Episodes
-
S2 Ep10: Health & Wellness #9: Season Finale
Start off your new year with a quick reminder of all the amazing tips and tricks from our guests this season. And thank you for all the love and support of our new format!
-
S2 Ep9: Health & Wellness #8: Jon Aaron - Meditation Before Levitation
In the last interview of our health & wellness season, we talk to someone who was crucial to Arjun's personal wellness journey - meditation coach Jon Aaron. Jon gives us some advice about slowing down amid the chaos of our busy lives and making the time and space for meditation, whatever form it...
-
S2 Ep8: Health & Wellness #7: Monica Bhanote - Squatting When You Poop
In the seventh episode of our health & wellness season we get to one of our most requested topics: AYURVEDA. We speak with Monica Bhanote of Sundays in Saffron and talk about moms carrying cardamom, running like deers, and why hot water is still cooling. Figure out what your dosha is here:...
-
S2 Ep7: Health & Wellness #6: Navin Dargani - A Full Range of Emotions
Episode 6 of our health and wellness season starts off with one of Arjun’s PSAs on mental health but eventually we get to talk to Navin Dargani about why therapy and mentalizing are important, and why cultural competence matters in mental health. You can learn more about Navin's practice here:...
-
S2 Ep6: Health & Wellness #5: Akhil Shenoy - Almost A Surgeon
In episode 5, we talked to transplant psychiatrist Akhil Shenoy about psychiatry in the desi population as it interacts with parenting, alcoholism and why Akhil's dad still wishes he was a surgeon. Producer note: When we recorded this episode in June, Akhil was at Mt Sinai but has since...
-
S2 Ep5: Health & Wellness #4: Aditi Shah - Reclaiming Yoga
In episode 3 of our health and wellness season we talk to yoga instructor Aditi Shah about her personal journey with the practice and how the modern gentrification of yoga has changed dramatically from what it used to be. She also provides some valuable advice for the yoga noobs among us who…
more -
S2 Ep4: Health & Wellness #3: Shom Chowdhury - Healthy Is Sexy
In the third episode of our health and wellness season we talk to Shom Chowdhury, owner of Indie Fresh and the most jacked desi dude we've ever met, about physical fitness. He teaches us why we should aim for 75% during workouts and why we need to give our bodies high quality fuel.
-
S2 Ep3: Health & Wellness #2: Shubhani Chaitanya - Monkhood Over Marc Jacobs
Episode 2 of our health and wellness season starts off with mindfulness but quickly goes much deeper into finding purpose within the chaos of our daily lives. We speak with monk Shubhani Chaitanya who leads the New York chapter of Chinmaya Mission and explains why she chose to take her very…
more -
S2 Ep2: Health & Wellness #1: Ashima Kant - Paet Studies
The first episode of our health and wellness season is about something we all love but don’t often know what to do with: food!! In the day and age of this diet and that super food and this cleanse, we invite on to the show the chair of Queens College’s Nutritional Sciences department: Dr. Ashima...
-
S2 Ep1: Allow Us to Re-introduce Ourselves
Health & Wellness Season Opener! A quick 7 minute episode to reintroduce ourselves to you because we are insecure and thought you may have forgotten about us. But also to introduce y’all to the new members and new format that hopefully will make our show better! If we happen to charm a few more...
-
S1 Ep112: Happy (Very Belated) New Year!
The boys are back!...kinda...they drop in to wish everyone a MUCG belated happy new year and to share what's up! They explain why they haven't been around for a while and share what they are working on for the future of AD! Then, with the serious shit aside, they received some tweets about...
-
S1 Ep111: State of the Podcast
The tides of change upon us and we here at American Desis are not immune to it. So we decided to drop a State of the Podcast episode to let y'all know what we are thinking, introduce our amazing new producer, and put out an APB for all the help we can get to make this show as amazing as possible....
