Bengalis of New York: Recent Episodes

Bengalis Of New York

Born out of a desire to highlight the diversity within the NY Bengali community & to dispel stereotypes and misconceptions; one story at a time. Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/bengalisofnework/support

Season 5 - Episode 12: Md Jabed Uddin, came in USA at a very early stage and lives in Astoria with his family.

He is also General Secretary of MoulviBazar District Society. He is a man from Moulvibazar and actively doing his social work. Now become well known for his social activities in NYC.

As a General Secretary, Mr. Jabed Uddin is doing excellent job and trying to make AWS, a number one organizations in NYC. He does actively many community based foods distribution like halal boxes, masks, hand sanitizers in different places in NYC.

Community activists and is a very well known community friend and a people person.

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I feel like in my upbringing, alongside having to study really hard in school, I feel like there's this sort of nurturing care put into having some sort of artistic ability. Be it painting or singing or playing an instrument. For me, it was playing the violin. I grew up playing the violin since I was five years old. My mom would play the harmonium, and I have an uncle who plays guitar. I was in orchestra my whole life and I used to play the violin doing solo repertoire stuff as well as group orchestra stuff for a really long time. But when I got into high school, I found it to be quite unsatisfying only because I was performing music that was already written hundreds of years ago, which I have great respect for. I have great respect for all the composers and classical musicians, but I wasn't feeling like I was just getting anything out of it at a certain age. It was then that I started writing music. I felt that in school, you would take English classes where you would learn how to read and write. You would read books and write about the books, such as analysis papers, etc, but with music, you only learn how to read and perform. We never learned how to write. I felt like that was an itch that needed to be scratched. It was just something that was in me that I needed to learn.

Listen to the entire conversation with Jai Wolf on the BoNY Podcast.

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Even though sex education is such an everyday aspect of our life because it can impact a person from the moment that they're born to their death bed. Because it's such an everyday part of our lives, I thought it was really integral to only have this information in Bangla, because it's meant for aunties, it's meant for uncles, it's meant for our parents. It's meant for people back home. I can't even begin to tell you the kinds of questions that I've received, and it makes me so sad because a lot of the questions that I received from people living in Bangladesh, it's questions and answers that kids ask here in the United States. One of the first emails I received, I had someone ask me, "I'm getting married this weekend. How do I make sex enjoyable for my wife?" That was really overwhelming because I didn't think I was going to get so many intimacy questions so quickly. I want to be respectful of the Bangladeshi culture. I'm mindful of the fact that it is somewhat conservative, and I respect that completely. So that's why I'm trying to come at it from a public health perspective. But I started getting all of these intimacy-related questions from men, women and people of all different genders, different backgrounds, and whom all look different. I had students reaching out to me about their boyfriends. I had niqabis reaching out to me about how to please their husbands. It was really eye-opening to me, and it also made me realize my own biases that might not be right because Bangladesh has a population of over 160 million. So that's a lot of sex. I think we shy away from this topic, but we're clearly doing it.

Listen to the entire conversation with Bushra Mollick on the BoNY Podcast.

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I have basically been past five and a half, almost six years in investing in emerging markets or frontier emerging models. And a lot of that time has been spent in the south Asia region. And as part of that obviously spent time in, in Bangladesh. Now, when I spend time with Nash is primarily been with public companies, investing for one of the largest investment funds folks in the region in public companies, a fund called Kingsway where I've been for over five years now through that work, I think I obviously I've gotten to know the market pretty well.

Listen to the entire conversation with Lima Ali on the BoNY Podcast.

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The diaspora club is more of a passion project for me. I kind of started it when I was in lockdown because I was on furlough, which meant that I wasn't working. So. I need to find something to do, and I didn't want to be doing fashion-related stuff. So I started drawing ethnically, uh, I think minorities, um, weld, cultured inspired imagery.

Listen to the entire conversation with Lima Ali on the BoNY Podcast.

Available on all Podcast platforms and on BengalisofNewyork.com/bony-podcast. Subscribe and share. Link in bio. Also, Amazon Alexa/Echo knows us! Just say, “Alexa, play BoNY Podcast.

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"I think the story of Bangladesh is still an uprising trend. If you look at the country specifically from a startup or a technology lens, if you look at countries like Singapore and other countries surrounding Bangladesh, what you notice is all the countries are on the same trajectory because of the younger population, digitization, and constant use of the internet. All of these countries are on the same trajectory but at different points. Bangladesh is on a very nice upward trajectory that gives us hope. I think once the infrastructure is in place, and once the people are more and more connected, then I think the rest will automatically take shape on stone. The nature and the forces of the Bangladeshi people will automatically define the growth."

Listen to the entire conversation with Sajid Rahman on the BoNY Podcast.

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It was January of this year that I just realized, wow, she's reading on her own. So it just kind of surprised us and I think every child is different when they're gonna learn, how to read, but we were lucky that it was a fun surprise.

Even if it's just for 10 minutes, even if you just dedicate time every day, even when the baby is still in the womb until. When they're zero years old and all the way until reading together can really foster that habit and culture of reading and make smarter, happier kids, because they can learn about themselves.

Lena's been listening to podcasts for a long time, since she was 2. It was a little bit a mix because I'm frugal, uh, and not wanting to buy audio books. And then also practical because if I can't read to them because I do work and if my husband's working, at least they're listening to something and using their imagination just a little bit, instead of watching. So Lena's involved in the podcast. When we interview or talk to the publisher, we ask them what they would want in the show notes, how somebody could actually purchase that book.

And then we read the story together and then Lena helps pick out the music. So she listens to the story and listens to what would be a good sound effect, like maybe a door closing. Should I hire her Lena, I'm going to hire you to do our podcast. We're not even that far. We don't do sound effects. Do you want to help me with the, do you want to help me with my podcast?

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I have never been in real estate. My background is in engineering, and I had managed very large multinationals industrial companies. A lot of my time was spent on building materials. However, very interestingly, through a friend, I was introduced to our founder-CEO, whose name is Aaron Levy. He lives in Austin, Texas, and he's an architect-designer. He's always had this idea of coming up with something for what's known as a middle market. It's basically people who are renting today, but not ready to buy a house. However, they want some independent living, such as a little bit of a yard and patio, and do not want to be attached to somebody else top or bottom. This is considered a middle housing concept and he's always been interested in it. I think during COVID we saw the level of depression and loneliness going up because a lot of people living in buildings had no community connections. And that's what kind of drove us.

Listen to the entire conversation with Zain Mahmood on the BoNY Podcast.

Available on all Podcast platforms and on BengalisofNewyork.com/bony-podcast. Subscribe and share. Link in bio. Also, Amazon Alexa/Echo knows us! Just say, “Alexa, play BoNY Podcast."

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Raad on startups, life, and philosophy. I think there's a common theme in my life where I just don't like being told what to do. And, I'm kind of a little bit of like a free thinker. Maybe that's sort of seeded the plants of like, not really ever being able to hold a steady job. I just, wasn't very good at showing up at one place at a specific time and doing the same thing over and over again. I'm just not a very big morning person. So whenever I had to sort of just forcefully wake up, that would just dampen my mood right then. I'm just like a curious person. So if I'm like told to do something and I don't really understand the why behind it, I'm just not going to be naturally into it.

