Brown Game Strong: Recent Episodes
Brown Game Strong Podcast
Hosted by Mitali Dargani, this podcast aims to uplift global citizens through a South Asian lens. The episodes feature unique and nuanced interview-style conversations with people within or related to the desi diaspora who are achieving exciting things, often many at once, all whilst pushing past their inner critic.
In this eye-opening episode, we sit with storyteller and sex educator, Seema Anand, also known as 'Seema Anand Storytelling' as she talks us through the myths around the Kama Sutra, women owning the narrative around their sensuality, the damage the porn industry has done to our minds, the dangers of society's constant hyper-focus on the 'bad boy' image and why there isn't enough sex education widely out there for non-heterosexual couples.Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/seemaanandstorytelling/ Website: https://www.seemaanand.net/
In this wonderful episode, I sit with Meghna; choreographer, dancer, filmmaker and the co-creator of Ascending; the first ever official documentary covering the six South Asian artists at Coachella in 2023: Diljit Dosanjh, Joy Crookes, Ali Sethi, Jai Paul, Charli XCX and Jai Wolf.I had the privilege of attending the London screening organised by Dialled In at the Southbank Centre, and this chat was an elaboration of everything that led Meghna to the point of capturing this historic moment in global music.Watch 'Ascending' in full, here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9qZZguPIZI
In this conversation we sit with the incredibly talented artist and digital illustrator: Vik Kainth, to talk about his modern maharanis, his process from ideation to creation, random restaurants in Punjab stealing his artwork, will AI really replace humans in the digital art space, and what it means to be an artist in the digital age.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vik.kainth/
Website: https://www.vikkainthart.com/
In this episode, we sit with the brilliant Anisha, a curator, artist and jewellery designer. Not only does she design beautifully intricate and unique desi jewellery pieces, she also opens up a space for learning and storytelling around ancient forgotten heirlooms and educates us on their deep-rooted colonial past.Anisha's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anishaparmarlondon/
In this episode we sit with, Anjalina (Anjali) Chugani, a renowned Barcelona based chef, recipe developer and author. She describes herself as a 'timid girl' and bookworm born in London who flourished in her formative years growing up in Bangalore. In recent decades, she's been actively running events and initiatives to teach Spain about Indian cooking.
We talk about how cooking was never a passion for Anjalina growing up, and started as more of an obligation when she got married and moved to Barcelona. However, somewhere along the way she found her voice in it and now uses it to empower herself and others to explore their love for cooking. We also talk about the misconception around Indian food being unhealthy, as well as the benefits of looking at food from an ayurvedic perspective.
These very topics are also covered in her new cookbook 'RASA' - the recipe book she wishes she'd written first, where she talks about each dish in the context of her life and journey.
IG: @anjalinachugani
In this episode, we chat with Dilan Patel, the founder of DNA Fitness. Dilan talks to us about how he went from his corporate role in recruitment, with a background in financial computing, to taking a leap of faith and starting his journey as a women's fitness coach. He also is a new dad and tells us about it was like when his daughter was born.We also discuss the moment he was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma (an aggressive type of blood cancer) on his 25th birthday and how that led him onto an arduous journey of treatment and recovery, and how that journey ultimately peaked his interest and passion in health and fitness, particularly in women, and why as a South Asian community we have such a way to go in this space when it comes to our women.Dilan's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dnafitnessuk/ --Follow on:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/browngamestrong/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@browngamestrong/For updates on new episodes, subscribe to the YouTube channel: youtube.com/@browngamestrong
