The Carolina Desi

Sujata Day is a performer, creator, writer, and director known for her work on HBO's Insecure as well as her film directorial debut Definition Please (now streaming on Netflix), among others. Join us as Sujata discusses her background, her work, how she turned her creative ideas into reality, the specific challenges her team overcame in film production and distribution, and so much more! https://www.sujataday.com/definition-please

Today we are joined by Arpan Bhandari, PhD candidate of Islamic Studies at UNC Chapel Hill, for a fantastic conversation around Sufism and scholarship. We discuss Arpan's background, surviving in academia, the value of the humanities, the basics of Sufism, its influence on Bollywood and modern pop culture, and some of the most prominent Sufis in history (Rumi, Al-Hallaj, Hafiz, etc). It's sure to be an exciting conversation you won't want to miss! IG / FB / Twitter: @arpandholi

Brown People We Know, hosted by Suraj Kandukuri, is an interview podcast with South Asian Americans taking non-traditional career and lifestyle paths. By sharing these stories, the podcast aims to break down stereotypes about South Asians and to reduce social pressures from within the diaspora community to take a certain path. In this episode, Suraj interviews Ranjan Ravaliya who is a retired engineer who earned her PhD in Chemistry in India during the 1980’s. At 62, she decided to come out of retirement by visiting Haridwar in India and training to become a priestess. Today, at 67, she goes by the moniker The New England Priest as she officiates weddings. In this episode, Ranjan shared the story of her family leaving Tanzania during Idi Amin’s time and about earning the nickname “Rapid Ranjan” as she hiked Kilimanjaro years later. They talk about her decision to pursue higher education despite her father’s wishes, and the funny way that she convinced him to pay for it. And she reflected on parenting as a single mother of two and what she sees her role as a grandparent today.

The Carolina Desis teamed up with Keith Chow (@the_real_chow) of the Southern Fried Asians (@southernfriedasians) podcast and the Nerds of Color (@thenerdsofcolor) to put out a special episode discussing this year’s rise in awareness towards AAPI issues as well as the general complexity involved in being labelled as “Asian-American”, especially for those of us living in the American South. What are the similarities in our stories? Who gets to be counted in the coalitions being built? And what does solidarity look like between all of us? Join us as we discuss all these questions and more! IG & Twitter: @the_real_chow IG: @southernfriedasians Twitter: @southernasians All channels: @thenerdsofcolor

Tricha Kumar is a professional dancer and filmmaker who also happens to be the Bollywood film industry's #1 dance choreographer of Bhangra. Join the Carolina Desis this week as Tricha sits down with us to discuss current projects, her philosophy on dance as a career and an artform, the state of Bhangra in Bollywood, the value of labor as a backup dancer, adjusting to Covid, and so much more! IG: @tricha.k Twitter: @trichakumar Website: trichakumar.com MOON: facebook.com/moonthefilm MOON: https://moonthefilm.com/ Witness to a Devouring Monster: https://www.instagram.com/wtadm_film/ WTADM Fundraising: https://seedandspark.com/fund/wtdamfilm#story

We've spoken before about the immigrant experience coming from South Asia to the US, but never the other way around! This time, we get to know Jessica Kumar, an American Midwesterner and Co-host of the Invisible India Podcast. Over time, Jessica found herself building a life with her husband and children halfway across the world in India. We sat down to ask Jessica about her work, her transition to life in India, raising bilingual children there, the misconceptions she had before arriving, and much more. Invisible India episode mentioned: Debunking Misconceptions about India

What do Rihanna, Greta Thunberg, and the farmers of India all have in common? They, along with a groundswell of supporters worldwide, are shedding light on the unjustness of three farm laws passed by India's Parliament. The passing of these laws, which has sparked the largest protest in world history, strip away previous protections for workers and open the doors for billionaire corporate interests to destroy an entire way of life for upwards of 60% of India's population still working in agriculture. We sit down with Sahej Preet Singh of the Sikh Coalition to discuss the rapidly developing situation, the plight of the farmers, the ongoing human rights' abuses committed by the government against peaceful protesters, and how it all ties back to us as Americans watching from afar. Please join us for this very special and important episode of the Carolina Desi! Resources discussed in the episode: www.sikhcoalition.org/farmers-protestbit.ly/farmers-protest

Sachit Grover is a young Desi-American Actor and Content Creator making his way in the rapidly evolving landscape of the entertainment industry. We sit down with Sachit to discuss his film projects, experiences, and lessons learned both at home and abroad. Tune in to hear more about Sachit's creative process, the challenges of acting in a second language, adapting to auditioning during Covid-19, learning from and working with experienced Bollywood actors such as Ranvir Shorey, and much more! YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/sachitgrover Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/grobrosach/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/grobrosach Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GroBroProduction

Elisheba Haqq is an author, educator, and nurse who has just released her debut memoir Mamaji, chronicling the adversity, challenges, and lessons learned through her own upbringing as a Desi-American in 1970s Minnesota. We sit down with Elisheba to discuss the social and cultural isolation felt in her life, the effects on her family and identity, as well as other core themes that have shaped her and her story. Find Mamaji on Amazon or B&N.