At Lawtrades, we hire people that really have to be sort of like self-starters and self managers, and just be generally curious. I’m good with like, sort of setting the stage and setting the vision and giving them why, letting them know why this work is important and the impact they could have, on the greater society, if we succeed.

I use a simple approach found the different companies that I built. There needs to be some sort of cycle that it goes through, which one thing leads to another. for example, a platform like Uber, the more  Uber drivers on the road equals faster transport and a more successful product. So, I think that about a lot of things in life and in business that it's helpful to just look at it as a high level framework to know that over the next 10 years, if you do this thing, there's going to be some sort of compounding effect to that.

Listen to the entire conversation with Raad Ahmed, Founder of Lawtrades, on the BoNY Podcast.

Available on all Podcast platforms and on BengalisofNewyork.com/bony-podcast. Subscribe and share. Link in bio. Also, Amazon Alexa/Echo knows us! Just say, “Alexa, play BoNY Podcast.

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Aysha Allow is an attorney who specializes in business law. She was inspired to open her own practice during the pandemic when she saw small businesses struggling, and also saw an uptick in new businesses opening. After some reflection she wanted to be of service to the people. She launched her business in January 2021, after practicing law for a few years in various sectors. She is one of metro Detroit’s Bangladeshi Women Entrepreneurs.

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Muntaha Qureshi is an event decorator in metro Detroit. She opened her business Bridal Insignia in 2014, first in Virginia and then later moving it to Michigan. Muntaha studied fashion design, and later worked in corporate offices in supply chain. Now her business combines both aspects of her professional experiences to serve couples who are looking for decoration services for their special occasions. Bridal Insignia has decorated 3-4 events a year when it first started. In 2019 they decorated about 120 events. She is one of metro Detroit’s Bangladeshi Women Entrepreneurs.

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Introducing Sisters Humayra Bobby owner of Boubí Skin, Jahura Hobby owner of JHobby Makeup Studio, Tahura Holly owner of Festive Essentials, and Shakira Khanam

Humayra Bobby, Jahura Hobby, and Tahura Holly are sisters who created their own businesses: skincare, professional makeup services and jewelry to provide community-based needs. Their sister Shakira Khanam helps all the businesses. Their father Rezaul Karim is an entrepreneur who opened his own stores in the early 2000s. Humayra, Jahura, Tahura and Shakira say they were inspired by their own needs, and the chance to give back to a community they grew up in. They are metro Detroit's Bangladeshi Women Entrepreneurs. Humayra Bobby launched Boubí Skin in 2019, Jahura Hobby is the owner of JHobby Makeup Studio who started freelancing makeup services a decade ago, and Tahura Holly is the owner of Festive Essentials. Holly opened her business in 2018, handpicking jewelry from India where she lives, and selling it in Hamtramck, and other cities across the U.S.

Listen to the entire conversation with Sisters Humayra Bobby, Jahura Hobby, Tahura Holly, and Shakira Khanam on the BoNY Podcast.

Available on all Podcast platforms and on BengalisofNewyork.com/bony-podcast. Subscribe and share. Link in bio. Also, Amazon Alexa/Echo knows us! Just say, “Alexa, play BoNY Podcast.

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"When I started this service, it was actually the beginning of the pandemic. By the time I actually started work on my startup was around September. That's when I officially launched the app. The reason I started this form of service is that I originally really want to deliver halal groceries to people's houses, especially in our South Asian community. This halal-based delivery was basically inspired by what I hear from a lot of Bengali moms and uncles. They're like, 'oh, I wish there was a grocery delivery service, so I could get some halal meat, some fish, like, etc.' I thought, 'wow, that's some opportunity out there. Let me try it out.'

Listen to the entire conversation with Tawfique Reja on the BoNY Podcast.

Available on all Podcast platforms and on BengalisofNewyork.com/bony-podcast. Subscribe and share. Link in bio. Also, Amazon Alexa/Echo knows us! Just say, “Alexa, play BoNY Podcast."

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"It was an unexpected part of my life. At the time, I was working as a freelance journalist, and I was doing a lot of reporting for Vice. I happened to be in Bangladesh just for a couple of months, and I was living with my parents in Dhaka for Eid. Suddenly, the crisis just happened all of a sudden in August 2017. I started to see a lot of news stories about the crisis, and my dad just said, 'why don't you go down to Cox's Bazar and see what's going on? You should probably go report on it since you're right here in Bangladesh.' So that's what I did, and I had never done any conflict reporting before. I had only been reporting on refugees in the US. It's a very different context reporting on refugees, the settlements, problems that they face, and integrating into American society than refugees in Bangladesh. Nothing would have prepared me for what I saw in Cox's Bazar.

Listen to the entire conversation with Shahirah Majumdar on the BoNY Podcast.

Available on all Podcast platforms and on BengalisofNewyork.com/bony-podcast. Subscribe and share. Link in bio. Also, Amazon Alexa/Echo knows us! Just say, “Alexa, play BoNY Podcast."

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Samia Rahman co-founded the business Pantried, an online platform to shop from local businesses in metro Detroit in 2017 with a group of friends. The business features many immigrant-owned mom-and-pop shops, creating equitable access to shopping local. Samia says many local businesses cater to specific items and foods which are inaccessible, or more readily available in stores. Pantried brings those items to the customers via an online platform similar to Instacart, having groceries shopped by a personal shopper preparing for curbside pickup or delivery services. Now the rebranded company will begin with a beta launch of 5-6 stores in 2021. Samia says she hopes to give back to the community she grew up in. She is one of metro Detroit’s Bangladeshi Women Entrepreneurs.

Listen to the entire conversation with Samia Rahman on the BoNY Podcast.

Available on all Podcast platforms and on BengalisofNewyork.com/bony-podcast. Subscribe and share. Link in bio. Also, Amazon Alexa/Echo knows us! Just say, “Alexa, play BoNY Podcast."

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I got into barbering during the summer of 2018. I was just stressed out at work, and when I came home, I didn't want to do anything. Nothing. I didn't want to commit to anything or go out at all. So I would just be on Instagram or on YouTube often. On Instagram, I'd see these barbers doing these amazing hair cuts and it was very therapeutic for me. A barber I watched often would post on Instagram but he would also post more of his work on his YouTube page. As a result, I then went on YouTube more often and started watching barbering tutorials. After watching all these tutorials, eventually, I thought to myself, "I think I can do this." That's how it all started.

Listen to the entire conversation with Rashel Ali on the BoNY Podcast.

Available on all Podcast platforms and on BengalisofNewyork.com/bony-podcast. Subscribe and share. Link in bio. Also, Amazon Alexa/Echo knows us! Just say, “Alexa, play BoNY Podcast."

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So back in 2014, when we wanted to start the brand, it started as a poster company. So me and my friend Rafeh, started a poster company where we sold posters online, and we wanted to have a unique name. We were trying to figure something out and then Rafeh suggested "Gorur Ghash", which was his Instagram handle at the time. It doesn't make any sense and he just came up with it. So Ali Sakhi, Fahim Islam and I figured might as well name our company "Gorur Ghash". The main reason behind keeping that name is it intrigues people all the time. It makes people ask questions and they continue to remember the name. People just never seemed to forget the name "Gorur Ghash" as a brand since then.

Listen to the entire conversation with Nahiyan Naser on the BoNY Podcast.