In this episode we sit with Raja Kumari, aka Svetha Yallapragada Rao, a world renowned Telugu-American rapper, Grammy-nominated songwriter, singer, previously first female rapper to be signed to Nas' label Mass Appeal Records, now the founder of her own label; Godmother Records.In this heartwarming conversation, we discuss her growing up with classical dance and music influences, going on to train in Bharatnatyam, Kathak and Kuchipudi as well as discovering rap and hip hop at an early age. We talk about what it means to represent the diaspora as a Telugu woman within mainstream music in India, all the way from underground hip hop and rap to high-flying Bollywood.We also cover some of the incredible projects she's worked on, including her rap in Shah Rukh Khan's Jawan Title Track, as well as the release of her new album 'The Bridge' and her 2023 North America tour. We also revel in the impact manifestation has had towards her professional goals and dreams, of course while discussing the challenges along the way, We also chat about what spurred her on to create her record label: 'Godmother Records' where she now aims to provide opportunities to young, up and coming South Asian artists. A queen in every sense of the word.Raja Kumari's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/therajakumari/
Brown Game Strong's Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/browngamestrong/
We sit with Vishal Punjabi, the brain behind The Wedding Filmer, a world renowned wedding videography company, known for having worked on stunning weddings all over the world, including those of many Bollywood celebrities. As Kiara Advani advances towards Siddharth Malhotra during their big day, making sweet hand gestures at him, the world watches, mesmerised at the magic of the moment captured. Vishal is no doubt a magician when it comes to telling stories through beautiful cinematography. But when is it ever an easy ride? He tells us all about his journey, from how he once got a call from Shah Rukh Khan himself, to how he got deported from India back to Ghana one day and rebuilt his career from scratch, to what it really is like being a fly on the wall in the glitz and glamour of the world of high profile South Asian weddings.IG: @theweddingfilmer
In this episode I chat about all things life with my dear friend, Pooja, a nurse, (ex-)photographer, skincare guru and now the founder of Amala Skin Therapy & Aesthetics, a clinic that offers a range of skincare and aesthetics services based in east London. I've always loved chatting to Pooja because not only is she super chill, she's also extremely insightful and self-aware. We cover everything from not really knowing what you want to do in life, to perceptions around cultural appropriation on social media vs in real life, to what working with extremely high profile clients on Harley Street has taught her, to skincare to just trusting the process.IG: @skinbypooja @amala.skin
To mark this special little milestone for a podcast that started off as a tiny seed in the brain, that has since seen so many evolutions, multiple breaks, going from two hosts to one, from lockdown Zoom sessions to face to face interviews, from over-sharing just inner thoughts to having now brought on 25 guests, what better tribute than to do a little storytime about where it all started and what it represents?Happy birthday, Brown Game Strong.With gratitude.
In this episode we sit with Aakash; dancer, choreographer and co-founder of Afrodesi, a company where Afro meets the Desi world through music and dance. You've seen the guy throwing shapes on the internet, now you can hear his story in his own words. We also cover topics such as art vs. the artist, community and collaboration and the power of sharing your art online in today's digital age.IG: @aakashphulwani
Join us as we sit with Priya, a renowned science journalist and author of her debut book, Motherland: What I’ve Learnt about Parenthood, Race and Identity. In this conversation we talk about Priya’s own childhood experiences whilst living between India and the UK, fast forwarded to her now raising her daughter to embrace her Indian-Bangladeshi heritage, growing up in France and Spain. Some heartwarming gems on a mother-daughter relationship, how your kid may one day turn around and want to look like Elsa from Frozen, and how as parents we can be more conscious of the nuances of race and identity when raising our children.IG: @priya.joi
In this episode we sit with Anish, a successful lawyer in the city who talks to us about when he realised he was gay, how he came out to his mum, what it felt like sharing his story in his BBC documentary 'My Hindu Coming Out Story', and what it means for him on a day to day basis to embrace his identity in the religious, cultural and corporate environments he navigates.IG: @itsanishpathak
We sit with Sohini, the founder of Smoke and Lime; the chef and creator of Bengali-inspired supperclubs in London. She talks to us about the reality of living and working in a big city as an entrepreneur, as well as the people and moments that inspired her cooking journey and what specifically drove her towards completely no-waste cooking. We also learn about the Bengali concept of ‘adda’ that she hopes to emulate in the city through her work.
