recruited to work throughout the Caribbean greatly outnumbered the number of women, resulting in women being in high demand but receiving no preferential treatment and often falling victim to abuse. Despite this, for some women, arriving in the Colonies represented freedom and an opportunity to overcome generations of oppression that they experienced back home. Learn more about the history and adversity of Indentured Indian Women and how they took care of themselves by tuning in to Episode 5 of the Peppa Pot: Leggo me nah Raja. Follow and connect with The Peppa Pot Podcast online, we'd love to hear from you! Instagram YouTube LinkedIn Credits Beats and Music by Noyz Research by Ryan N. Ramdin Creative Direction by Sara-Sati Ramprashad Produced by WESTINDIECO Resources Bahadur, G. “Coolie Woman: the Odyssey of Indenture” (The University of Chicago Press: 2014). Chatterjee, C. (1997) “Indian women's lives and labor: the indentureship experience in Trinidad and Guyana, 1845-1917”. Christian, R. “‘They Came in Ships...' Indo-Caribbean Women and their Construction of Safe Spaces in the Caribbean” in Lurdos, M. & Misrahi-Barak, J. (dir.), “Transport(s) in the British Empire and the Commonwealth.” Jagessar, R. “Kiss and Breathe: Only the Broken Ones Will Rise” (Rohit Jagessar: 2022). Khan, A. (2016) “Voyages across Indenture: From Ship Sister to Mannish Women” A Journal of Lesbian and Gay Studies, 22 at 249-280. Martinez, K. (1997), “Chutney in yuh Soca,” available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPCJqqYCXBs&t=383s Mehta, B. (2020) “Jahaji-bahin feminism: a de-colonial Indo-Caribbean consciousness” South Asian Diaspora 12(2) at 179-194. Mehta, B., Diasporic (Dis) locations: Indo-Caribbean Women Writers Negotiate the Kala Pani. (Jamaica: UWI Press, 2004). Niranjana, T. Mobilizing India: Women, music and migration between India and Trinidad. (USA: Duke University Press, 2006). Sengupta, S. (1995 June 5), “Relishing the Mix New York's developing a taste for the musical fusion called chutney,” Newsday. Sharma, H. (23 December 2020) “Why Indian women became the faces of these Victorian-era postcards,” CNN, retrieved at: https://www.cnn.com/style/article/indo-caribbean-women-colonial-postcards/index.html Singh, K. A. “Comparative Caribbean Feminisms: Jahaji-bhain in Carnival” in “Indo-Caribbean Feminist Thought: Genealogies, Theories, Enactments” (New York: Palgrave Maxmillan, 2016).
New trailer. Same uncle jokes. Auntie approved.Welcome to the brand new and sparkly trailer for the pod!To all my new listeners, WELCOME to the Tuckered Out family, where we interview, trailblazers, experts, and prominent voices from the South Asian diaspora to find inspiration, admiration, and most importantly....tons of laughter.To all of you who continue to listen and support, a huge THANK YOU and a promise to keep telling the South Asian story the only way I know how to-by keeping it real.A shoutout to my previous guests highlighted on this trailer- Kal Penn, Rabia Chaudry, and Rishi Malhotra. Thank you for being so generous and vulnerable during your interviews. You are true definitions of trailblazers. Produced and Edited by Ginni Media. Made Offbeat.
Of the many issues impacting the South Asian diaspora, one topic we haven't discussed on this show is relations with other minority groups. So I was very excited to connect on this week's episode with Tanya Mitra, one of the most prominent voices on the topic of Blindian (Black and South Asian) relationships. She is a perfect illustration of a life untethered, as she's broken free of numerous templates in the South Asian diaspora - in her choices of career, romantic partner, and strategies for managing her mental health. Tanya is an Indian-Canadian-American former luxury fashion executive turned Conscious Change Life Coach who works with Women of Color + Women of Immigrant Descent to break the cycles of limitation by unpacking toxic cultural and societal conditioning. Tanya is also the creator of The Remixed Relationship (formerly known as Blindian Bliss), a group coaching program and community that supports South Asian women in a relationship with a Black partner who are struggling to navigate familial and cultural disapproval by learning to courageously and confidently live in their truth. We touched on many topics, including: How relations between black and South Asian communities – specifically romantic and marital relationships - have evolved since the 1990's, when Tanya began her first relationship with a black boyfriend in high school. Tanya's incredibly challenging journey with mental health, which began at age 16 with several suicide attempts, hospitalization, and multiple rounds of trial and error with medication. By getting curious, reading extensively, and probing beyond the "script" read to her by doctors, she was able to own her health and achieve happiness, balance, and stability in her life. The mission of Blindian Bliss, a group coaching program that helps South Asian women in relationships with black men achieve "self-awareness, love, heart-centered guidance, and enjoy the best and most important ride of their lives," along with success stories of women who have gone through the program. To learn more about Tanya's story or find out how to work with her, please visit tanya-mitra.com, or connect with her at @the.remixed.relationship on Instagram. Connect with Nikhil to learn more about Untether Your Life and other projects: Instagram Website LinkedIn Twitter GIOSTAR Chicago
Becky Mathai is an up-and-coming Malayalee-American producer & music supervisor. From a very young age, music was the only way she could fully express herself. Shy at times, Becky's "music nerdiness" eventually brought her out of her shell and into the iconic Milkboy the Studio where she spent late nights learning from the top engineers in her hometown: Philadelphia. She is currently Head of Sync at Outer Voice Records and is an associate music supervisor at Racket Club. She's worked on campaigns for brands such as Instagram, VS Pink, BMW, and many more. Her goal is to tell stories through music. Becky is committed to championing underrepresented composers and hopes to provide more sync education for BIPOC artists.On this episode we speak on cultivating a trust worthy community, taking action to increase opportunity for south asian creatives, and how sync can help creatives grow their career. Support the show
British politics is no longer the exclusive domain of an Anglo-Christian elite. Does this shift indicate that British multiculturalism is flourishing?
British politics is no longer the exclusive domain of an Anglo-Christian elite. Does this shift indicate that British multiculturalism is flourishing?