Available on all Podcast platforms and on BengalisofNewyork.com/bony-podcast. Subscribe and share. Link in bio. Also, Amazon Alexa/Echo knows us! Just say, “Alexa, play BoNY Podcast."

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We need more people from Baruch, from NYU, from CUNY, from every level and depth of universities, backgrounds, and experiences to join government. Whether you are South Asian or first-generation, whatever your experiences may be, they are so important and hold great value. Now on the internet, anybody can search out to get a small glimpse and taste of what a job in a field such as policymaking, government, or foreign policy may look like.

Available on all Podcast platforms and on BengalisofNewyork.com/bony-podcast. Subscribe and share. Link in bio. Also, Amazon Alexa/Echo knows us! Just say, “Alexa, play BoNY Podcast."

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Tania Begum was inspired to become a pharmacist, following in her father's footsteps to serve the community in healthcare. In 2013 she and co-owner Mahbubur Motlib opened Community Rx Pharmacy in Warren, Michigan, to serve the growing Bangladeshi community and other diverse communities. "We don't have a Bengali-speaking pharmacy in this location… we want to be with the people and be their support center, a resource center for them,” she says. Tania says being a pharmacist is more than filling medicine bottles, rather it's an opportunity to educate people about their health and guide them through their healthcare needs. “I found that passion where I want to be with people and the newcomers who don't understand the medication... who feel like they're lost... in the healthcare system,” she says. Her father was a pharmacist in Bangladesh prior to moving to the United States. Tania is one of metro Detroit's Bangladeshi Women Entrepreneurs.

Listen to the entire conversation with Tania Begum on the BoNY Podcast.

Available on all Podcast platforms and on BengalisofNewyork.com/bony-podcast. Subscribe and share. Link in bio. Also, Amazon Alexa/Echo knows us! Just say, “Alexa, play BoNY Podcast."

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I work in the aerospace industry and have a background in mechanical engineering. I believe that no one should be intimidated by engineering; from my experience, it is not as scary as others make it out to be. I have jobs where my manager did not even go to college, and they were doing just fine. I'm not saying one should pursue that route over going to college; all I am saying is that if you have the desire to study a subject, such as engineering, do not be intimidated by it.

Available on all Podcast platforms and on BengalisofNewyork.com/bony-podcast. Subscribe and share. Link in bio. Also, Amazon Alexa/Echo knows us! Just say, “Alexa, play BoNY Podcast."

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Introducing Mafruza Begum, owner of Mersiha Homecare Services LLC

Mafruza Begum is the owner of Mersiha Homecare Services LLC in Hamtramck, Michigan. She opened the business in 2014. She was inspired to open a homecare service after her father suffered from a stroke and was unable to find culturally sensitive and Bangla language homecare services for her father. She is one of metro Detroit's Bangladeshi Women Entrepreneurs.

Listen to the entire conversation with Mafruza Begum on the BoNY Podcast.

Available on all Podcast platforms and on BengalisofNewyork.com/bony-podcast. Subscribe and share. Link in bio. Also, Amazon Alexa/Echo knows us! Just say, “Alexa, play BoNY Podcast.

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Tamanna Choudhury is the business owner of Bengali Nastha Michigan. Tamanna creates homemade treats such as frozen samosas, rolls, kabobs, to order chicken roast, and specializes in making wedding taals. Tamanna says she wanted to generate income at home while she cared for her young children. Although she began making snacks for several years, she launched her Facebook page in 2015. She says making her own income brings her joy and allows her to help others. Tamanna is a Bangladeshi Women Entrepreneur.

“Whoever is able to accomplish something, keep doing it. Whether you are able to accomplish that at home or outside of the home... there isn’t only one type of business. Do what you’re comfortable with. It feels peaceful (satisfying) being able to do something for yourself," she says.

Listen to the entire conversation with Begum Rafique on the BoNY Podcast.

Available on all Podcast platforms and on BengalisofNewyork.com/bony-podcast. Subscribe and share. Link in bio. Also, Amazon Alexa/Echo knows us! Just say, “Alexa, play BoNY Podcast."

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So we know that it is not possible to reach 100% of the students and provide 100. So, therefore, we are essentially trying to reach out to as many students as possible. From the very recent data extracted last week, I know that 3,200 students among 4,000 are within our reach. So what we are doing is taking the software email in their mobile app and installing it into their mobile app in the slum area. Our model is also to expand the opportunity of education. It is a considerable concern for us, not only to give them lessons but also to keep them in the schools because there has been a significant migration. Right now, most of the people from the talent area who have income, they've been moving towards the village.

Listen to the entire conversation with Ijaz Mahmud on the BoNY Podcast.

Available on all Podcast platforms and on BengalisofNewyork.com/bony-podcast. Subscribe and share. Link in bio. Also, Amazon Alexa/Echo knows us! Just say, “Alexa, play BoNY Podcast."

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Begum Rafique is an owner of Ummah Fashion and Ummah Outfitter, family-owned businesses. She was selling Bangladeshi and Islamic clothing for 17 years out of her home before opening her storefront. Begum opened Ummah Fashion in 2018 in Hamtramck, Michigan. Begum says she is honored to serve unique designs to her community, many of which are custom-designed by her, and shipped from Bangladesh, Dubai, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey. Here she is pictured organizing hijabs in the store during Ramadan in 2019. Begum is one of metro Detroit’s Bangladeshi Women Entrepreneurs.

“All of us need to work. No work should be undermined. If you stick with something honestly and you give dignity and hard work, then InshaAllah... you can do many things if you are serious, if you have a commitment... InshaAllah day by day you will be successful,” she says.

Listen to the entire conversation with Begum Rafique on the BoNY Podcast.

Available on all Podcast platforms and on BengalisofNewyork.com/bony-podcast. Subscribe and share. Link in bio. Also, Amazon Alexa/Echo knows us! Just say, “Alexa, play BoNY Podcast.

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Shamsun Nehar began her business Cakes by Lucky in 2014 after baking for her friends and family. She took up cake decorating as a creative outlet from her day job as a senior software engineer for the engineering company Continental Automotive. Now she's baked and decorated over 500 cakes for weddings, birthdays, and other special occasions for metro Detroit's Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani and multicultural communities. Part of her work involves decorating with South Asian or desi themes such as incorporating saris, long fabrics worn by South Asian women, dholkis or drums, sherwanis, outfits worn by men, on the cakes using fondant. Shamsun is one of metro Detroit's Bangladeshi Women Entrepreneurs.

“I really enjoy doing this to this day… every time I do it, and I look at the cake, it just brings me joy. I think that cake does not just represent culture — it brings a family together. And you know, just the thought of how you know what this cake is going to do. It makes you just [feel] delightful,” she says.

Check out Shamsun’s work here: @cakesbylucky

https://www.facebook.com/cakesbylucky/

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Introducing Fariha Ahmed, owner of Farihennart

Fariha Ahmed began experimenting with henna since middle school. Over the years she felt drawn to creating. During high school she began pursuing her hobby as a professional henna service. She launched her business Farihennart in 2016 via Instagram. Fariha is one of metro Detroit’s Bangladeshi Women Entrepreneurs.

Listen to the entire conversation with Fariha Ahmed on the BoNY Podcast.