On today's episode, we had the great pleasure of speaking with Duke professor, economist, author, and self-described nerd Ronnie Chatterji on his 2020 political campaign as the Democratic candidate for North Carolina State Treasurer. Join us as we learn more about his vision for North Carolina, his background working for the Obama administration, the significance of the office of NC State Treasurer, his own experiences as a Carolina Desi, and much more. Remember to VOTE on or before November 3rd. To learn more about Ronnie and his platform, visit www.ronniechatterji.com.

Everyone’s lives have been affected, but what does the rapid spread of COVID-19 look like from the eyes of a healthcare professional on the front lines of the fight? Kunal Joshi is a hospital based board certified physician from the Seattle, Washington area, one of the first places hit hard in the US by the current pandemic. Join us today as he sits down to share his first-hand experiences and insights on the stress COVID-19 puts on the US healthcare system - its workers, its patients, and the community at large. For more information on this evolving situation, visit https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/.

Kripa Shah is authentically herself. She’s proud to be desi, and she’s proud to be queer. Understanding her origins within a socially conservative culture, she had to tactfully manage both finding her truth and then sharing that truth with her loved ones, knowing full well they may never truly understand her. Join us this week as we discuss her ongoing journey from vulnerability to confidence, and navigating the muddy waters in between.

Happy End-of-the-Decade, Carolina Desi listeners! This decade of our lives has been a whirlwind, to say the least. Reflecting on this decade gave us an insight to the evolution (or de-evolution?) of our optimism for the past as well as the upcoming decades of our lives and future generations in this new bizarro world. What do you hope is in store for you? Stay tuned for a special surprise at the end!

Sometimes, Free Speech requires a price to be paid. As a result, in today's polarizing world climate we see violence against political activists, government censorship, self-censorship, "Cancel Culture", etc. Join the Carolina Desis this week as they discuss their observations on these costs, their effects on social media, and why it can still be worth saying what's on your mind in the present day. As always, thank you Yash Mistry for editing this month’s episode!

The Carolina Desis were joined this month by Transformational Coach, Varsha Mathur (@coachingbyvarsha). Varsha is a third generation Desi-American, accomplished master of many career industries so we wanted to get candid advice from someone who’s seen and coaches it all . From the stigma of dating to the taboos of divorce in the South Asian culture, Varsha drops some truth-bombs. We discuss why relationships are the way they are as well as how experiencing a “third culture” affects your understanding and awareness of self-worth. Get your personal coach on with Varsha Mathur at www.coachingbyvarsha.com. And as always, thank you Yash Mistry for editing this month’s episode!

By definition, Brain Drain is the emigration of highly trained or intelligent people from a particular country. India and other surrounding countries experience the Brain Drain epidemic with their society’s top talent seeking prosperous opportunities abroad in countries such as USA or Canada. Why does this happen? What do countries “abroad” offer that makes the move across the globe worth it? What is the impact? Join the Carolina Desis as they pretend to be geo-politicians. Thank you, Nick Joseph for this month’s episode topic! And as always, thank you Yash Mistry for editing this month’s episode!

The Carolina Desis were invited back to their alma mater to speak to a class about the Religion & Politics in India from 1800s to the Present, taught by Dr. Mou Banerjee. Thank you to the students: Lucas, Amy, Ethan, Darian, Liam, and Aaron (special thanks to Aaron for bringing us this opportunity) for the fantastic conversation! This episode is a highlight reel of the various topics we discussed. Shout out to Yash Mistry for editing this month’s episode! Disclaimer: all of the opinions expressed during the discussions are very much our personal opinions as the Carolina Desis and do not represent Clemson University, in any way.

The episode you have all been waiting for (or at least one of them) is finally here: WEDDINGS! From the planning to the week-long wedding events, the Carolina Desis break it all down with guest Kiran Mohan of Sonaa Wedding & Events (@sonaaevents). Kiran, a Toronto native and recent Charlotte resident, shares her experiences as an accomplished planner and what she wants to bring to the Desi wedding industry in the Southeast US. We discuss the variety and significance of wedding events and traditions that differ among religions, ethnicities, and families in the South Asian Diaspora. Staying true to the core ideals of the podcast, we get Kiran’s take on the evident generation gap and impact of millennial minimalism on wedding planning as a first generation Desi-American. Tune in to learn why there are elephants at Desi weddings and how you can get your hands on a Gulab Jamun cupcake! Book your next event with Sonaa Wedding & Events: www.sonaaevents.com

CD31 Stay Green by Gurtej Singh & Rashmili Vemula

The Carolina Desis have RETURNED. To top it off, they’ve returned with a GUEST. Please join the Carolina Desis this week in their conversation with self-made fitness and nutrition coach, Dee Gautham (@squats_and_samosas). Dee shares her career transition from medicine to tech to full-time fitness and nutrition coach. We discuss the stigmas revolving around fitness, particularly the effect that the South Asian community has on our body image. As a high-achieving, natural-born leader, Dee is the perfect example of a Girl Boss. Tune in to listen to Rashmili fangirl for the entirety of the episode. https://www.deegauthamfitness.com/ IG: @dee_gautham