IG: instagram.com/smokeandlime
We sit with the incredible Sneha; neurologist in training and the calligrapher behind Paint Pots & Quills, who also happens to be the official calligrapher at Cannes Film Festival. We talk about her deciding to pursue a career in medicine, what being a doctor was like during the COVID pandemic, discovering joy and escapism in calligraphy, social media and how to manage a growing business page whilst still maintaining her sanity, her visits back home to Mumbai and how her South Indian grandmother inspired a lot of the art she creates today. IG: @paintpotsandquills
In this conversation we sit with Shivani, a successful British Indian model, having been the face of Sabyasachi, Charlotte Tilbury, Tatler magazine and more.She shares some of her stories that touch on topics such as womanhood, the evolution of the modelling industry, friendships, finances, on maintaining your identity and integrity in the industry and learning to live for yourself first so you can be of better service to others.IG: @xshivanisharma
In this exclusive interview podcast, singer Raghav Mathur, aka Raghav, sits with us to talk about the process of creating his music, his influences growing up, working in Bollywood, the evolution of the British Asian music industry over the last two decades and more. We also discuss his comeback through his new track ‘Desperado’ featuring Tesher.IG: @raghavworldwide
In this episode we sit with Jyoti who tells us all about her Kenyan Gujarati heritage and the role it has played in writing her debut novel 'The Things That We Lost'.Grab a copy wherever you purchase your books. https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-...IG: @jyotisbooks @wearemediahive
In this conversation, we sit with Angie to talk about her work in amplifying the cultural appreciation of yoga and why it is important for it to be taught and practiced in a way that acknowledges its ancient Indian roots.IG: @tiwariyoga
Follow (like! subscribe!) us on @browngamestrong
We sit down with Leena Patel to discuss all things creativity, dance, motherhood and is it really feasible for a woman to 'do it all'? IG: @leena_lplp, @bollyfemme | Follow (like! subscribe!) us on @browngamestrong
The lovely Rakhi Sachdev sits down with us to discuss her journey with her perception of her body. Welcome to the first of the Brown Game Strong studio series. Looking forward to holding space with you. TW: discussions on disordered eating IG: @rakhisachdev_ Follow (like! subscribe!) us on @browngamestrong
In this episode, we speak with Ashok Banker, a best-selling author and screenwriter based in LA with over 80 books and a career spanning 30 years who identifies as non-binary. They are known for their popular Mahabharata and Ramayana books that have been adapted into screenplays as well. We speak to them about their extremely unusual childhood, what inspires them to write as much as they do and all things about their debut thriller fiction; A Kiss After Dying, a story about a young south Indian woman living in the US who is on a mission to avenge the deaths of her family. We also talk about growing up anglo-Indian and them coming out as non-binary as well as what's next. There is also a surprise in the episode so keep an ear out.
Tanya is a dancer, choreographer and creative director based in New York and through her visual storytelling and teaching over the last few years both in person and online has won the hearts of so many people all over the world. Not only is she an incredibly hard working and dedicated human being, she’s also been transparent in sharing her struggles and journey with the world and proves to us every day that hard work will always win.
In this episode, we chat about Tanya’s journey with food and her body, as well as both her physical and her mental training journey to be able to do what she does as dancer. We talk about how she deals with haters online, with her relationship with social media and engagement and how she manages to stay on top of it all whilst managing her anxiety and overall mental health. I’m so grateful and humbled to have had the opportunity to chat with her so openly about her inner demons and self doubt and how she fights it to be able to show up every day and keep killing it at her profession and craft. Hope you gain a lot from this conversation. I definitely did!
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Find Tanya on Instagram at @tanya_thanawa or on her website www.tanyathanawalla.com
Prerna is a chartered accountant and also the founder of This Girl Invests, an incredible educational platform aimed at providing women with financial freedom through jargon-free content that explains all aspects of personal finance and investing in a digestible format. I am proud to say that Prerna is also Spanish Sindhi, grew up between the Canary Islands and Madrid and now lives in London and is my dear friend of 12+ years now!