Available on all Podcast platforms and on BengalisofNewyork.com/bony-podcast. Subscribe and share. Link in bio. Also, Amazon Alexa/Echo knows us! Just say, “Alexa, play BoNY Podcast.

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Introducing Nargis Hakim Rahman, who will be hosting a series of Bangladeshi Women Entrepreneurs in the Greater Detroit area.

Project: Bangladeshi Women Entrepreneurs series.

In collaboration with the South Asian American Digital Archive (saada.org)

Description: Documenting Detroit's Bangladeshi Women Entrepreneurs who have found creative ways to own businesses while upholding and celebrating culture and traditions.

Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/bengalisofnework/support

Before the war on terror, America used to support the radicalization of Islam because it used to be seen as "communism taking away your religion." America supported these madrassas, and the Mujahideen because they were seen as anti-communist. Same as what they did in Afghanistan. So for a long time, that was the alignment between the US and Pakistan. So they were friends, naturally. When it came to 1971, and the elections happened, Pakistan rejected it and the genocide broke out. During this time, America had a partnership with Pakistan and the real reason was that at that time, Nixon and Henry Kissinger (who won the Nobel Peace Prize) were trying to create this very famous opening into China. There's a famous photograph of Nixon and Mao, and it was this that won them their legacy, and their Nobel prize. How did one of the greatest achievements in American foreign policy's history happen? It was Pakistan that brokered the backchannel between Kissinger and China. Both Nixon and Kissinger were so desperate to make this happen, and the economic benefits of this happening were huge for Kissinger and Nixon. They wanted this so badly and Pakistan agreed to help the US out. "Yeah, we'll help you out, but we have this insurgency. We have these people in East Pakistan that are winning these elections and, they're taking away our power. We don't want to deal with them, keep giving us money and weapons that you've been continuing to give us. In return, we'll give you your China back-channel" And that's the essential distort. They want their Nobel peace prize, and a bunch of Bangladeshis had to die in order for that to go on and go through.

Listen to the entire conversation with Fahim Hamid on the BoNY Podcast.

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Our mission for Jore Magazine not only revolves around amplifying and uniting the voices of the South Asian diaspora, but it’s also to be an all-encompassing platform. We make sure to shine the spotlight on everything, from culture and tradition to fashion and language. The purpose of this is to expand and create as much content that can speak to all types of people; that way, Jore Magazine can be a platform for everybody to enjoy.

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A lot of us, when we were kids didn't struggle the same way. But a lot of us have dealt with isolation one way or the other. At one point in our life, we've all dealt with that isolation. I think this film is a homage to that isolation. I made sure that the characters in the film really felt authentic. I made sure it was really the heart of the movie. I love this action stuff, and chase sequences, but I really wanted the characters to be the vital essence of the film.

Listen to the entire conversation with Sayef Zaman on the BoNY Podcast.

Available on all Podcast platforms and on BengalisofNewyork.com/bony-podcast. Subscribe and share. Link in bio. Also, Amazon Alexa/Echo knows us! Just say, “Alexa, play BoNY Podcast."

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"It was unfortunately after George Floyd's brutal murder in June of 2020, me and three of my friends who were all part of the South Asian organization, based in the US, got together and realized that our community was completely quiet to all of the racial injustices that were going on in US. We wanted to make sure that we were part of an active and ongoing discussion that can drive positive change. When we brought this topic to our community, they brushed it off as a political issue, and they didn't want to get involved in it. Because of that, we were not only upset, but we realized that many other South Asian organizations might be going through the same thing. So within 48 hours, we had launched ASANA Voices. The Alliance of South Asians in North America as a platform to educate and engage South Asians in North America on critical issues."

Listen to the entire conversation with Prince Bhojwani, CEO of ASANA Voices on the BoNY Podcast.

Available on all Podcast platforms and on BengalisofNewyork.com/bony-podcast. Subscribe and share. Link in bio. Also, Amazon Alexa/Echo knows us! Just say, “Alexa, play BoNY Podcast.

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When an individual suffers from depression, waves of anxiety, or any other mental condition, and even emotions that are difficult to manage, we have a sad tendency as a society to dismiss them. That is one of the primary reasons I went into psychology and am working to become a psychologist because I believe everybody deserves to feel heard and have a welcoming space to discuss their emotions. In the simplest explanation, I can box psychology up as a concern with the scientific explanation of human behavior.

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Kotha is a feminist organization based in Bangladesh, and we are working with root causes of gender based violence. We're fighting root causes of gender based violence through primary intervention, so we're taking a more preventative approach to the culture of gender based violence that exists in this country. One of our main flagship program is "Kotha at school," which is working with middle schools/high schools and just education institutions in general, too. We help incorporate comprehensive sexuality education, which we believe is a really important tool for a long-term fight against gender based violence.

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I sincerely believe that we need far more South Asian representation across the world in each arena of media, whether it be journalism or news production. In particular, I feel that representation needs to be significantly increased in the United States. I think, sometimes, too many of our news organizations feel as though they have one or two individuals that look like, and they assume they have hit a checkmark. However, it is certainly not enough to just have one or two South Asian anchors or TV personalities. We need to represent what our country looks like and what the issues that face Americans look like today from the voices of more South Asians. - @narmeennews

Listen to the entire conversation with Narmeen Choudhury on the BoNY Podcast.

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"I think this is the year where people are going to have to lean into activities that they do on their own, which can still bring them some level of fulfillment. Or if you're sort of building skill and just trying to really hone in on it and get better at it, this is the year to do that. I think you can absolutely talk about that. It doesn't have to just only be sports teams or only clubs. Co-curricular activities can go well beyond that, even if you hold a job or something. I know people who do virtual tutoring and similar things for money. That's still a valuable experience and something like that counts as a co-curricular.

Listen to the entire conversation with Sofia Charania on the BoNY Podcast.

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"While working on the startup, this is where I started with the finance. Basically I started learning about other startups because you're within the founder community, and that's what I learned about Wealthfront, which is a robo-advisor that does investing for you. So I was really intrigued and I started learning about it. No one really taught me anything about compound interest or index funds before this. My thought was that investing is risky. Don't do it. Just save your money, and call it a day. That's what our parents also taught us. But in the process, I discovered this entire world of index fund, low cost, broad based funds. Of course, there are also Muslim platforms as well, like Wahid and stuff like that, in addition to wealth front. That's when I realized you can actually grow your wealth exponentially.

Listen to the entire conversation with Dr. Dewan Farhana, DO on the BoNY Podcast.

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Being in the music industry is not as easy as many of these artists showcase it as being. In reality, for a great handful of people getting started, it truly requires a lot of hard work and dedication. It is not just about the talent, but instead, one has to be able to uphold the work ethic and mindset to even have their craft begin to be appreciated by others. In my experience, a great chunk of what being in the music industry is comes down to having to knock down heavy doors and paving the way for people to sincerely care about your art.

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I started learning piano when I was 4 years old. I then I went through different instruments. Some of them were self-taught, some of them I went and learned from other people. Ultimately, it all culminated when I was in college. I was a part of a competitive dance team and acapella team (both of which were South Asian fusion). This really allowed me to see what creating music was about, the type of genres various music entails, and the ability to create music for people who represent a multitude of identities, not just one identity. I think I am at my best when there's many things happening in my life. So it made sense for me to try and do both music and medical school, but for as long as I can. I'm just really blessed to be able to do it right now while I'm in medical school, and I can continue creating and continue to see how I can make an impact.