-
S1 Ep110: Community Episode- Arjun is Mad Indian
Happy New Year's, everyone! After a holiday hiatus (forced upon us because Arjun landed a movie role in India) we ring in the new year with an overdue Community Episode. After all, how Desi are we if we aren't late? In this episode, we discuss Arjun's time in India and the shifts that he is...
-
S1 Ep109: Sujata Gupta Winfield- A Story of Love
The idea going against your parents and marrying the person you choose is an American ideal that has become fairly commonplace for our generation. But how many times have you heard that story from someone in our parents' generation? If you're like us, it's zero. Enter Sujata Winfield- an...
-
S1 Ep108: Yassir Lester Part 2- We're Done Babbling
In the second half of our interview with Yassir we make our way around to the less significant details: his racial makeup and identity, how he grew up, his views on race...you know, the stuff this podcast is based on. Or whatever. All jokes aside, even though this took place in May, it's a great...
-
S1 Ep107: Yassir Lester Part 1- F*ck Cecil the Lion
Our episodes the last few weeks have been quite serious in response to the goings on of the world. But balance is something we care about here at American Desis, and so we thought that this week we would drop something more fun. Enter Yassir Lester, maybe the funniest dude we know. One of those...
-
S1 Ep106: Community Episode- What Now?
After the stunning events of Tuesday's election, we wanted to have a safe space for people to be heard. So we read the emails and tweets that our community have shared and explore the answers to the question: What Now? *This podcast was originally uploaded two weeks ago but had quite a few...
-
S1 Ep105: Keertana and Pallavi Sastry- Sisterhood
As we realize post election the importance of making sure we are listening to more points of views and cultivating a more true diversity, it is even more exciting to drop this week's episode. Akaash and I are dudes, and in a lot of way brothers. So we brought on two people who felt truly...
-
S1 Ep104: Community Episode- Diwali: Love and Light
On today's community episode, the boys focus on Diwali. They interview each other on what the holiday means to them and share different stories and traditions. Since the holiday represents to them the idea of community, they then reach into their emails and tweets to hear stories of how other…
more -
S1 Ep103: Barnali Ghosh & Anirvan Chatterjee- Our Radical History
There is a narrative of our community as being apolitical and somewhat isolationistic since we have gotten to this country. This is supported by our voter turnout in election, and the large scale hesitance to get involved in causes supporting other minority communities. Well, that actually does…
more -
S1 Ep102: Amina Khorakiwala- Women Emerge!
Election time is upon us, so we thought it would be fun to bring you an episode from a woman who has actually run for something! Meet Almina Khorakiwala. She works in marketing for Microsoft in global events for their retail stores. But her passion is serving on the board of directors for "Emerge...
-
S1 Ep101: Lakshmi Sridaran- South Asians Leading Together
This past spring, Arjun and I spent three days in our nation's capital. To nobody's surprise, we got the opportunity to speak with a number of intelligent, eloquent, advocacy minded individuals. To that end, we were blessed to speak with Lakshmi Sridaran, the director of National Policy and...
-
S1 Ep100: Bernardo Cubria- Reppin' the Other Brown
We talk so much about being brown on this show, BUT we aren't the only "brown folk" out there. To that end, we are excited that Bernardo Cubría could come on the show and help us see through the lens of "the other brown folk": Latinos! Bernardo is a Mexican playwright, actor, and robot-fearer.…
more -
S1 Ep99: Community Episode- It's Election Season!
It's Election season!! You know that means?? The time for civility, compassionate discourse, and peace of mind are thrown out the window. And since the first debate was last night, we kicked off our community episode trying to figure out what the fuck happened. Once we couldn't do that, we moved…
more -
S1 Ep98: Gowri Koneswaran- Welcome to the Open Mic
As we state in our intro Desis are a community from South Asian countries not just India. So it's a thrill when we get to have on our show someone from one of the other countries as it helps continue to expand and specify what it means to be Desi. To that end we are thrilled to have on our show...
-
S1 Ep97: American Desis- Teaser!