Untether Your Life has taken a deep dive into mental health in the South Asian diaspora, inspired by the lived experiences of host Nikhil Torsekar and his wife Shelly Sood. One facet of this that merits further exploration is how it impacts South Asian males, a topic near and dear to Ankur Varma's heart. Along with serving as Program Director at Northeast Family Services of Illinois, Ankur launched a valuable Instagram-based resource called Brown Man Therapy which is “on a mission to engage more men and normalize conversations about mental health and South Asian cultures outside of work.” Nikhil touched on many topics with Ankur, including: Ankur's upbringing in the homogenous suburbs of Cincinnati, where he was brought up in the “Indian at home and American at school” ethos The transition of psychiatry from a consultative model to a more transactional, efficiency-based one over the years The manifestation of concepts in South Asian diaspora mental health, including the model minority myth (where South Asians are encouraged to “stay in their lane”) and patriarchy as reflected by tropes such as comic Russell Peters' angry Indian father (“Somebody gonna get hurt”) The pros (understanding) and cons (the “echo chamber”) of seeking therapists with a similar cultural background How the reticence of South Asian males in discussing mental health informed Ankur's launch of the Brown Man Therapy Instagram feed Ankur's views on breathwork, Ayurveda, meditation, and other South Asian practices discussed frequently on Untether Your Life The implication of "untethering your life" for his journey into therapy, social media, as well as for clients seeking help for depression, bipolar disorder, and other mental health issues You can connect with Ankur through his brownmantherapy page on Instagram, as well as on LinkedIn. Connect with Nikhil to learn more about Untether Your Life and other projects: Instagram Website LinkedIn Twitter GIOSTAR Chicago
The BAE HQ welcomes Tarny Athwal, the Founder and Managing Director of DesiCity, which is a one-stop marketplace for buying and selling anything South Asian.Tarny experimented with many different ideas which taught him hard lessons before starting DesiCity.It all started with not being able to find a manja online. Now DesiCity have raised millions, have thousands of sellers on their platform and have global ambitions.Tarny tells it how it is and you can learn so much from his story!If you're listening to this and want to see the video, go to YouTube: https://youtu.be/omH4fHdix6MVisit our website: http://thebaehq.com
Today's episode features a guest appearance by Nikhil Torsekar on an Instagram Live hosted by Shani, a coach based near Lisbon, Portugal who practices breathwork and cold water exposure therapy. After these tools pulled him out of a major depression, he made it his mission to share them with others and help them discover their own power. They touch on numerous topics geared to help you untether your life and break free of "templates," including: The mechanics of methodologies such as SOMA breathwork, and how they can help manage mental health The stigma against mental health in South Asian diaspora, and the irony that many effective stress management tools (i.e., yoga, Ayurveda, breathwork) originated in South Asia The concept of addiction as applied to "bad" (drugs, alcohol), and "good" things (productivity, professional success) The impact of careers like management consulting on mental health Nikhil's long and winding road with bipolar disorder, from denial, to diagnosis, to treatment, and management The double-edged sword of technology / social media for community building, but also "FOMO" and the insatiable need for validation Shani's initiatives, including a mobile app and community around breathwork, mindfulness and meditation The philosophy behind the new name of the podcast (Untether Your Life) To connect with Shani, please visit him on Instagram or YouTube. Connect with Nikhil to learn more about Untether Your Life and other projects: Instagram Website LinkedIn Twitter GIOSTAR Chicago
With the publication of her book Saaya Unveiled, Mrinal Gokhale is trying to help break the stigma surrounding mental health, especially in her community. She joins host Nikhil on The Shelly Story this week to discuss the harmful model minority myth, and how it can lead to intense pressures and lack of focus on mental health issues. Host Nikhil of The Shelly Story, and today's guest, Mrinal Gokhale, reflect on shared similar experiences of being from an immigrant family. Mrinal and Nikhil have dealt with the repercussions of mental illness, which are compounded by shame and stigma in South Asian culture. However, Mrinal and Nikhil both ultimately found redemption through diagnosis, finding the right treatment plan, and sharing their stories through podcasts, books, and other creative outlets. Mrinal and Nikhil touch on the irony that South Asians often have closed-minded views on mental health, considering that wellness modalities like yoga and mindfulness originated in India. In this episode, you'll also learn how self-awareness can help you get through life and career challenges. Tune in for a personal look into mental health from the South Asian perspective, and the importance of sharing your story! Topics discussed in this episode: Mrinal shares her mental health background Pressures of the model minority myth Mrinal's education and career Mental health is taboo in the South Asian culture What neurodivergence and neurodiversity taught Mrinal about herself How the pandemic affected her life and work The positive outcomes of getting a diagnosis Do you need a South Asian therapist to feel understood? Falsehoods surrounding marriage and divorce in South Asian cultures Eastern philosophies and South Asian modalities of wellness Finding community through her book, Saaya Unveiled Learn more about South Asian mental health in Mrinal's book, Saaya Unveiled! Connect with Mrinal: Instagram Twitter TikTok Resources mentioned: Brown Girl Magazine Connect with Nikhil to learn more about The Shelly Story: Website LinkedIn Instagram Twitter Facebook
South Asian immigrants face a number of mental health challenges associated with the pressures of straddling two different worlds. The stress that comes with acculturation, trauma, and discrimination has been linked with depression, anxiety, and more, and getting help isn't always as easy as it seems. Most traditional psychotherapy has been modeled on Western families, which is why today's guest takes a more collaborative and multicultural approach. Today, we sit down with Dr. Ammara Khalid, a Licensed Clinical Psychologist who specializes in individual, couples, and family therapy with children, adolescents, and adults of diverse backgrounds. In 2012, Dr. Khalid, together with Dr. Amanda Rios, co-founded the Center of Relational Empowerment (CORE), which helps individuals, couples, and families strengthen their core selves and, in doing so, empowers them to strengthen their relationships with others. Mental health in the South Asian diaspora is a key component of The Shelly Story, so we're grateful to have the opportunity to speak to a mental health professional like Dr. Khalid, who is deeply knowledgeable and compassionate about this topic. Ultimately, an understanding of different cultural perspectives and experiences is vital to how we shape mental health services for different populations of people. Tune in today to learn more! Topics discussed in this episode: How Dr. Khalid's background informed her interest in psychology Insight into CORE's multicultural philosophy The collaborative approach of internal family systems (IFS) therapy Stress related to acculturation that many South Asians experience Why the model minority myth is so harmful Overcoming stigma around mental health issues in South Asian communities A look at CORE's community outreach efforts Incorporating Eastern elements into Western psychology Couples therapy, love, and divorce in South Asian cultures Generational differences in perceptions of mental health Making mental health more accessible through social media Shifting away from strict binaries and toward understanding Want to connect with Dr. Khalid? You can find her on LinkedIn. To learn more about CORE, visit their website or follow them on Facebook and Instagram. Connect with Nikhil to learn more about The Shelly Story: Facebook Instagram Twitter Website LinkedIn YouTube
Over the past few years, the Asian American community has been navigating the country's tumultuous racial and ethnic politics in unprecedented ways--as the targets of racial violence, as an increasingly important force in electoral politics, as the subject of countless pop cultural tropes, and as an ambivalently positioned minority group in the American social hierarchy. But the issue of caste discrimination is often overlooked as a source of tension and conflict within South Asian diaspora communities. Within communities, caste issues are often downplayed, and accusations of caste discrimination in South Asian communities are often met with backlash and allegations of anti Hindu discrimination. But in recent months we have seen several high profile cases of caste discrimination and oppression, from alleged labor trafficking of low-caste workers to do manual labor for Hindu temples in several states, to Google employees calling out discriminatory treatment by dominant caste workers against their caste-oppressed coworkers. To explore the ramifications of caste in the South Asian diaspora, Asia Pacific Forum's Michelle Chen speaks with Paula Chakravartty, associate professor at the Gallatin School and the Department of Media, Culture and Communication, and Ajantha Subramanian Professor of Anthropology and South Asian Studies at Harvard University. (Image: Equality Labs) --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/asiapacificforum/support
In this episode, we look at the problems with 'Brownness' as an identity, how it caters to the White gaze, and gets co-opted by privileged desis settled abroad. This piece was written and narrated by Rohitha Naraharisetty. ‘The One Story' is TS Studio's weekly podcast series, where we narrate The Swaddle's longform features at the intersection of health, gender, and culture.