Listen to the entire conversation with Shaunak Roy on the BoNY Podcast.

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I found I work with a very specific type of health insurance policy, which is a medically underwritten policy, which is typically not what's offered to you guys through employers or on the marketplace. So it is harder to get access to. So I work with a very limited population. But I've learned to marry my clinical background to this type of a plan, and because being a medical doctor, I can offer very quick health evaluations and eligibility for these types of plans for my clients.

Listen to the entire conversation with Dr. Noor, Health Advisor on the BoNY Podcast.

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"I've been back in Bangladesh full-time since 2014 I've worked in different elements. I worked in social entrepreneurship. I worked in running an accelerator for social entrepreneurs, grassroots entrepreneurs around the country. I think one of the realizations I had is that there's a significant talent in the country. And if we're going to change the economy we have to accelerate the transformation towards being an industrialized, very traditional economy towards a digital one. Then we have to find the entrepreneurs who are doing it. We have to find the ones that are capable of scaling their ideas. And then we have to pair them up with angel investors who can actually give them the skills, the perspectives, and obviously the capital to be able to realize it.

Listen to the entire conversation with Nirjhor Rahman, CEO at Bangladesh Angels, on the BoNY Podcast.

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"But you didn't get a bachelor's though"-Mom

If you're emotionally invested in something, make sure you have passion for it, make sure that you have a continuous drive to keep going. As long as that passion remains in whatever form you're taking on and the effort is there behind it, I think you'll be successful. I'm not talking about like doing something for one day. I'm putting in eight hours in one day out of a week. I did photography, music, dancing, this and that. Ask yourself as a creative, why are you doing this? Are you doing music to get rich and famous? Are you doing it for fame? I think a lot of soul searching has to start when you go into a specific field like that, but a lot of people do it for checks.

Music was my passion. Like I was like 13, 12 years old, just starting to rap at that time. I would go into high school and the way I asked this one girl out, I performed in front of the whole entire school. As soon as everyone got out, like a hundred people behind me and I'm rapping. And then instead of doing a boring presentation, I would rap the entire presentation. By the time I got done with high school, people already knew that I was in that scene. I'd show up to a few battle, raps, and events.

On a college degree:

To become a First Vice President, there's so many candidates that have their JDs and MBAs on top of MBAs. Right? They're very qualified and when you see a resume with high school graduate, they won't be able to get past a specific ceiling. On the flip side, I have the experience, right? A lot of people in my department have a Masters. However, I beat out candidates with Masters for roles, and they get pissed because they have their Masters and, this individual and I, we both applied for this compliance position that I'm in and they just couldn't fathom the idea that someone with a high school degree could hold this position.

Listen to the entire conversation with Compliance Officer, Photographer, and former founding member of the B...

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I always make the point that local politics matters even more because the number one thing that city council people do is manage a budget. We’ve forgotten to reinvest in community centers, education or transportation.

Transportation is not accessible. Housing is expensive and unaffordable, and affordable housing basically doesn't exist. Education is a huge problem, right? I used to spend two hours traveling from this district to Brooklyn Tech, in Brooklyn, just to get to a good school. Think about that.

The fact that I live in a city where schools are near me, but I had to travel two hours just to get to a school that my parents and family felt was good enough. I think that that's crazy; the fact that in these last, 20 years since I've graduated and we don't have schools that are good enough for kids to actually go to, maybe we have one.

BoNY is not a political organization and does not endorse this candidate for office. To find a list of all candidates running for City Council in District 24, please click below:

https://www.nyccfb.info/VSApps/WebForm_Finance_Summary.aspx?as_election_cycle=2020C&utm_source=NYC+Campaign+Finance+Board+List&utm_campaign=521f538cb3-Post_Bd_Meeting_PR_2017_1013_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_35d7325629-521f538cb3-290643053

Listen to the entire conversation with Deepti Sharma, Candidate for City Council, District 24, on the BoNY Podcast.

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podcast #citycouncil #localpolitics #inspiration #alexa #podcastersofinstagram #podcastlife #politics

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The name of our app is Shuni Bangla, your book library. So when we started it, the focus was (and still is the main focus), is that we want to build a digital library. It just started because couple of years ago I got injured in a car accident and I got disabled and one of the disabilities is that I cannot read very well. So, I used to read a lot of books. I like books and especially when I was sick and I was home for such a long time, and I could not read it was kind of making me crazy. And then I found out that through our local libraries, American libraries, I can listen to audio books and they were kind of a lifesaver.

So I can say that many of our ideas, our passion, our love for Bangladesh. All of those are kind of bound together in this audio book, library, app idea.

Listen to the entire conversation with Fahmida Ferdousi on the BoNY Podcast.

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I remember one of the very first books that my mother bought me. It was a Bengali kid's book written in a diary entry format from the perspective of an incredibly curious six-year-old kid. The little boy would ask his mom and dad a number of questions, and one that stood out to me the most was, “What are planets?” My five-year-old self read this for the first time and became intrigued by simply learning that there are so many different planets and that there was even the possibility of finding little green men on the planet I learned as being Mars. I can recall just how mind-blown I was, and that initial exposure to the fact that there are so many different planets pushed me to want to discover more about this endless, foreign territory we call space.

Listen to the entire conversation with Tanveer Karim on the BoNY Podcast.

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TBD

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I take students to Bangladesh to learn about development, and we see all the NGOs, we go to the rural areas, and I'm always itching to do something. I mean, you do read about these things in textbooks, you do a lot of research, but there's something to be said about actually getting your hands dirty and getting things done. And the real world is, may sound like a cliche, but it is different than what the textbook models are saying. It's not that the textbook models don't give us some ideas, they do. They give us some general ideas over decades of what what people have put together. But when you go step out, and you try to implement things, you started realizing some of those real world obstacles are real world realities. I saw I saw a lot of poverty growing up, so I had to do something.

The other inspiration is obviously my students. I take them to Bangladesh and we they go there for about two or three weeks. We go to Bangladesh, we go to the villages we go talk to Professor Yunus, we go talk to people in BRAC then we go talk to the actual clients in the rural areas who are beneficiaries of their projects. And the students, they want to do something, they're young and they want to do something right away, they want to enact change. And I always tell them be a fly on the wall, you're here to learn You have to first learn the customs, the culture, how things are. So whenever we come back, and then we have another follow up course, where we make sense of what we read in the books and what we saw on the ground. But this is once in 100 year thing, this pandemic doesn't happen every day in a country like Bangladesh, no matter how we think about it, they're not ready for this, nobody is us.

This year's flood was one of the worst in decades. And then Bangladesh is a small country, they depend on trade, they really depend on trade. They're part of the supply system in the world as far as far as textile but also depend on stuff coming from outside into the country, we don't have a lot of resources. So when you think of that, it's a triple whammy. They're they're getting really hit from all directions, they're getting hit by flooding, they're getting hit by COVID-19, and they’re getting hit by lack of resources. So this is as good a time as any, to kind of do do some things, I'd say that would be my inspiration in general.

Listen to the entire conversation with Economics Professor and Founder of Nourish Bangladesh, Muhammad Faress Bhuiyan, on the BoNY Podcast.