In this episode we chat about everything from our MSN days to what Prerna's experience was like moving to the UK and what propelled her to make the choice to study Pharmacology and then work in Audit in a Big 4 firm and eventually create a side hustle where she provides people with financial literacy. I've learnt so much from speaking to her about how to manage my spending / saving and we also discuss why it's so important for women specifically to know how to invest and why women in South Asian communities (especially the Sindhi community from our personal experience) were typically not equipped with this knowledge in the past. We hope this is now changing!
Prerna's great tips have drastically improved how I view and manage my finances and whilst it's known that you can obtain this knowledge from a bit of googling, the beauty of her work is that it's all in one place and you know you'll understand it all pretty much on the first try.
Find Prerna's work on Instagram on @thisgirlinvests and also find her blog and courses on www.thisgirlinvests.co.uk
Nisha Aaliya is a powerhouse. She’s an actress, a dancer, a singer, a model and has worked on some incredible projects including Netflix’s The Girl on The Train alongside Parineeti Chopra, Amazon Prime’s Shakuntala Devi alongside Vidya Balan, numerous adverts including Deliveroo and Hellmann’s and yet still somehow manages to remain completely grounded, genuine and lovely when you speak to her.
In this episode we discuss exactly how Nisha went from pursuing a career in IT working her way up the corporate ladder to becoming a leading actress in a Bollywood musical overnight with no formal prior training in acting or intention to audition. We talk about the exciting work she has been involved in recently, what it’s like to be in the creative field, especially during COVID, what her hopes and dreams are for her future, and also what it’s like to work in Bollywood as a British Asian actress. We also discuss the significance of dance in her life and how it powers her to make important decisions whilst also touching on her relationship with her roots and the significance of parental approval in desi families to pursue careers in creative fields. All of that among tons of other stuff and a few giggles. I hope you enjoy this wonderful chat.
Find Nisha on Instagram on: @miss.nisha.aaliya
Henika is the founder of School of Sensual Arts, an organisation aimed towards bringing the ancient Indian arts into modern society. We became friends over lockdown and she is a total inspiration, with the way she slowly transitioned away from her law career and into teaching yoga and tantra, and proceeding to uproot and travel the world for a few years. She listened to her soul and followed her gut instinct and truly, what can be more freeing than that? She now dedicates her time to educating the world about these beautiful arts that are often so misconstrued by the time they are brought over to the West.
We speak at length about her solo travels, especially as a desi woman, and what she learnt and experienced on that journey that she now incorporates into her work and purpose. She talks about what it was like travelling to China whilst not speaking the local language, and still finding kindness everywhere she went. We talk about what it took for her to transition away from the corporate world to really work towards what she really feels her true calling is, whilst overcoming any fears of financial instability and what people would think of this decision. We also discuss cultural appropriation of the yoga and tantra practices and what we as a society can do better to honour those ancient art forms the way that they truly deserve to be.
I feel so privileged to have had this chat with the lovely Henika, who is just such a gentle and calming soul and I genuinely feel like I've learnt so much from this episode. I also have attended her women's circles which I highly recommend to anybody who is looking to go deeper into their self awareness journey.
School of Sensual Arts: https://schoolofsensualarts.co.uk/
Henika can be found on Instagram on @henikapetal
Today I'm excited to bring to you a conversation with the lovely Sara Nisha Adams, a debut author who has just released her first book 'The Reading List' a beautiful story about an elderly Gujarati widower who discovers reading in an attempt to feel closer to his late wife who loved books, who meets and becomes friends with a young lady who works at his local library and gives him a list of books to read.
Sara grew up to English and Gujarati parents, and having experienced living in Hertfordshire as well as Wembley in all their glory, shares with us what it was like for her growing up with these two different cultural influences, and also candidly shares her journey writing and publishing this beautiful book which is so greatly inspired by her own personal life, whilst in a pandemic. She also gives us an insight into how she overcame her self doubt every single day whilst writing. How often do you get to read a book and then share your thoughts with the writer themselves?