In this episode we discuss the role caste plays both in South Asia as well as in diasporic communities in the West. Some suggest that caste does not exist outside India, while others insist it does and protections against caste basted discrimination are necessary. These protections bring up additional concerns regarding Western stereotypes of South Asian caste in the West, and the fear of increased discrimination against South Asians in the West if discussions of caste in the West persist.Links to articles and books discussed in this episode:Jeremiah, A 2020, Caste and Caste Based Sectarianism in India. in Caste and Caste Based Sectarianism, Urban Spaces and Sectarian Contestations. SEPAD , pp. 46-50. NPR News report - https://www.npr.org/2022/05/02/1095861447/some-south-asian-americans-believe-caste-based-prejudices-exist-in-the-u-sWilkerson, Isabel. Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents. United States: THORNDIKE Press, 2021.Google caste discussion scrapped - https://qz.com/india/2172954/google-scrapped-a-talk-on-caste-bias-for-being-too-divisive/
Topic: 01 South Asian diaspora recall gnawing loneliness in post-war Britain Topic: 02 Crisis around the world-Meditation and seclusion Presenters: Imam Sharjeel Ahmad And Khalif Bhunnoo Guest: 1.Henna 2.Nisreen Khashman 3.Petsy Finden Researchers: Anam Ahmedi, Sahar Namood, Nawira Khan, Maria Sheikh & Hania Producer: Adeela Amber Ahmad, Anam Ahmedi & Hania Yaqub
BONUS EPISODEThe George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, an act that would have created national standards for policing in an effort to increase accountability, sadly couldn't reach a bipartisan deal-leaving it dead in the water. We all have heard about the horrific killing of George Floyd, the protests that occurred after, and the many stories that have been shared over social media. Today, I interviewed Rahul Dubey, one of Time Magazine's Heroes of 2020 who simply, as he puts it, opened the door to those in need. On June 1, 2020, Rahul Dubey was at home in Washington, DC, as demonstrators filled the streets to protest the killing of George Floyd. After a 7 p.m. curfew, he noticed crowds in the street outside who were seemingly trapped and being pepper-sprayed by police. We talk about his story of housing 70 protestors overnight to help them avoid curfew, the fear and pure terror he felt for himself and the demonstrators, and how that one night changed his life. https://www.wsj.com/articles/george-floyd-should-receive-posthumous-pardon-for-drug-charge-texas-parole-board-says-11633461144
Pinaki Saha is a creative missionary, digital explorer, and CEO / Co-Founder of Anshar Labs, a global engineering powerhouse delivering outstanding user experiences to Fortune 500 firms, mid-level organizations, and fledgling startups. After graduating from the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology, he moved to the US in 1996 and launched a flourishing information technology career. This culminated in the launch of Anshar Labs. In this episode, Nikhil speaks with Pinaki about his journey as an entrepreneur, father, and immigrant, navigating the twists and turns of the American Dream. He touches on the challenges of parenthood, encouraging innovation, managing mental health as a South Asian immigrant, and the importance of consistency. For more information: Anshar Labs - ansharlabs.com Pinaki Saha - linkedin.com/in/pinakisaha The Shelly Story - shellysood.com
With a list of collaborators that include the likes of Anoushka Shankar, Nitin Sawhney, Talvin Singh OBE, Kae Tempest, Jocelyn Pook, Oi Va Voi, and Bianca Gismonti, and London Contemporary Orchestra, amongst many others, Memphis-born, US-Indian Violinist/Composer, Fullbright scholar and co-founder of ensembles Quest Ensemble and Balladeste Preetha Narayanan embodies a unique musical personality which transcends multiple genres, cultures, and countries. On completion of a Masters's and a doctorate in Creative Learning at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, the London-based artist is also a practicing Yogi and a certified yoga teacher from the renowned Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram institution in Chennai, India has gone on to be one of the city's most valued members of the global arts community. In this contemplative conversation we catch up for the first time since our last encounter collaborators at an intimate concert in London and riff on the experiences of growing up brown in white social paradigms, the practice of Yoga as a philosophy, and the impact broad-minded parenting from a generation less privy to labels can have on the subconscious mind and eventually the practice of an art. This episode is brought to you by: www.holisticpianoacademy.com Music by: www.everynowheremusic.com Text: www.tlwrites.com Produced by T.L. Mazumdar Recorded on a Zoom L8 mixer kindly sponsored by: https://www.sound-service.eu Connect with Preetha: http://www.preethanarayanan.com http://instagram.com/preenaraya Connect with T.L: DEBUT SOLO PIANO ALBUM Artist Website: www.everynowheremusic.com Coaching: www.holisticpianoacademy.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/everynowheremusic/ Spotify: https://spoti.fi/39S0dP5 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tlmusician Twitter: https://twitter.com/tlmazumdar
In this episode, we got the chance to speak to author Muzna Abbas again about her book on mental health that is dedicated to the South Asian Diaspora. In part 2, we discuss about the youth and how they have been navigating their mental health and driving conversations with their parents. Listener discretion advised. If you or a loved one is suffering with mental health, please do not be afraid to ask for help from a professional because this is a regular conversation from our perspectives. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/tanjeen-tasnim/message
In this episode, we got the chance to speak to author Muzna Abbas about her book on mental health that is dedicated to the South Asian Diaspora. In part 1, we discuss about immigrant parents plight about mental health, toxic masculinity and burn out. Listener discretion advised. If you or a loved one is suffering with mental health, please do not be afraid to ask for help from a professional because this is just a regular conversation from our perspectives. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/tanjeen-tasnim/message
Now that I am in my..ahem...proper adulthood age, things are starting to work a bit...differently. The fall routine has begun and I know that my daily routine is pure madness and with that, I tend to ignore my own well-being. This is why I had to get some advice from a professional!Anita Mirchandani, M.S, R.D, C.D.N received a B.A. from NYU and a M.S. in Clinical Nutrition from NYU. After completing a dietetic internship at New York-Presbyterian hospital, Anita became a Registered Dietitian in 2011. Anita also maintains current fitness certifications in indoor cycling, kickboxing, group exercise, and personal training. She is also an AFPA certified prenatal and postnatal exercise specialist.We talk about growing up in Texas and in the 80s where portion control was not a concept, how we're both alive after eating Pop-Tarts 5 times a day growing up, launching India's first Greek yogurt and how Indians in general are starting to understand our common chronic diagnosis. Anita also has a passion for women's health and intuitive eating and gives her top 3 pieces of advice to South Asian women about how to eat “well”.I ask her about different diets and why they don't work, what the deal is with "gluten-free", and why balance is key to every diet. I also talk to her about my own inflammatory issues and we talk about things that I need to adjust in my day-to-day routine. Basically, I am totally convinced that talking to a dietician can change your life.Follow @FitNutAnita for interesting updates of fitness and nutrition content and check out her site, www.anitamirchandani.com for updates on ARM Nutrition.