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Bangladesh is a growing country and we're going towards a trillion dollar economy. We're a vibrant economy. We're an entrepreneurial society. We need the brains to come back. This is the time if we're going to build for the next 10 years. This is the time if you look at India, and how the NRIs (Non-Resident Indians) went back that made significant impact. Now, they had an advantage that there was outsourcing companies that were already there so they got an advantage in the workforce; we didn't get that. But we now have a chance where a lot of the successful Bangladeshis abroad can come back and work in similar tech companies.

Bongo is a great example. It's one of my first portfolio companies that we invested in. I actually came back to join as the chief operating officer. Over the last few years, our growth has been shining, and we've been raising capital abroad. We've started to attract Bangladeshis aboard who are working in our company. Our CFO was living in the UK and he took the leap of faith and he said, you know what I'm coming home. Then our CTO who's joining us works in Canada. Our VP of engineering works out of DC. We have a director of technology works in Silicon Valley. We have advisors in from the valley who are Bangladeshi, who are working with us. So I'm very proud that we're able to bring in experts that can really help elevate the knowledge, the skills, the workforce, and the professionalism to take us to the next level. We want to go to the next level, and Bangladesh has the potential. It is now, if you're a talent, you're working abroad, and you're listening to this podcast. Now, the money's here, the startups are here.

Listen to the entire conversation with COO of BONGOBD, Fayaz Taher, the largest Video platform and Multichannel network in Bangladesh, on the BoNY Podcast.

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From my own experiences, when I've had grief moments, the Bangladeshi perspective is “oh, be strong, and just pray” but we don't really talk about our emotions or feelings. That's something that I really struggle with because, yeah, I can go and pray, but I need to have an open conversation about what's happening.

I worked in the corporate world for like over a decade. Then things changed. I started training in the therapy field, and I started doing bereavement training. I essentially changed my career, and I now work in bereavement in my daytime job for a charity and I run the podcast on the side in my spare time or my days off.

It's great that you see a lot of desi kids that pursue their passion. Their parents are hesitant initially, but then once they start doing well, because you know, people always say that if you follow your passions, you end up being successful. A lot of people just follow them. So after a while you end up doing well and making money, then your parents just come around.

Listen to the entire conversation with Host of The Bereavement Room Podcast, Callsuma Ali, on the BoNY Podcast.

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I wanted to look stronger, feel stronger. I wanted to feel more confident. I wanted to feel like I could do what guys can do because I've been told as a kid; “no, you can't do this because you're not a guy” in both American society and Bangladeshi society. “Women are fragile. Women are supposed to need men.” So then when I got into weightlifting, I started feeling like there's nothing really that I can't do just because I'm a female.

So I told myself that I could build a character, if I just put myself out there and took responsibilities, and not rely on my parents and not overwork my parents, even more than what they have been doing their whole life, you know, they came all the way from the village with no electricity to here. And they've had to work a lot, 60 70 hours a week. So I decided that I'm going to learn how to manage my time to be good at my academics. So since high school, I took responsibility to say I'm going to get straight A's, I'm going into a really good college, I'm going to handle my own bills, I started working really young, so that time management came from experience because I put myself out there, I said I'm not gonna learn unless I do it.

I just want to continue to help my clients and even maybe expand my horizon with the type of clients that I have. So I want to get some people into the competitive air every now like I'm trying to see if I could get another Bangladeshi in bodybuilding.

Listen to the entire conversation with Body Builder, Fahmida Sheuly, on the BoNY Podcast.

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I grew up in Bangladesh and moved to Perth, Australia in my late teens. When I moved to Australia, I was sure that Bangladesh was my home. My friends, my family - everything's there. But somewhere over the last 10 years I have slowly felt like I don't know where home is anymore. I believe a lot of people in the whole diaspora struggle with this question of identity. Moving away from Dhaka to a different country has really raised a lot of questions about my existence, from a cultural level. I think about it often, I still don't know the answer. If someone were to ask me, “Where is home?” I'll probably say it's in Australia, but a part of me is conflicted.

The people, the culture, and the voices all play a role as to what you call home. A lot of my friends in Dhaka have moved away as well. Those earlier memories and attachments - whether it’s the tree in the front yard or the ice cream cellar, when those things start fading away, your concept of home also fades away with it.

I’m at the part of my career where I'm learning to say no, I've got shiny ball syndrome. Anything creatively exciting that comes my way I start to lose focus, and that's really bad for your long term vision. If I do see a shiny ball, I'd be tempted to play with it, but I'll ask myself - does it align with my goals for this year? Does it align with my financial goals? My career goals? My creative goals?

Listen to the entire conversation with documentary filmmaker, Tawsif Akkas, on the BoNY Podcast.

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My instagram page is called @financeforyouandi - it's personal. I want to share my gains, but I'll share my losses to show that it's not always a win. With stocks you are going to have days, weeks, maybe even months where you're down. You're going to have to learn how to manage your emotions. If you do the research, you'll learn pretty quickly. I understand stocks enough to know which ones are good for me and which ones aren't long term. I firmly believe anyone can understand stocks.

On my page, I’m putting my personal finance journey out there, the things that I found helpful for me, hopefully it helps you get ahead of where you were yesterday. I have people reach out to me that it has helped them learn something new about finance. I'm just shouting and anybody who's going to listen, well - listen, take it and run. I always tell people to take the information I give them but also research on your own and then make your own decisions. The term investing really is a foreign language, and it shouldn't be - it should be fun.

I'm the youngest of four brothers and we're blessed to have a dad who just hustled - all he knew was work. My father used to provide everything for us, so we didn't have to do much. That's also the reason why I am so passionate about investing. My father did not bust his butt off to come to America and make those sacrifices for us to do the same thing. He retired in his 60s, he didn’t do what he did for me just so that I can work until I'm 60.

Listen to the entire conversation with finance enthusiast, Tanzil Uddin, on the BoNY Podcast.

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When I finished college in chemical engineering, I had too much free time. And I was like, that's not good because free time is a space for negative things to seep in. I always enjoyed comedy, it was something that I always found to be humbling but also talking to power, and just looking at the absurdity of life.

Through comedy, I've met the most diverse group of people. It could be a sex worker who turned into a comedian, or it could be a CEO who quit his job to be a comedian. You meet all sorts of people and that's kind of what makes it so beautiful in the sense that everyone is equal. Anyone can get started, but over time you put in the work and you obviously differentiate yourself from other people.

There are people who obviously care about their career a lot and are always going to be serious, but there needs to be some kind of balancing out where you can also see the reality of things and just enjoy the course because just the idea of being on stage and getting someone's attention for however long, the five minutes, maybe, maybe 30 minutes is a privilege; especially in this era where social media is so rife and rampant, and everyone is vying for attention.

Listen to the entire conversation with a hilarious comedian, Shafi Hossain, on the BoNY Podcast.

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Diversity, equity, and inclusion is actually a field that thinks about how to create workplaces that respect, and honor the backgrounds of all people. We live in a society that disproportionately harms people of color in the workplace, women in the workplace, people different religions in the workplace than what the privileged identity markers are, which typically are straight, white, rich, Christian men. And so the field of diversity and inclusion tries to address diversity by bringing more people of color, more women, more people from different backgrounds into the workplace. And inclusion tries to make the space the workplace a place that they want to stay and feel like they can stay.