We all see how Colin Kaepernick's relationship with the US Flag is causing a huge uproar. Well this isn't a solely American issue! Listen in to this clip as we talk, as Desis, about our relationships to our TWO flags!
-
S1 Ep96: Louise Keshaviah- Agent of Brown Change
Louise Keshaviah is a caucasian woman dedicated to the brown cause. So dedicated, in fact, that she is Arjun's agent. So SO dedicated, in fact, that she recorded an interview with us a year ago, then came back when audio errors ruined the first one. So tune in as we speak to agent and Political...
-
S1 Ep95: Sanjay Nambiar- Super Amazing Princess' Father
Continuing our theme around literature and its importance with children, this week we welcome Sanjay Nambiar. Sanjay is a man of the moment: sensitive, intelligent, an entrepreneur, and a feminist. I am not sure he would call himself a feminist but his work in creating the "Super Amazing Princess...
-
S1 Ep94: Gauri and Sadaf- Books are the Key
Today we welcome to the podcast two people with an incredible business that is perfect for children and anybody who wants a simple way to learn about South Asian culture (us): Gauri Manglik and Sadaf Siddique. The business is Kitaab World- a one stop shop for South Asian parents to find books...
-
S1 Ep93: Community Episode- Fight Like a Girl
Our community episode this week obviously starts with a conversation around the Olympics and the Desi and American Desi athletes we want to applaud. But because sports are a lens through which to view society, our applause leads us to discuss the importance of the three female athletes from…
more -
S1 Ep92: Somini Sengupta - Hope & Fury
Akaash and I are in way over our heads as went to the United Nations to interview the Bureau Chief for the New York Times, Somini Sengupta. Somini has been a journalist for over 20 years and has been the Bureau Chief for the Times covering South Asia, Western, and Central Africa all before ending...
-
S1 Ep91: Dr. Sameer Pandya- No Longer the Model Minority
We started off our west coast road trip of our show at the majestic campus of UC Santa Barbara, where we got to interview the professor of "Asian American Studies": Dr. Sameer Pandya. Not only is this gentleman rocking a mirch on RateMyProfessor.com, he is also a brilliant mind and published...
-
S1 Ep90: Judith Williams- Breaking it Down
Judith Williams is a know it all. No, I don't mean one of those annoying people who thinks they know everything. I mean she actually knows everything. With degrees from Harvard and Stanford, the Global Head of Diversity at Dropbox came on the show to school Arjun and me on just about all things...
-
S1 Ep89: Rabia Chaudry- Disclosing Undisclosed
Few cases have captured our collective attention as much as the murder trial of Adnan Syed, brought to our attention by the podcast "Serial", which caused a national stir & brought a wealth of attention; however, it's safe to say that the follow up podcast, "Undisclosed", is the reason Adnan has…
more -
S1 Ep88: Anand Subramanian- The Equity Manifesto
After our community episode surrounding Black Lives Matter, it felt right to drop an episode with one of the brilliant activists in our own community. Enter Anand Subramanian, Associate Director at PolicyLink in Oakland, leading their efforts to advance community-centered policing. Our…
more -
S1 Ep87: Community Episode- #BlackLivesMatter
In light of recent events, Akaash and I felt moved to do a special community episode to discuss the BlackLivesMatter movement as well as our role or responsibility in it. We needed a space to process what has been a difficult week and wanted to hold space for you guys to join in the conversation....
-
S1 Ep86: Puneet Sabharwal- Re-Born in the USA
We talk often about how to be more Indian, or how we feel disconnected in America. Well, in honor of America's Birthday we bring on a gentleman who moved here from India and is a proud American! We have the pleasure of talking with Puneet Sabharwal, a tech industry star, who moved here from India...
-
S1 Ep85: Uplift Humanity Volunteers: Before
On Wednesday, June 29th, over 100 high school students will depart for a two week journey that will shape the future of their lives. I know that sounds dramatic but that is what Uplift Humanity offers and provides. These students are going to drop into juvenile detention centers all across India...