The South Asian Diaspora is significant, with over 18 million people living outside their countries of origin. In America, South Asians make up 12 percent of the workforce and South Asian women are an important part of that. Today we are going to be talking with one of the founders of the largest professional organizations advocating for South Asian women, so stay tunedHey everybody, welcome back to another Futre tech video podcast. Today we are talking with Mythili Sankaran one of the founders of Neythri and the Neythri Futures Fund. Mythili worked in tech for years, but when she was attending professional women's leadership groups, she didn't see South Asian women represented. She also knew how limited South Asian women's access to capital was. This was the impetus behind Neythri a community to support the professional aspirations, and to advance the careers of South Asian women, and Mythili is here to tell us all about it.Welcome MythiliJoin Neythri: https://neythri.org/join/Neythri Futures Fund: https://www.neythrifuturesfund.com/FUTRtech focuses on startups, innovation, culture and the business of emerging tech with weekly video podcasts where Chris Brandt and Sandesh Patel talk with Industry leaders and deep thinkers.
Low-Socioeconomic Class, The South-Asian Diaspora, Aborigines, Male Privilege, Islamic Ideals & Language. We explore all this with Nadeem Dawud. Nadeem is an activist and studied History at Oxford University and later King's College, London. Check out our website – boysinthecave.com Follow us on: Facebook –https://www.facebook.com/boysinthecave/ Instagram – @boysinthecave Twitter – @boysinthecave Become a Patreon today! https://www.patreon.com/boysinthecave ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Nadeem's Online Visibility https://www.facebook.com/nadeem.dawud
Sweta Singh ‘Sonee' is a doctoral student at XLRI, author of 'An Egghead's Journal' (2018). She recently compiled and co-authored an anthology called “Unsent Letters from the South Asian Diaspora” that features the open letters from the published and emerging Women and Nonbinary writers of South Asian Origin. These letters touch topics such as self-acceptance, mental health, regional and gender disparity, beauty inclusivity, colorism, values and beliefs, empathy, relationships and inspirations. @sonee.sweta believes that these kinds of collaborations would lead to better representation of voices that are severely underrepresented in the international publishing industry. Get to know her with #11Questions!
https://www.bc.edu/bc-web/schools/lynch-school/faculty-research/faculty-directory/usha-tummala-narra.htmlhttps://www.thetraumatherapistproject.com/podcast/usha-tummala-narra-phd/ Journal of Applied Psychoanalytic Studies, Vol. 3, No. 3, 2001Asian Trauma Survivors: Immigration, Identity, Loss, and RecoveryPratyusha Tummala-Narrahttps://www.academia.edu/25195396/Asian_trauma_survivors_Immigration_identity_loss_and_recoveryCounselor Referrals:Diya Kallivayalil, Ph.D. in Cambridge, MA diyajk@gmail.com Lisa Desai, PsyD, in Newton, MA (857) 353-8483 Anju Kaduvettoor-Davidson, PhD, in Austin, TX anju.kaduvettoor@gmail.com Neha Patel, PsyD, in Chicago, IL nrpcspp@gmail.com Domestic Violence Organizations:https://www.thehotline.org/www.sakhi.orghttps://www.domesticshelters.org/resources/national-global-organizations/international-organizations
https://www.bc.edu/bc-web/schools/lynch-school/faculty-research/faculty-directory/usha-tummala-narra.htmlhttps://www.thetraumatherapistproject.com/podcast/usha-tummala-narra-phd/ Journal of Applied Psychoanalytic Studies, Vol. 3, No. 3, 2001Asian Trauma Survivors: Immigration, Identity, Loss, and RecoveryPratyusha Tummala-Narra Counselor Referrals:Diya Kallivayalil, Ph.D. in Cambridge, MA diyajk@gmail.com Lisa Desai, PsyD, in Newton, MA (857) 353-8483 Anju Kaduvettoor-Davidson, PhD, in Austin, TX anju.kaduvettoor@gmail.com Neha Patel, PsyD, in Chicago, IL nrpcspp@gmail.com
Muzna Abbas is the author of the book “Letters to My Brown Mother.” As a Pakistani-American daughter of immigrants, Muzna wrote this book as an ode to her own struggles with mental health. She hopes that sharing her insights and those of the people whom she interviewed in her research will encourage others to be more proactive in taking care of their mental wellbeing. She is currently a dual-degree Master's degree student at Georgetown University, pursuing an MBA as well as a Master of Science in Foreign Service (MSFS) with a concentration in International Development. Prior to graduate school, she served as a bilingual teacher (Spanish and English) with Teach for America in Buffalo, NY where she also earned a Master's degree in Bilingual Education from Canisius College. Muzna is originally from Southern California and is a first-generation Pakistani-American. In her spare time, Muzna enjoys reading, photography, and learning how to cook Pakistani foods. She speaks Urdu, Hindi, and Spanish and is working on learning Arabic soon. Muzna currently resides in the Washington, D.C metro area with her dog, Baxter. Discussion Why has mental health been a taboo topic in the South Asian (desi) diaspora and how has this shaped your own experiences? What inspired you to embark on the journey of writing your book, “Letters To My Brown Mother?” What are some of the cultural themes you became more aware of through your research that further deepens the stigma towards mental health in desi communities? How can we be more attentive to mental health concerns with our family, friends, and co-workers across a range of cultural backgrounds? Follow/Get In Touch Check out “Letters To My Brown Mother” Pre-Sales Campaign at https://igg.me/at/letterstomybrownmother Instagram: Book | Personal Twitter LinkedIn Email Presented By Inspiredu: Nonprofit Leaders Bridging The Digital Divide | Atlanta, GA AppBarry: Custom Web And Mobile Application Development | Atlanta, GA Classic City Consulting: WordPress Website Development | Atlanta, GA Stratfield Consulting: Consulting, Staffing, Recruiting | Atlanta, GA See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mehek is a 23 year old law graduate and podcast host of Brownsplain. She makes really cool videos on tiktok and Instagram. She describes herself as having more opinions than she knows what to do with! She has done some incredible work focused on the experiences of ethnic minorities in the UK. As a second (and a half) generation British South Asian, she grew up on stories of racism within the UK and the horrors of the partition. She is on a mission to discuss issues that are often relegated to the cultural and historical sidelines.