Find Sara on @saranishaadamsbooks and be sure to give her your thoughts if you've read her book!
In this episode I ask Aanya how she quite literally manages being a Psycle instructor whilst doing a full time science PhD. From having been diagnosed with leukaemia as a child whilst growing up in Sri Lanka, to coming to London for treatment and boarding school and falling in love with science, fitness has been something that has followed her throughout her adult journey, and she shares with us how she organically came across the opportunity to apply to be an instructor at Psycle or the PhD she is now pursuing. Through her 'A Team', she motivates hundreds of people to fall in love with themselves and their bodies, and push themselves to show up and be better. However she doesn't shy away from her struggles and we talk about the times she has found it really difficult to manage everything and what she does to help get herself out of a funk.
One of my favourite parts of this episode is discussing food and nutrition and various misconceptions that exist around certain diets such as vegetarianism or veganism. There are some great practical tips on how to include certain food groups if you are struggling to figure out what to cook at home.
Aanya may not quite realise it but she is massively paving the way for South Asian women to fall in love with fitness and their relationships with food. I'm so proud that she is part of the same Sindhi community that I am from, because many women in our community don't typically place much importance on fitness and exercise and so it's great to see her among some other amazingSouth Asian women in the fitness space in Europe, charging right through that barrier.
You can find Aanya on Instagram at @aanya.h and definitely check out some of her music playlists that will get you pumped on your next workout.
I spoke with Akash Mehta, the co-founder and CEO of the haircare wellness brand, Fable and Mane to talk about where the idea for the brand came from, how he turned his failures into his strength, his tips on how to grow your social media platform, how he ended up on Forbes 30 under 30, how he takes care of himself mentally and physically whilst running 3 companies and much, MUCH more.
Fun fact; although Akash and I didn't know eachother at uni being there at the same time, we were simultaneously living very similar experiences and going through similar growth pains - I loved that we connected over that. He also speaks candidly about his upbringing in the UK, his experiences with the South Asian community and colourism growing up and how his relationship with his roots has evolved over time and has translated into what his company stands for today. He also shares the story of how he made a complete switch from studying engineering to working in the beauty industry and ended up becoming the youngest ever Digital Manager at Estée Lauder and eventually went on to launch his own company with his sister.
Akash is probably the most driven person I know and I’m so excited to share this chat, where he tells us how he manages 3 businesses, how his product ended up in Sephora and went absolutely viral on TikTok, how he built his extensive influencer network, how he ended up on Forbes 30 under 30, how he takes care of his mind and body with such a demanding career (basically living on a Peloton bike) and how anyone can grow their online platform and get cracking on their business idea today.
I found this to be an incredibly inspiring and useful conversation for aspiring entrepreneurs because it gives a great insight into what it really takes. If you’re stuck in a rut with your business, have a ton of self doubt, want to start but don’t know how or are building one but could do with some perspectives from someone who’s been there, I think you’ll really enjoy listening to this.
I have a lovely chat with the powerhouse that is Dr. Tina Mistry about all things conscious parenting, intergenerational trauma (we are born holding trauma in our bodies from our grandparents, you guys!) and why mental health is so misunderstood in children and in the South Asian community in general. I love love loved this honest and raw conversation about what life is like as a parent of two young children in a pandemic, about how ‘disciplining your child’ is often approached so incorrectly, toxic masculinity and how that stems from childhood, emotional absenteeism in parenting, and how we can unlearn the bad stuff to avoid passing it on to our kids! And of course that none of this is a perfect process; it’s messy AF, full of ups and downs and perhaps there is a lot of beauty that lies in that. Also Dr. Tina is so soft spoken that I feel like I've undergone therapy just by listening to her voice. So light a nice candle, get a hot drink and get comfortable to listen to the gems dropped in this conversation. If you are a pandemic parent, especially a South Asian one, or wondering what life is like as one, this episode will be of interest to you!