-
S1 Ep84: Community Episode- Ain't Nothing but a Family Thang
We begin this community episode with a discussion about family. I just had the fortune of spending some time with my Nani in DC and I ask Akaash if there was a point in his life that shaped the importance he held for family. It springboards us to a moment of advocacy around spending time with…
more -
S1 Ep83: Vaani Gupta- Didi
On today's episode we were fortunate enough to speak with Vaani Gupta- a teacher in Washington D.C. She is also Arjun's, and by extension my own, Didi. Arjun doesn't call her "Didi" though, because he's super disrespectful and an awful brother. And that's the topic on which we begin our…
more -
S1 Ep82: Aarti Kohli- Advancing Justice
"We started this partnership because we realized we didn't have a National Voice." In what feels like a perfect follow up to the Yves episode, so begins our wildly informative conversation with Aarti Kohil, the deputy director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Asian Law Caucus. After unpacking...
-
S1 Ep81: Yves Gomes- Undocumented
Imagine waking up to the smell of breakfast on the stove and your mom and dad chatting it up in the kitchen. You check the clock and it's 6 am. Suddenly there is banging on the door. "It's the police open up!" And at that moment your life turns upside down. You are interrogated in your own home,...
-
S1 Ep80: Deepa Iyer- Pledge to Disrupt
Deepa Iyer is many things: lawyer, professor, and writer. But above all, she is an activist. Arjun and I were fortunate enough to speak with this enlightened YOUNG woman on this week's episode. We begin the discussion with a talk about her book: "We too Sing America". We discuss the inspiration…
more -
S1 Ep79: Community Episode- Viva Italia
Akaash makes his long awaited return to my arms in this latest episode. He regales us with how annoying brown folk are in Italy and I sing him an amazing version of Happy Birthday. As soon as we are done with the pillow talk, we dive into our thoughts of the last few episodes. which mainly…
more -
S1 Ep78: Dr. Rishi Manchanda- Let's Go Upstream Part 2
In part one of our love affair with Dr. Manchanda we dove into what was the concept behind going "upstream." So for part 2 the big question became: "OK, so how do we do this?" Our conversation continues right from where we left off last week answering that question. We ask about the very nature…
more -
S1 Ep77: Dr. Rishi Manchanda- Let's Go Upstream Part 1
Our health care system is broken. Its a sad but true fact. We have become a system that is based on volume of care rather than value, so we now have a healthcare system that is not focused on health! Enter Dr. Rishi Manchanda. A doctor and social medicine advocate who is going to make it right.…
more -
S1 Ep76: Diana Velez- When Puerto Rico Met Pakistan
This week we get to hear from the person who brought us into the Audioboom family. And surprisingly they are not South Asian. Diana Velez is a New York born Puerto Rican, or "Nuyorican", who was searching for diverse content stumbled upon our podcast and thought it was great. But aside from the...
-
S1 Ep75: Anish Patel: All it Takes is an Idea
By the age of 22, most of us consider ourselves successful if we've graduated college, possibly with a job in hand. But then there are people like Anish Patel who make most of us feel like absolute losers. Anish is graduating college in a few weeks, but instead of having a job in hand, he has a…
more -
S1 Ep74: Community Episode 3- Viva Cuba Libre
In the third edition of our wildly popular community episode, we talk about you guys and all the things you care about...but only after we talk about a few things we care about first! I wanted to talk about pressure, but as soon as we started, Akaash reminded me that we hadn't talked about Cuba!!…
more -
S1 Ep73: Utkarsh Ambudkar- Outkast in all Circles
This week we're excited to have on the show one of the more famous South Asian actors in America: Utkarsh Ambudkar. He is a musician, rapper, actor, and basketball nerd who has been on everything from The Mindy Project to Pitch Perfect to being the first Indian American on The Simpsons to...