Snigdha Sur is the founder & CEO of The Juggernaut, a media company which tells untold stories of the South Asian diaspora. She grew up a voracious reader and likes having a pen on her at all times. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/yfm/message
What happens when passion meets social impact meets business? Brown Girl MagazineCEO Trisha Sakhuja-Walia is on a mission to build an ecosystem supporting the South Asian diaspora. What started as advocacy to form a desi club at school, led her to follow her purpose of amplifying voices for the South Asian community and has now flourished into an impactful community.In this episode, you will learn how Trisha has grown and managed a team of 200+ volunteers, writers, editors and more, her entrepreneurship lifestyle and her determination to build a profitable business while staying rooted to the mission of BGM - amplifying voices of marginalized communities and building spaces for those with dual identities.Click here to visit the Brown Girl Magazine website.From the Host:Always Aligning is growing and its all thanks to you. Watch this space for more but until then, let me know - do you love the show? Have a guest recommendation?You can write to me - your host Aasheekaa, at hello@aasheekaa.com or DM me on IG.
#IndicStudies, 2nd Webinar at FLAME University Date: Tuesday, March 30th, 2021 TITLE: Where #QuantumPhysics and #IndicVisions overlap Abstract of the Talk: Quantum Mechanics is a twentieth-century culmination of three centuries of modern (Galilean-Newtonian) science. One may therefore wonder how one can talk about Quantum Mechanics and any traditional religious perspective. This can be done because the world-view that QM engenders, the notions of causality and determinism that follow from it, and the picture of reality that emerges from it have some remarkable parallels with some of the insights of ancient Indic philosophers. This lecture will explore some of these fascinating findings. Its goal is not to show that the methods and mathematics of QM are implicit in ancient writings. Bio: Dr. Varadaraja V. Raman is an Emeritus Professor of Physics and Humanities at the Rochester Institute of Technology. He has lectured and written profusely on many aspects of Indian heritage and culture and authored numerous books, more than 300 book reviews, and scores of articles on science and religion. He is an active member of organizations devoted to building understanding between science and the humanities. He has been elected Senior Fellow of the Metanexus Institute and was the recipient of the Raja Rao Award, which honors and recognizes writers who have made an outstanding contribution to the literature of the South Asian Diaspora. He has written a web column entitled Reflections on Remote Roots, which is widely circulated to people of Indian heritage in many parts of the world. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/pankaj-jain/support
Alka Joshi was born in India and raised in the U.S. since the age of nine. She has a BA from Stanford University and an MFA from California College of Arts. At the age of 62, Joshi published her debut novel, The Henna Artist, which immediately became a New York Times bestseller, a Reese Witherspoon Bookclub pick, was long listed for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize and is being developed into an episodic series by Miramax TV starring Frieda Pinto.The sequel, The Secret Keeper of Jaipur, premieres June 2021, and will be followed by the third book in the trilogy in 2022.We talk about what it was like growing up in India and the transition to Iowa, how her family viewed dating and relationships, why she decided to break the glass ceiling on her own terms, and how she became an "accidental writer".She talks about the origins of The Henna Artist and how the main character, Laxmi, is an ode to her mother, her mother's own journey finding herself, why she believes women are better leaders, and how she hopes these books will be her legacy.www.alkajoshi.com
Sangam is a platform for emerging and established South Asian-Australian artists to learn, create and showcase art alongside globally renowned artists from the South Asian Diaspora. In partnership with MAV, the festival features classical as well as contemporary experimental performances. Choir artist Ms Subhashini and Shweta Kawatra of MAV details the program.
We welcome our first guest of the season, Dr. Nisha Gupta (nishagupta.org), to discuss a huge gamut of topics around erotic power and liberation psychology. We dive into Nisha's topic of expertise and research: erotic power among South Asians, the history of sexuality in terms of religion and colonialism, and (sexual) healing through empowered art and religion. Nisha is an assistant professor at the University of West Georgia who focuses on healing and power in a traumatic world through liberation psychology. She has done many arts-based research projects such as Desi Eros, which aims to reclaim the erotic power of South Asian Diaspora women.• • Content Warning: We do mention trauma, PTSD, and societal oppressions in this episode, including sexual assault, slut-shaming, gender roles, religiosity, and more.• • Explore Nisha's website, the Desi Eros Project, and buy some dope ass art by South Asian women here: https://nishagupta.org, https://desieros.com/, https://www.etsy.com/shop/ArtbyNishaStore?ref=search_shop_redirect• • Also mentioned is MaryAnneMohanraj (@mamohanraj)!• • Intro and Outro Music adapted from: "DJ" by Jazzhar, under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International Public License.
zulaikha and gia chat with Kainath Merchant about taboo topics, especially in South Asian culture. Kainath has been growing a platform on tiktok, approaching many topics nobody wants to talk about within the Desi culture, including the first generation experience, marital rape, destigmatizing divorce, and breaking the shame cycle. Kainath brings her beautiful positive spirit to hard conversations, and through using her voice is creating space for a new culture. You can find Kainath on tiktok @kainathmer and see the vast range of important topics she covers.