If you haven’t already, please check out Dr. Tina’s platform; @brownpsychologist. She puts out awesome content on South Asian mental health and now has her own fabulous podcast called ‘Brownology’ discussing these topics in even more depth.
If it isn't blatantly obvious, I'm a big fan of ZHK Designs, and so I had the absolute time of my life sitting down with Zoe, the founder, and just having a good old chit chat.
ZHK Designs is a digital art platform which strives to empower and educate the South Asian community and beyond. Zoe Harveen Kaur, the designer, focuses on representation and sharing various cultures and backgrounds through her art. Zoe is based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada and comes from a Punjabi-Sikh background, however her goal is to empower every community and share their traditions and cultures with others around the world. You can find her work on @zhkdesigns or zhkdesigns.com
In this masala-filled episode, we discuss Zoe's childhood growing up in Calgary and basically being related to every other Punjabi-Sikh in town, attending college, founding her business, dating as an entrepreneur, some of the most memorable pieces and series of illustrations she has released on ZHK Designs, her favourite Netflix shows and Bollywood films and what inspires her to create such cool art, as well as the community around her and how she deals with copycat artists. There's no doubt that Zoe is going to continue to soar and reach new heights, all whilst inspiring, educating and empowering the South Asian community in her wake, and we're all so here for it!
This week, I sit down to have a chat with Jonah Batambuze, the founder and creator of Blindian Project, a platform showcasing the stories of Black x South Asian couples. The globally crowdsourced, art-based documentary project aims to normalise Black x South Asian relationships and dismantle anti-blackness within both communities. Jonah is a Ugandan-American, multidisciplinary creative with a focus on community building. He is now based in London and his work focuses on uplifting the underdog and connecting communities through online & offline activations.
I’m such a huge fan of the work Jonah is doing, and we delve into all things growing up in Chicago, being a college athlete, travelling to Ireland and meeting his now wife who is Indian, and what motivated Jonah to start his platform. We also talk about his beautiful wedding, the importance of travel, a bit of healthy competition, getting over fears of cultural barriers between two families and how he manages it all with his full-time consulting job and family life. Loved this candid chat and felt like I learnt so much about Jonah and also about the purpose of his project. I hope you get to learn some interesting things too from it!
Disclaimer: Thoughts and views expressed are our very own; we are purely speaking from our personal experiences and do not aim to offend or disrespect. If you have any concerns with any of the areas discussed, please reach out.
TW: Topics around death and grief are discussed in this episode.
The first thing I noticed about Shirin when I met her for the first time at a dance class was how reserved she appeared to be, but as soon as we started getting to know one another, I quickly learned how chilled and at times goofy she is, and also how much wisdom she has to offer despite not quite appreciating it herself. Aside from being a lawyer, a great dancer and overall lovely person, none of which she gives herself enough credit for (do any of us?) she is also impressively the co-founder of South Asian Sisters Speak (SASS), an organisation and community designed to open up difficult conversations around the South Asian female and non-binary experience. They run book clubs and round tables where ideas are shared among many other inspiring and educational events. It has been a privilege to hear the story of how this community came about from one of the founding mothers herself.
Perhaps a topic that we hardly ever hear about in any culture or community is that of death, loss and grief. Yet as Shirin so eloquently puts it, it's the only guaranteed thing in all our lives. We will all have an experience with it at some point, and so it is important to think about how to navigate it rather than brushing it under the carpet and how to be more empathetic towards those experiencing it. This is one of the very first times Shirin has shared her experience with losing her dad earlier this year; a deep rooted, ominous fear that many of us who are close to our parents carry on our chest, and I really learnt a lot from her experience with it, and particularly amidst a global pandemic.
Feel free to reach out to Shirin on twitter.com/shirinfulna or on Instagram via @weare_sass to get involved in their exciting events and community.
Disclaimer: Thoughts and views expressed are our very own; we are purely speaking from our personal experiences and do not aim to offend or disrespect. If you have any concerns with any of the areas discussed, please reach out.