There's so much anti blackness in the Bengali community. Asians, particularly, with the model minority myth have been used as a wedge to show like, we're not racist because we like the Asians; they're the model minority. All of that is made up to pit us against each other. And so particularly in our community, what I'm really hoping for is a lot more understanding that, at the end of the day, many of us might believe that we worked hard to to get what we have, but we are all deserving of a life that we want to live. It doesn't matter what you look like or where you come from, we live in a world that's created to hold people of color back. We have to join together in support of mutual liberation. All the things that I hear that are really anti-black or racist in the Bengali community, saying those things does not put us higher. So we need to get to a place where we can all honor every single person and care about them, because they're a human being and they're a part of our community.

Listen to the entire conversation with diversity, equity, and inclusion expert and a Director at OneTILT, Uzma Chowdhury, on the BoNY Podcast.

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I was teaching at a school and I just wanted to know more about what was happening in the area. So I figured Meetup is accessible and it's usually open to the public I figured, why not. And from there, I just started attending more. Some of them have been really, really valuable. Instead of paying a $700 registration fee for a conference, you can still get some type of value from going to a meetup that's walking distance, or just hopping on the train. After participating for a year, I took the leap and began co-organizing the New York EdTech meetup with two other people. It’s been such a fun journey, and just seeing the community grow has been amazing. When I started, there was about 6,000 members, and now this month are reaching to a point where it's over about to be 9,000.

EdTech could be pretty vague. I think at this point, it can really be anything, I think of EdTech as a big umbrella, so any type of technology or tool that can enhance your learning experience. So for example, you have platforms such as Parrot Deck, and Kahoot, or anything that is also aligned with the school curriculum for both K to 12 and higher ed, then there are supplemental tools, such as Slack which is a tool for communication that can still be used in schools.

Listen to the entire conversation with EdTech leader and startup mentor, Sharia Huda, on the BoNY Podcast. @innovation.nearme

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Listen to the entire conversation with Sakib Jamal, the co-founder of The Capsule (a South Asian focused Newsletter)

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BoNY speaks to the founders of BacharLorai, a non-profit organization that has been behind some of the most successful campaigns to help people in Bangladesh with initiatives like distributing g of oxygen cylinders to healthcare facilities to disseminating health messaging through food packages.

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Why do some people in the US not vote? What are some obstacles keeping them from voting? How to have civilized conversations with your family members who have a different political view? Just some of the topics covered in this episode with the Co-Founder of South Asians Vote.

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Want to learn more about the role youth play when being an advocate at the United Nations, tune into todays episode where we discuss all things advocacy, journalism, mentorship, and more with the founder of Voices of Bangla, Nishat Mirza.

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As the monumental face of the 2016 presidential election aftermath, Munira Ahmed skyrocketed her journey towards inclusivity in politics with a revolutionary photo of herself in an American flag hijab. In the proceeding time later on, Munira had found her way towards other interests such as photography, communications strategy, and event planning.

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Need guidance on how to navigate creating a solid resume, or want to just learn more about professionalism, listen today to the Resume Workshop and Professional Development podcast to create a better grasp at these skills!

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Rahsan Noor is a a Bengali- American actor with work also built in the filmmaking industry through directing. Today our conversation dives deep into the world of cinema and directing films as well as the difficulties behind pursuing a career in the acting industry.

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From taking on television sets as early as 4 years old, Novera Rahman has been consistently making incredibly appearances everywhere from commercials to popular Bengali films such as "Rickshaw Girl" and "Ekatorrer Kudiraam". Today we discuss how Novera's relationship with acting began with her mother; who too was an actress, and her journey pursuing it.

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It's time to address the exploitation of the Bangladeshi garment industry, on todays podcast you will get to understand the behind the scenes of fast fashion production and why it is time to #PayUp.

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Religion - let’s talk about it. Listen to the diverse BoNY team talk about their experience and relationship with religion.

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Season 2 - Episode 23 - Conversation with Murgirdimm, the voice behind the humorous and creative characters made to highlight designated common experiences and tropes within the Bengali community. Through humor, Murgirdimm allows listeners to be able to take those certain sad truths within our community and turn it into something that can simply be laughed at.

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Season 2 - Episode 22 - Conversation with the Blindian Project to discuss imperative topics surrounding the Black Lives Matter movement and tackling anti-Blackness within the South Asian community.

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Season 2 - Episode 21 - Conversation with Umama Kibria; Co-Founder and CEO of Sweatpack. Content creator for her extensive fitness journey through Instagram/Youtube, Umama is working to ensure others can feel empowered through fitness and can be inspired through her path as an extremely influential female leader in the recreational fitness industry.

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Season 2 - Episode 20 - Conversation with Suswana Chowdhury; Multimedia Journalist and Filmmaker. Creator of various short films; the most recent being Dawat, in dedication to the Bengali culture and efforts made to bring to light crucial social issues. Suswana has involved herself in the making of an inclusive platform, made to educate and uplift others through the beauty of film and media.

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Season 2 - Episode 19 - Conversation with Kamal Kaan, a previous consumer of the studies for Architecture at the University of Cambridge to rising star in the industry of acting and screenplay writing in the UK.

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Season 2 - Episode 18 - Conversation with the Queer and Desi Community. In order to round out Pride Month and bring necessary awareness to the South Asian queer and LGBTQ+ community this episode shares the stories of fellow South Asians who are making it a crucial fact that there must be more recognition for the LGBTQ+ and queer community ranging from social media spotlights all the way to inside our own households. This episode is also in celebration of the 5th anniversary of the US legalization on same-sex marriage nationwide, as well as the close 50th anniversary of the first Pride March.

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Season 2 - Episode 17 - Conversation with serial entrepreneur, Abdul Chowdhury Jami, Owner of Halalbee’s and Dynamics Tax and Accounting.

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Season 2 - Episode 16 - Conversation with Raya Rahman, founder of Guba Publishing, a dual language children's book publisher creating valuable stories and learning resource

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Season 2 - Episode 15 - Conversation with Roman Zelichenko, JD; serial startup founder and improv coach

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Season 2 - Episode 14 - Conversation with former Investment Banker turned real estate and startup investor ; Suhan Jay. He started off with no knowledge on investment banking, however with his background in classes regarding finance Suhan decided to take initiative and become an investment banker on Wall st. With his extensive works in building his own portfolio, he took his skills to Florida where he knew he could jumpstart his career in financial literacy and real estate.

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Season 2 - Episode 12 - Conversation with clinical psychologist and mental health expert turned into author and investor; Jasir Jilani. Through years of undergoing the struggles of medical school debt and enduring the hefty costs of college, Jasir takes the conversation for listeners to a new level by introducing financial literary skills and smart money making habits that can ensure an easier journey through the payments higher education can entail.

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We’re called Bengalis of New York, but how well do we speak Bangla? The BoNY team put ourselves to the test and recorded it for you all to hear. On this episode of the BoNY podcast, the BoNY team attempts to only speak in Bangla! While answering some tough questions.

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Season 2 - Episode 11 - Conversation with podcast creator and Mental Health advocate, Tanushree S., who is building a platform dedicated to the betterment for wellness and self-improvement in the Desi community. Having not originally an academic foundation in Mental Health, Tanushree is building her own foundation to help others through her own observations and personal struggles in the realm of Mental Health.