Our first guest of 2021 is Sangeeta Pillai. She is the founder of Masala Podcast and Soul Sutras, a feminist platform tackling taboos in South Asian culture. South Asia is made up of diverse countries, ethnicities, cultures, faiths, and traditions. One thing that we share universally across the continent and beyond, is patriarchy. It forms a part and parcel of our social fabric. As a Keralan born Indian having spent a large part of her life in India, and now in the UK, Sangeeta talks about what intersectionality means to her and the patriarchal values which hold all women back universally. Sangeeta has spoken openly about sexual empowerment, and while in Britain and in much of the West, sexual confidence has been reclaimed by women, the trajectory is not quite the same in South Asian countries. There is a correlation between inequality and lack of access to sexual and reproductive health facilities, which is often a barrier to sexual empowerment. By contrast, the conservative arm of feminism, both Western and Eastern, might argue the other way, and interpret sexual freedom as promiscuity and we reflect on these contrasting attitudes. Globally, South Asian women have made significant inroads in industries including tech, medicine, scientific research and film-making. While that’s progress, we’ve also seen the personification of Indian “aunties” in mainstream television, with shows like Indian Matchmaker and Never Have I Ever, which highlight examples of internalised patriarchy. Societal structures shape our way of thinking. South Asian cultures centre around multi-generational extended families and strong communities, while in the West, the focus is on individualism and self-sufficiency. These structures still dominate women’s positioning, especially because women were designated home-makers up until relatively recently. We reflect on the impact of these structures on women and how they have evolved over time.
Did you know that the single largest protest in human history just took place in India? Over 250 million people participated in a 24-hour general strike in solidarity with Indian farmers who oppose deregulation and are concerned about large agriculture corporations taking over their livelihoods. #PeelMatters host Pranav Bakaraju invited Gurpreet Bhatti (Law student and co-founder of Girls Rise), Harjas Grewal (Founder of United Womxn) and Fred Hahn (President of CUPE Ontario) for a discussion where Gurpreet described her efforts to provide medicine to the protestors on the ground, Fred spoke about the importance of this event in the global labor movement and Harjas explained how South Asian Diaspora in Canada can offer support. Check out the podcast here as a starting point to learn more about the issues!
In this candid episode, I am joined by Madhu Kapoor and Shenaly Amin from Mental Wealth, a Mental Health peer support group for South Asians aged 30+, and Sonam Patel of its sister organisation, Reroute, for younger South Asians. We explore Mental Health through the themes of migration, awareness and accessibility, cultural stigma and familial expectations. South Asian communities are more likely to experience poverty, have fewer educational and work opportunities, and experience language and other communication barriers by virtue of integrational struggles. These social, economic, and cultural struggles can heighten mental health risks. Improving uptake of mental health services by ethnic minorities is a longstanding challenge for public health providers and we look at how health and social policies should factor these variables into their objectives. Reflecting on our personal mental health experiences, we recognise the importance of raising awareness and making mental health services more accessible for our communities. Depression and mental illness are rarely spoken about in South Asian communities, and those who do speak about them can feel worn down by the judgment of others. Nonetheless, the younger generation have made significant inroads to help us collectively ‘unlearn’ these traditions and outlooks and Mental Wealth has revealed that attitudes among older generations are actually shifting. Particularly, with women, there’s a strong link between mental health and hormonal changes. For example, the menopause can have a series of mental impacts, such as anxiety, low self-esteem, and emotional distress, alongside the physical effects. Speaking from her own experience, Madhu explains why we need to show more compassion and openness towards it. We also consider the impact of intergenerational families on women’s wellbeing and the negative mental health consequences of idolising the “self-sacrificial” woman.
Snigdha Sur, Founder & CEO of The Juggernaut, always knew she wanted to be in media. She now runs a subscription media company that is dedicated to creating "smart journalism for the South Asian diaspora” called The Juggernaut. In this episode, we discussed a ton, but a few things jumped out… Niche can scale Under normal circumstances, you wouldn't expect to see a media company in Y Combinator, an accelerator for traditional tech startups. However, for a variety of reasons, they decided to have Snigdha join the program. One of the things she said that resonates with me is that niche can actually scale. We think of niche as small, but these verticalized media companies have the potential to really grow into something robust. Part of the way to think about that is about content appearing in multiple places, including on the website, newsletter, podcasts, video & TV deals and various other opportunities. A classic example that she used is BET, which serves a specific community. Viacom bought BET in 2001 for $3 billion. It was a niche play, but that didn't hold it back from reaching incredible scale. On lifetime subscribers & Thursday customer calls Unlike many media companies, The Juggernaut offers the option for people to purchase a lifetime subscription. For $249.99, you will never not have access to The Juggernaut. It's an interesting experiment and one that Snigdha is really a fan of in a limited sense. As she explained, these are the most die hard of supporters. They're people that really care about the brand and what it stands for. They're also people that she sometimes uses to bounce ideas off, whether that's sharing content ahead of time or perhaps taking a look at the upcoming app. The other part of this is her ritual of taking 5-10 customer calls every Thursday. She wants to hear from people and get their thoughts on how The Juggernaut is doing; the good and the bad. Audience development with Instagram I teased this out on Twitter, but I am a big fan of The Juggernaut's Instagram strategy. Using a tool called Link.bio, they are effectively able to create a clone of The Juggernaut's Instagram page. Every time they share a new photo, they include three paragraphs of text and then a “link in bio.” That link in bio is a link.bio URL that then shows all the same images the user had seen previously. This time, though, when a user clicks one of those images, it takes them to the individual story page. It's a great way to distribute content on a platform that is otherwise not very friendly with distributing content.
This was a live podcast originally broadcast on 13 August 2020 in collaboration with #SouthAsianHeritageMonth. From Gujuratis in Harrow and Wembley, Punjabis in Southall and Handsworth, Bangladeshis in Tower Hamlets and Pakistanis in Bradford and Sparkhill, South Asians form the fabric of British society, influencing the development of communities, infrastructure and services. In this special episode, Brown Don't Frown and BAME in Property share your housing stories. We unpack the experiences of social housing, community cohesion, financial decision-making, cultural and social mobility, sexism and inter-generational living as told through your voices. Following our discussion, we open up the floor to our audience, where we answer questions and facilitate an interactive discussion. Continue the conversation by using the hashtags #OurStoriesMatter and #SAHM and tag us on Twitter: @BDFpodcast, @BAMEinProp, Instagram: @browndontfrownpodcast, @bameinproperty and LinkedIn: Brown Don’t Frown podcast, BAME in Property.