I came across Roshni's profile about a year ago when she featured on the Live Tinted Instagram page, and her story was so striking to me that I knew I absolutely had to bring her on here to have a chat. And it just so happens that we were both wearing the Live Tinted huestick when we recorded this episode! #notanad
Roshni is a proud Surinamese woman, often mistaken at first glance for being Indian, yet at the same time being so deeply and proudly ingrained in South Asian culture. She graduated from Rutgers University in May 2018 and is working in the digital marketing space in New York. In April 2019, Roshni was diagnosed with Triple Negative Breast Cancer in which she endured 16 rounds of chemotherapy, surgery and radiation therapy. Through her experience, Roshni is working to destigmatise what being a cancer patient is and to educate young women, especially those of ethnic backgrounds, to not be afraid to advocate for their health. What better time to do so than during October, which is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
In this episode we speak about everything from her finally feeling some form of representation through fellow Indo-Caribbean Nadia from Indian Matchmaking, to getting a puppy (it seems there is a theme with these episodes!) to embracing her new hairstyle and wearing lots of colourful wigs, to surprisingly uncovering even more childhood-related traumas than cancer-related ones through therapy. We talk about experiencing chemo brain at work, and whether chemo hurts as much as they say it does? And also why it’s so important to keep your body in check, not letting societal stereotypes (and the patriarchy) shame you into not talking about feeling your breasts regularly. We also touch on the common idea of not wanting to ‘stand out’ too much in the workplace or among friends, yet still choosing to be outspoken and wanting to share our experiences with the hopes that it may somehow help somebody. I loved our chat and I hope you do too.
Disclaimer: Thoughts and views expressed are our very own; we are purely speaking from our personal experiences and do not aim to offend or disrespect. If you have any concerns with any of the areas discussed, please reach out.
I sat down to have a chat with Pranav Patel, co-founder of AfroDesi (an eclectic fusion of African and Indian dance styles), professional dancer, ex-Nasa intern, law student, among like 3 other degrees, and proud puppy owner! We discussed how he embraced his Gujarati roots growing up in the US and navigated his dual identity in a very positive way, whilst doing every extracurricular activity he could possibly get his hands on. We spoke about procrastination. And politics and BLM. And piercings. And dealing with getting evicted from his flat. We also covered the South Asian dance scene in the US; him participating in and judging dance competitions and the conception of AfroDesi and what the future holds. Most importantly, we spoke at length about his beautiful dog. I could have talked about her all episode, tbh.
We got a chance to hang out last year while Pranav was visiting London teaching dance workshops. Whilst talking to him and making him down masala coke, which he did like a trooper, what struck me the most is how no-BS he is. The more I spoke to him during the recording of this episode, the more I realised that he's also managed to figure out how to balance all the different moving parts really efficiently. Or at least make it look like he does. Watch this space, because there are big things coming from this one!
Instagram: @pranavpatel.jpg @afrod3si
Disclaimer: Thoughts and views expressed are our very own; we are purely speaking from our personal experiences and do not aim to offend or disrespect. If you have any concerns with any of the areas discussed, please reach out.
Just dropping by to let you know that there are going to be some changes to the podcast. We're super excited to share what is next in store! Stay tuned.
One very special thing 2020 has done is it has given us a LOT of time to reflect. A global pandemic appeared literally out of nowhere and forced us to sit down with our thoughts for long periods of time, either far away from our loved ones or too closely in their space and this has sparked the opportunity to have many an uncomfortable conversation, be it to educate, debate, make a change, clear the air (or simply our conscious). In this episode, we discuss our personal experiences with how we have been approaching difficult conversations, and share practical tools and tips on how we could continue to have them even more effectively going forward.
Disclaimer: Thoughts and views expressed are our very own; we are purely speaking from our personal experiences and do not aim to offend or disrespect. If you have any concerns with any of the areas discussed, please reach out.
