Brown People We Know

Brown People We Know

By Suraj KandukuriSociety & CultureRelationshipsPersonal Journals
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Brown People We Know episodes

  • Prince Bhojwani - Investor From a Pakistani Hindu Refugee Family on Burnout And South Asian Activism
    Prince’s parents are Hindus that fled Pakistan, so he grew up in the States and lived through experiences like the backlash after 9/11. Today, he’s lifted from that experience as one of the co-founders of ASANA Voices, a South Asian organization impacting political, economic, and social issues. By 30, he also sold one of his business ventures and currently serves as Chief Investment Officer of The Graywall Company.
    In this episode, Prince shared his method for successfully discussing social issues and some of the initiatives that ASANA Voices is working on. He talks about how he accidentally created his first company, which he named after his dog. And he reflects on a near death experience with burnout, his recovery, and what we can do to avoid it.
    54 min
  • Annesa Tabassum - Nurse Using TikTok to Fight Stigma Around Abuse and Divorce
    TikTok isn’t just for dances. Annesa is an advocate using the platform to share her story, marrying young and divorcing an abusive husband, to inspire women to act with confidence and to break stigmas in the South Asian community. Her vulnerability has earned her well over 300,000 followers, with some videos hitting views in the millions. And her job as an influencer is on top of being a full-time psych nurse and a full-time Masters student.
    In this episode, Anessa talks about having to explain Bangladesh to people who think that it's the same place as India. She explains the mental barriers that she faced when leaving her abuser and how Islam played a role before and after her marraige. And she shares the story of how she became a TikTok star thanks to a bet.
    42 min
  • Deepti Sharma - Food Entrepreneur on Running for NYC City Council & Living in India After College
    Deepti Sharma doesn’t just eat at restaurants, she builds businesses around them. She’s a Forbes 30 under 30 entrepreneur with two food-related ventures. In addition to her businesses, Deepti is very active in the NYC community. She’s a board member for the Business Center for New Americans, a mentor in the WE NYC initiative, and one of the candidates that ran for NYC Council this past year.
    In this episode, Deepti shares how COVID affected her two businesses differently. She reflects on her experience as a candidate in New York’s first ranked choice election. And she talks about asking her kids lots of questions, and the definition of success that she wants to leave them with.
    45 min
  • Kunal Patel - Rapper "Kaly" & Entertainment Laywer on Bringing South Asian Artists Mainstream
    Kunal, aka Kaly, is the rapper behind songs like Ganesh on the Dash and Royalty. He has performed and produced with AR Rahman, his music clears over 9,000 monthly listens on Spotify, and his music has been added to a PlayStation game. Kunal is also an entertainment lawyer and has worked for companies like Universal, Vice, and Apple.
    In this episode, Kunal shares his thoughts on why South Asian artists have to collaborate to go mainstream. He reminisces about hanging around music studios and how that led him to a career in law. And he talks about how his recent docushort was inspired by the desire to improve inclusivity and transparency in Hinduism.
    57 min
  • Kanika Patawari - Berklee Musician on Increasing Sustainability In The Music Industry & Diversifying Indian Music Outside Bollywood
    Belgium-born Kanika is a Berklee College of Music graduate and an entrepreneur. Aside from releasing her own singles including "Is It Over Yet?" and "Playing It Safe," Kanika is building a recording studio in Mumbai to help Indian artists expand beyond Bollywood music. She's also promoting sustainability in the music industry with a second venture, Music Recycle.
    In this episode, Kanika shares the "Plastic Surgery" tent she set up at the Desert Daze festival through Music Recycle. She explains why there is a community of Indians in Belgium. And she reflects on building her confidence despite studying alongside the world's best musicians at Berklee.
    45 min
  • Rajat Mittal - Software Engineer Breaking Gender Norms Through Children's Books
    Menstruation. Rajat's first venture as a book producer was an eighty page comic book on this topic. That book, Menstrupedia, is now used in over 10K schools and has been translated into 15 different languages. Rajat started his career as a software engineer and has worked for both startups and larger companies like Square and eBay. But today, his is combatting gender norms as a full-time creative, with his latest projects, "She Can, You Can" and "Boyish."
    In this episode, Rajat discusses the migration of South Asians to the US for tech jobs. He brings fascinating insights on children's books and on representation in India. And Rajat reflects on how he learned and broke his own conditioning around gender norms, and what he hopes to pass on to his son.
    37 min
  • Ravi Bhadriraju - Billboard-charting Death Metal Guitarist Turned Dentist on Writing Music and Starting College at 22
    Ravi Bhadriraju did more than dream of the Rockstar lifestyle! He lived it as a founding member of the Billboard-charting death metal band Job For A Cowboy. After touring the world, he went back to college in his twenties and is now a Dentist with Sonoran Sky Dental.
    In this episode, Ravi reflects on the common thread between being a touring musician and a dentist. He talks about playing with his music idols and the transition from world tour to college life. He wraps up with some Arizona love, sharing why he moved back after his Rockstar days.
    28 min
  • Shaun Jayachandran - Nonprofit Founder on Using Basketball to Fight Gender Inequality and Dropout Rates in India
    For Shaun Jayachandran balling and having an impact are two sides of the same coin. He's the founder of Crossover, a nonprofit that has affected over 2,000 children in India by using basketball to promote education and gender equality.
    In this episode Shaun explains the mechanism behind how basketball keeps kids in school. He talks about how his relationship with India has changed now that he's visiting Chennai every summer. And he share anecdotes about his mom growing up with nuns, him talking to his dad about racism, and Crossover uniting a community of Indian Americans that love basketball.
    48 min
  • Manasi Arya - TFA Special Ed Teacher and Artist Increasing South Asian Representation
    Manasi Arya's art captures the South Asian experience in America. With prints and stickers that include brown skin, sarees, and all the food from Thumbs Up to Taco Bell, her work creates excitement through representation. In addition to running an Etsy store with nearly 1,000 sales since opening in 2018, she's also a special ed teacher and graduate student with Teach For America.
    In this episode, Manasi talks about turning her art into a business, intentionally branding as ArtWITHManasi instead of ArtBYManasi, and how she relates to the students she's working with through her South Asian ancestry.
    34 min
  • Sravya Kalyanapu - Chemical Engineer And Model Launching A Cosmetics Line
    Sravya Kalyanapu is a chemical engineer, a model, and an entrepreneur. She's mixed the three worlds together in her current venture, Mango People Cosmetics. It's an natural beauty products company that caters to a wide audience, while unapologetically including references to her South Asian roots. Sravya was also the 2017 People's Choice winner for Canada's Ms. World competition, and is now an LA resident.
    In this episode, Sravya talks about whether modeling amplified the assumptions she faced as a female engineer. She explains differences in how Canadians and Americans think of diversity. And she shares how she is incorporating social entrepreneurship into her brand and business without turning it into a marketing gimmick.
    37 min

About Brown People We Know

From the publisher's feed

Brown People We Know is an interview podcast with South Asian Americans taking non-traditional paths. Past guests include a a world-touring Death Metal guitarist that retired and became a dentist, a…