In this panel discussion, we'll discuss poetry and its many forms. Our panelists will share poems and poets they've been reading of late, as well as sharing some of their own work with us and discussing their approach to writing right now, whether revisiting works in progress or starting something new. Usha Akella has authored four books of poetry, one chapbook, and scripted/produced one musical drama. She recently earned an MSt. in Creative Writing from Cambridge University, UK. Her latest poetry book, The Waiting was published by Sahitya Akademi, India’s highest Literary authority in 2019 followed by the Mantis Editores, Mexico edition in Spanish translated by Elsa Cross. She was selected as a Creative Ambassador for the City of Austin for 2019 & 2015. She read with a group of eminent South Asian Diaspora poets at the House of Lords in June 2016. Her work has been included in the Harper Collins, India Anthology of English Poets. She is the founder of ‘Matwaala’ the first South Asian Diaspora Poets Festival in the US (www.matwaala.com), and co-directs the festival with Pramila Venkateswaran. The festival is seriously dedicated to increasing the visibility of South Asian poets in the mainstream. She is also the founder of the Poetry Caravan in New York and Austin which takes poetry readings to the disadvantaged in women’s shelters, senior homes, and hospitals. Several hundreds of readings have reached these venues via this medium. The City of Austin proclaimed January 7th as Poetry Caravan Day. She has won literary prizes (Nazim Hikmet award, Open Road Review Prize and Egan Memorial Prize and earned finalist status in a few US based contests), and enjoys interviewing artists, scholars and poets for reputed magazines. She has been invited as a keynote speaker to TLAN’s Power of Words conference 2019 and the Turkish Center in Austin. She has written a few quixotic nonfiction prose pieces published in The Statesman and India Currents. Her work ranges from feminist/activist to Spiritual and all things in-between. Carlotta Eike Stankiewicz is a poet, photographer and punster who landed in Austin 25 years ago by way of Michigan, Colorado, Virginia and Washington, D.C. During her tenure as an award-winning creative director at GSD&M Advertising, she led national campaigns for brands such as Zales, John Deere, Texas Tourism and Hallmark. She is now the Director of Marketing and Communications for the Blanton Museum of Art. In 2016, she published Haiku Austin, a book of poetry and photography that pays tribute to the Texas capital through witty, 17-syllable poems and vivid pictures. She's currently working on two new titles in her haiku series, Hill Country Haiku and Haiku 'Hooville, a tribute to Charlottesville, Virginia, where she earned a B.A. in English at UVA. In 2003, Carlotta won the O. Henry Pun Off World Championship, much to the delight or chagrin of her two daughters. She is also a fervent Instagrammer -- follow her at @HaikuAustin and @lottapalooza. Sasha West’s first book, Failure and I Bury the Body (Harper Perennial), was a winner of the National Poetry Series, the Texas Institute of Letters First Book of Poetry Award, and a Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference Fellowship. Her poems have appeared in American Poetry Review, Kenyon Review Online, Agni, Georgia Review, Copper Nickel, and elsewhere. She is an Associate Professor of Creative Writing at St. Edward’s University, where she received the Distinguished Teaching Award.
Welcome to Samina and Maithreyi’s outlet to vent about representation, authenticity, and the true comedy of South Asian Diaspora pop culture.
The spread of COVID-19 has changed the way we see our own relationship to space and mobility. Within this state of emergency, disparities in access are made more stark: as certain sectors of workers are able to continue their jobs under quarantine and observing social distancing guidelines while other sectors are forced into dangerous forms of mobility, borders old and new are being inscribed and reinscribed through austerity measures. The present crisis has exposed not only the existence but the extremity of this precarity, and has the paradoxical effect of making it seem like a shockwave momentarily fissuring our otherwise just system.To explore some of these increasingly-relevant issues, we focus today's episode around two discussions of the concept of “mobility” and how it functions in culture. The first is a free-roaming conversation between Alex and (newly-minted on the mic) co-producer Ben Williams about their shared experiences and reflections living in self-isolated “stasis,” as well as how the language of crisis in the era of COVID-19 belies structural inequalities already experienced by certain groups in our society. The second is an interview with Dr. Marian Aguiar, a professor of literary and cultural studies at Carnegie Mellon University. Dr. Aguiar has focused on issues in globalization, postcolonial studies, and feminism, and her recent work on refugee mobilities explores transnationalism through the ways we represent and imagine movement.During this latter conversation with Dr. Aguiar, we examine what it means to be displaced, and how various accounts of migration stabilize and destabilize representations of refugeehood through narratives, visual documentation, and art installations. Finally, we focus on the systemic currents that subject those who've been displaced to drifts as they cross national borders and seek asylum, as well as the affective currents that both help and hinder advocacy struggles over immigration policy and expanding the freedom of movement.Dr. Marian Aguiar's work on space, place, and mobilityAguiar, M. (2011). Tracking Modernity India's Railway and the Culture of Mobility. University of Minnesota Press.Aguiar, M. (2018). Arranging Marriage Conjugal Agency in the South Asian Diaspora. University of Minnesota Press.Aguiar, M., Mathieson, C., & Pearce, L. (2019). Mobilities, literature, culture. Palgrave Macmillan.Works and Concepts cited in this EpisodeBerlant, L. (2011). Cruel optimism. Duke University Press.Bissell, D. (2007). Animating suspension: waiting for mobilities. Mobilities, 2(2), 277-298.Butler, J. (2015). Notes toward a performative theory of assembly. Harvard University Press.Coetzee, J. M. (1980). Waiting for the barbarians. Penguin Books.Cresswell, T. (2006). On the move: Mobility in the modern western world. Taylor & Francis.Cresswell, T. (2014). Place: an introduction. John Wiley & Sons.Debord, G. (2012). Theory of the derive [originally published 1958]. Situationist International Anthology, 50-54.Lancione, M. & Simone, A. (2020). Bio-austerity and solidarity in the Covid-19 space of emergency - episode one. Society and Space. Retrieved from: https://www.societyandspace.org/articles/bio-austerity-and-solidarity-in-the-covid-19-space-of-emergencyLautor, B. (2020). Is this a dress rehearsal? Critical Inquiry. Retrieved from:https://critinq.wordpress.com/2020/03/26/is-this-a-dress-rehearsal/Malkki, L. (1996). Speechless Emissaries: Refugees, Humanitarianism, and Dehistoricization. Cultural Anthropology, 11(3), 377–404.Nguyen, L., & McCallum, K. (2016). Drowning in our own home: a metaphor-led discourse analysis of Australian news media reporting on maritime asylum seekers. Communication Research and Practice, 2(2), 159-176.Santa Ana, O. (2002). Brown tide rising: Metaphors of Latinos in contemporary American public discourse. University of Texas Press.Steinberg, P., & Peters, K. (2015). Wet ontologies, fluid spaces: Giving depth to volume through oceanic thinking. Society and Space, 33(2), 247-264.Sharpe, C. (2016). In the wake: on blackness and being. Duke University Press.Cover image: Ai Weiwei's art installation: covering the Berlin Konzerthaus with life jackets used by refugees crossing the Mediterranean.