It is extremely important for us to understand the meaning of being valuable allies, more so now than ever, to the Black community in light of recent events following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis among several others. There has been a surge of awareness around the Black Lives Matter movement, a plethora of resources and information circulated which has led to a whole lot of internal conflict and confusion about how we can educate ourselves to be better and do better.
In this episode, we talk about how to work on the personal aspects of allyship, where we look at our privilege, behaviours and tendencies head on and question them. We touch on how to approach difficult conversations at the dinner table in South Asian households, where stigma is prevalent and difficult topics are swept under the rug.
We hope that this conversations provides you with some useful insights and perhaps a little more clarity amidst everything that is happening in the current climate.
Disclaimer: Thoughts and views expressed are our very own; we are purely speaking from our personal experiences and do not aim to offend or disrespect. If you have any concerns with any of the areas discussed, please reach out.
Or as we say in Hindi: Log Kya Kahenge? That's it; the (in)famous line we’ve grown up hearing from our Desi mums when we are about to do something that to them is worthy of bringing shame to the family. Got caught in public holding hands with a lover? What will people say? Can’t cook an Indian meal to save your life? What will people say? Who’s going to marry you? Went to a relative’s house and filled your plate with too many samosas? What will people say? They’ll think your parents didn’t teach you any manners!
In this episode we explore what the very legitimate fear of others’ opinions means to us as the new wave of young South Asian adults living in the diaspora. Do we still genuinely care what other people think of us? Have we taken our parents’ and grandparents’ deep-rooted fears of what other people will say and simply translated them into our context, rather than eradicating the mentality completely?
Disclaimer: Thoughts and views expressed are our very own; we are purely speaking from our personal experiences and do not aim to offend or disrespect. If you have any concerns with any of the areas discussed, please reach out.
It can be difficult sometimes, if not downright impossible, to figure out exactly what your direction should be in life, and get it right on the first go. At the age of 16, we are expected to pick higher level subjects that will influence what we can study at uni, which will eventually shape our careers and the rest of our lives… or so we are told. In this episode, we talk about what the 9-5 life is like, versus the freelance life, why engineering or medicine (could be for you, but) is not always the answer and the perception of side hustles in the workplace. We share some nuggets from our own personal experiences with looking for motivation to stay on top of our work, hobbies and briefly touch upon the importance of mental health in the workplace.
Disclaimer: Thoughts and views expressed are our very own; we are purely speaking from our personal experiences and do not aim to offend or disrespect. If you have any concerns with any of the areas discussed, please reach out.
For those of us who are old enough to have lived in the pre-millennium era, the concept of the quarter-life crisis is probably quite familiar by now. We are facing pressures from all sides to make 'important' life decisions and pick our priorities wisely. For South Asians, the pressures are very real and we are here to talk about it. From the sudden jump between not being able to date and suddenly being expected to get married, to often feeling incapable of making life-altering financial decisions, all while listening to the aunties telling you what you really should be doing - we give our take on how we are (or aren't) dealing with our own quarter-life crises.
Disclaimer: Thoughts and views expressed are our very own; we are purely speaking from our personal experiences and do not aim to offend or disrespect. If you have any concerns with any of the areas discussed, please reach out.
In recent years there has been a huge movement around the concept of body positivity and more people are openly talking about the importance of embracing their natural selves. In a world where the the media and large corporations dominate and monetise our insecurities, we recognise that the journey of self-acceptance is one we are all on. In this episode we discuss our personal experiences and confusions growing up with regards to our bodies, and how as South Asian women it is so important for us to talk about our struggles in a transparent and progressive way.
Disclaimer: Thoughts and views expressed are our very own; we are purely speaking from our personal experiences and do not aim to offend or disrespect. If you have any concerns with any of the areas discussed, please reach out.
Two women with bold brows, just having a chat. Introducing Asha and Mitali, your co-hosts for this brand new podcast where we will be discussing everything from why Kim K is NOT a role model, to how uncomfortable PDA in old Bollywood films is to watch and why there's nothing better than learning to embrace and celebrate your roots whilst bossing it within a very contrasting cultural environment.