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Season 2 - Episode 10 - Conversation with Zubaida Khan, a Feminist derived from a background in the field of Mental Health with a drive to reroot traditional belief systems that hold down women from unlocking their fullest potentials. She is definite advocate for the equality of each and every human being with a stride to ensure no body is held stagnant due to societal gender roles and cultural double standards.

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Conversation with Brent O'Leary, candidate for City Council, District 26 in Queens, New York. Brent is a life long resident of Queens and is also the founder of Hunters Point Civic Association. Brent advocates for better schools, public safety and quality of life issues and is against over-development. Brent left his career as an attorney to dedicate himself full time to public service.

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Conversation with Mahtab Khan, Democratic candidate running for District Leader in Assembly District 24 who has a deep-rooted cause dedicated to the people first as well as overcoming the gap between elected officials and the public. Mahtab has the drive to ensure each individual is fairly represented by their community leaders in overcoming significant issues that have been long undermined. Issues Mahtab has lined up to tackle as District Leader begin with his prioritization of housing security. He is in great aspirations to lift the voices of his community, which holds a diverse background making certain no voice goes unheard.

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Conversation with Shaniyat Chowdhury, an activist and former member of the US Marine Corps, who is now running for Congress to represent NY-5 as a Democrat. His campaign has a direct focus and drive to fight for core issues such as environmental justice and housing rights, with a motivation to ensure every voice is heard and not just of those who have money or status.

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Candidate for Tennessee State house; District 15, Ovi Kabir pushes for a future that cares about each and every individual deserving to obtain the same rights as those around them.

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Season 2 - Episode 5 - Conversation with Moumita Ahmed, an activist and community organizer who is Running for district leader in AD 24 in Queens. She is also co-founder of a New Reformers PAC that aims to give more Queens residents a shot at Democratic Party positions as well as a founding member of Bangladeshi Americans for Political Progress - BAPP.

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Conversation with Ifti Chowdhury, a singer, community organizer and the founder of the Royal Bengal Tea House (RBTH). RBTH is a community organization that works to build community through the arts. RBTH host frequent “Jam” sessions throughout New York City where musicians, and other artist from all walks of life are encouraged to present their talents.

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On this special episode of the BoNY Podcast, the team talks about growing up in the city vs the suburbs (both in the US and UK). We also talk about the catalyst for migration of immigrant families from the city to the suburbs. And... find out what the hell kids in the suburbs do for fun.

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Season 2 - Episode 2 - Meet Mary Jobaida, who is running for NYS Assembly for District 37 in Queens, which includes parts of Sunnyside, Ridgewood, LIC, Astoria, and Maspeth.

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Season 2 - Episode 1 - Meet Mahfuzul Islam, Founder of JhalNYC and candidate for State Assembly in District 24, in Queens, New York.

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Episode 26 - From Fokir to prince - Conversation with Prince Sha, a senior at Tufts University in Boston.

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Episode 25 - Listen to this incredibly informative conversation with BoNY’s resident accountant, Ahad Ali. Ahad is a New York City based CPA, his company, Ahad&Co helps businesses and individuals with tax, accounting and advisory services.

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Episode 24 - Conversation with comedian Anish K. Mitra. Anish is an NYC-based comedian and 1st generation Bengali-American whose parents are from Calcutta India.

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Episode 23 - Conversation with actress Sita Sarkar. A Bangladesh born, New York City raised actress who is a former student of the Bangladesh Institute of Performing Arts in Queens and trained in classical Indian dance including: Bharatanatyam, Kathak and Manipuri. She is also the lead actress in a new short film called “Dawat”.

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Episode 22 - Conversation with a funny Bengali comedian, Zubi Ahmed. Zubi is a comedian and filmmaker from Brooklyn. She co-hosts a show with Pooja Reddy called Kutti Gang, which features South Asian women, queer, and gnc performers. She also wrote and directed a web series called “Polterheist,” which is available to watch on Vimeo.

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Episode 21 - Conversation with a talented young start-up superstar, Mizan. Listen to how one can make it in the start-up world and Mizan’s interesting observations about Bengalis in New York as someone who grew up in the Middle-East and came to the US as an adult.

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Episode 20 - Interview with TK Kader an entrepreneur, international best-selling author, and angel investor.

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Episode 19 - Interview with a talented Bengali artist and performer whose work can currently be seen in the ABXY gallery in the LES, Zeehan Wazed.

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Episode 18 - Interview with physical fitness expert, Navid. Navid talks about how we can eat our Bengali food and get away with it and why “when you eat” is as important as “what you eat.”

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Episode 17 - Interview with Unsha, a nurse and mental health awareness advocate. Unsha speaks about the negative stigma on therapy in the Bengali community, effects of social media and her personal motivations for advocating mental health awareness.

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Interview with Mufazzal Hossain, who is running for District Leader in Assembly District 38 and is currently treasurer for the Queens County Young Democrats as well as treasurer for Brent O’leary, who is City Council candidate in council district 26.

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Episode 15 - Interview with Shompa, a Hilarious Bengali stand-up comedian, and video-producer/editor from Brooklyn.

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Episode 14 - Interview with The Science Teacher Rapper, Vlimpse, incredibly talented Bengali Hip Hop Artist from New Jersey.

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Episode 13 - Interview with Dr. Ivan Khan, the CEO of Khan’s Tutorials, one of the most important education focused organizations in New York and whose mission is to increase student test scores & educate for life.

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Episode 12 - Interview with Aria Mustary, the founder of the Mai Soli foundation. An organization that invests in the education, creativity, and entrepreneurial potential of young girls in developing countries.

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Episode 11 - Interview with Kensington-based activist Shahana Hanif - A community organizer, activist, a writer, a performance artist all while living with a chronic illness.

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Episode 10 - BoNY celebrates its tenth episode by celebrating two energetic, intelligent and thoughtful young Bengalis making a name for themselves by doing for others. BoNY talks to Naurin, who sheds light on some of the many issues facing young girls in the Rohingya camps, and Kohen who talks about the mentoring non-profit he helped start.

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Episode 9 - Interview with musician, Muza. An incredibly talented singer and songwriter from New York.

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Episode 8 - Interview with Singer/Songwriter, Mati. A woman with a powerful voice and a story to match.

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Episode 7 - Interview with Bengali entrepreneur and founder of a new fashion Brand called Noya Jibon.

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Episode 6 - Interview with Bengali/Canadian Hip Hop Artist - Ariq Ullah. He’s a talented artist who also made our made podcast intro!

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The BoNY team speaks to Mo Khandaker, founder of “The Bangladesh Story”, that highlights key events in pre-partition Bangladesh to modern day. Very informative episode with our very first guest! You’ll be surprised at some of what you’ll learn.

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BengalisOfNewYork - Episode 4. The BoNY team discusses Bengali movies and natoks. Impress your parents by learning the names of classic Bengali natoks and yes, Bengali superman. Montreal Hip Hop Artist Ariqullah in the intro and outro.

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BengalisOfNewYork - Episode 3 - College or no College. Montreal Hip Hop Artist Ariqullah in the intro and outro.

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BengalisOfNewYork - Episode 2 - Visiting Bangladesh. Montreal Hip Hop artist Ariqullah in the intro and outro.

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BengalisOfNewYork - Episode 1 - Intro to BoNY. (We’ll get better!) Montreal Hip Hop artist Ariquallah in the intro and outro.

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