Wow! Re-listening to this chat with Coach Shanita Liu while editing it totally reinvigorated me! This episode with Coach Shanita is one of the first I ever recorded when I started the podcast, and I was supposed to release it in November, but, health and life, and tech issues, got in the way. But, now that they are fixed, I am so glad that this episode with Coach Shanita is the one that I am “relaunching” the podcast with! In this chat, Coach Shanita and I dig deep into our experiences as South Asian women, and the stigmas, stereotypes, and resistance we face from our own community when we try to uplift, support and empower one of us. This episode empowered me to go back to the source of why I even started this podcast. It reconnected me with my core, and it was transformational. Get in touch with Coach Shanita using the links below: Instagram: @coachshanita Facebook: www.facebook.com/CoachShanita/
On today's show:Worldview's Ashish Valentine chats with South Asian-Canadian visual artist Maria Qamar, also known as Hatecopy. We go... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]
As modern brown millennials oscillating between multiple geographies (and identities) we felt we had a lot to say, so we decided to say it. Vasl means coming together and we will come together here to celebrate the Voices, Art, Stories & Legacies of the South Asian Diaspora.
It's not every day that Fariha Róisín is in town. Now based in Brooklyn, the Australian-Canadian writer, editor, podcaster and delightful human was Sydneyside for a panel titled WoC Solidarity: Beyond Performative Allyship. You heard part of our interview with her on Episode 8 of Race Matters, but we felt so energised (and, tbh, smitten!) after our sprawling conversation with her that we wanted to make it available to you in full. Support The Juggernaut by following them on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, and of course, by subscribing. Keep up to date with Fariha on Twitter, Instagram and at her website. This episode features tunes from Tommy Genesis, Gonjasufi, Swet Shop Boys and M.I.A.
Artist Hew Locke and historians Suzannah Lipscomb, Aanchal Malhotra & Anindya Raychaudhuri talk to Rana Mitter about using objects and archives to create new images of the past, from Guyana to India and Pakistan to women in C16th France. Suzannah Lipscomb's book The Voices of Nîmes: Women, Sex, and Marriage in Reformation Languedoc uses the evidence of 1,200 cases brought before the consistories – or moral courts – of the Huguenot church of Languedoc between 1561 and 1615 to summon up the lives of ordinary women. Hew Locke Here's The Thing - the most comprehensive show of his art in the UK runs at the Ikon Gallery in Birmingham from March 8th to 2nd June 2019 and then tours to Kansas City and Maine. Aanchal Malhotra is the author of Remnants of Partition : 21 Objects from a Continent Divided. She is also the co-founder of the Museum of Material Memory Anindya Raychaudhuri teaches at the University of St Andrews and is a BBC/AHRC New Generation Thinker. He has published Homemaking: Radical Nostalgia and the Construction of a South Asian Diaspora. You can hear his Essay on Partitioned Memories for BBC Radio 3 here https://bbc.in/2SJjLew Producer: Luke Mulhall
The episode you have all been waiting for (or at least one of them) is finally here: WEDDINGS! From the planning to the week-long wedding events, the Carolina Desis break it all down with guest Kiran Mohan of Sonaa Wedding & Events (@sonaaevents). Kiran, a Toronto native and recent Charlotte resident, shares her experiences as an accomplished planner and what she wants to bring to the Desi wedding industry in the Southeast US. We discuss the variety and significance of wedding events and traditions that differ among religions, ethnicities, and families in the South Asian Diaspora. Staying true to the core ideals of the podcast, we get Kiran’s take on the evident generation gap and impact of millennial minimalism on wedding planning as a first generation Desi-American. Tune in to learn why there are elephants at Desi weddings and how you can get your hands on a Gulab Jamun cupcake! Book your next event with Sonaa Wedding & Events: www.sonaaevents.com
On tonight's show, we spotlight Yoni Ki Baat, the South Asian edition of the famous Vagina Monologues. This year, the show is celebrating its 10thanniversary. The performances brings to life original stories written by women from the South Asian Diaspora. It is a place to share women's most intimate experiences, which might otherwise go untold. As a special treat, this year, the show is also bringing back the women's only show (open to those who self-identify as female). Later in the show, we feature an interview with author Lisa Factora-Borches, editor of Dear Sister, an anthology that shares the lessons, memories and vision of survivors, advocates and allies. Hosted By Preeti Shekar The post APEX Express – March 20, 2014 appeared first on KPFA.
Unabashed film talk from three mahogany film mavens. Hosted by Candice, Rebecca, and Kim. Today we will be joined by Aseem Chhabra, and authority on the South Asian Diaspora and film.
South Asian Journalists Association presents another in its series of 75+ BlogTalkRadio webcasts... In a bid to help journalists cover underreported issues and stories about South Asia or the South Asian Diaspora, SAJA is offering upto $20,000 in funding with its flagship SAJA Reporting Fellowships (SRF) program, now in its fifth year. If you are interested in applying for the fellowship but have questions about what kind of stories get funded, what the fellowship pays for, the timeline for completing the work, etc., join Sandeep Junnarkar, SAJA's awards and fellowship chair and Jigar Mehta, SAJA president and former SRF winner, who will provide answers to these and other questions. Ria Misra and Matt O'Brien, 2009-2010 fellows, will also be on hand to answer questions about the fellowships. More on the fellowships at http://bit.ly/srf2011 * questions to sjnews at gmail.com
A leading figure in struggles for independence and self-determination came from the South Asian Diaspora experience. Hear how this environment and colonialism impacted Mahatma Gandhi and his concepts of non-violent resistance from Prof. Gautam Premnath. Also, find out how Gandhi's outlook came to influence the civil rights movement; how his concepts open new questions about non-violence, resistance, strategies and beliefs. And, please help us out during KPFA's fund-drive by pledging your support! Plus music, calendar and more. The post APEX Express – January 26, 2006 appeared first on KPFA.