Podcast - Desi Women Diaspora
Podcast - Desi Women Diaspora
Desi Women Diaspora was a limited-run that featured desi women (women of South Asian origin) who have grown up around the world – from Africa, the Caribbean, Europe, Asia, to the Middle East and beyond. In highlighting diverse experiences, yet finding parallels in how South Asian women are viewed and treated around the world, Desi Women Diaspora broke down negative stereotypes and brought a stronger sense of community to South Asian women globally. Each episode features a guest interview with The Paths of Marriage author, Mala Kumar.
As of June 2020, we are no longer accepting submissions so that Mala and Kiran can focus on other creative projects.
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Guests
Episode Details
- Episode 1: Aarti Virani, a freelance writer who regularly contributes to Vogue India speaks to Mala about what it was like being born and raised in Japan. Hear about how media representation and multiple cultures influenced her voice as a writer and teller of South Asian women’s stories. (Now available – listen here on SoundCloud)
- Episode 2: Noor Shams, a food blogger and international development practitioner, tells Mala about how being raised in Bangladesh, the UAE, South Korea, Singapore and Russia inspired her love of great food, and led her to work for social good. (Now available – listen here on SoundCloud)
- Episode 3: Kamini Mamdani, a political activist raising awareness among the South Asian community in Texas, tells Mala about how being born and partially raised in South Africa taught her the importance of community mobilization and advocacy. (Now available – listen here on SoundCloud)
- Episode 4 – 5: Gayatri Sethi, an university professor focusing on empowering young women of color, tells Mala about how her upbringing in Tanzania and Botswana influenced her chosen community once she immigrated and settled in the United States. (Both parts available now – listen here on SoundCloud)
- Episode 6: Mila Chadayammuri explains how her childhood in Russia and her father’s influence inspired her love for the stars, eventually leading her to become an astrophysicist. (Now available – listen here on SoundCloud)
- Episode 7: Koshi Dhingra explains how growing up and working in five countries led to advocate for holistic STEM education, and eventually to found talkSTEM. (Now available – listen here on SoundCloud)
- Episode 8: Manu Juneja tells Mala how it took a few moves between India and the United States to find professional happiness. (Now available – listen here on SoundCloud)
- Episode 9: Uttama Patel tells how her childhood in Abu Dhabi helped her break down taboo subjects among South Asian communities, and eventually led her to fiction writing. (Now available – listen here on SoundCloud)
- Episode 10: Anita Ehrhardt describes her multi-cultural upbringing in the States and London, and what it’s like living, working and raising a family in Copenhagen, Denmark. (Now available – listen here on SoundCloud)
- Episode 11 – 12: In part 1 of this two-part episode, Israa Nasir talks about being raised in Saudi Arabia and Canada, and her work as a mental health professional to reduce mental illness stigma in South Asian communities. In part 2, Israa speaks about mental health issues facing South Asian communities as a result of COVID-19. (Now available – listen to part 1 here and part 2 here on SoundCloud)
- Episode 13: In this episode, Gayatri Sethi (see episodes 4-5) and Mala discuss the significance of Kamala Harris’s nomination as the Democratic Vice Presidential candidate in the 2020 election. (Now available – listen here on SoundCloud)
Sponsor
Around the Web
- Article, Gayatri’s episode(s) on The Aerogram
- Player FM, Best Desi Podcasts (updated June 2020)
- Player FM, Best South Asian Podcasts (updated February 2019)
- Ratings on iTunes
- Mala’s post on Medium (February 2019)
- Mila in Yale Campus Press
- Post in Noor’s blog
About Mala Kumar and Kiran Kumar
Mala Kumar has 15 years of experience in tech for social good, and is the author of the novel, The Paths of Marriage. Through her work and her book, she has encountered South Asian women in four continents, and desperately needed an excuse to ask them about their experience growing up and living around the world. Thus, she came up with and hosted Desi Women Diaspora.
Kiran Kumar is Mala’s brother, is a senior audio software engineer at 31st Union, and a voice actor represented by DDO Artists Agency and Big Mouth Talent. Previously, he was an audio engineer at Apple for five years. Kiran did the sound design and all audio editing for Desi Women Diaspora.
