As the UK experiences another heatwave (June 2026), in this timely episode of Chai & Chat, Sundari and Ranjit take a light-hearted look at heat, heritage and the familiar comment: “You’re Asian, you’ll be fine!”

But does being brown really make you better at coping with hot weather? Sundari grew up in Malaysia, while Ranjit grew up in the Black Country, so we compare very different experiences of heat.

We talk about childhood memories, family routines, food, clothing, sleeping in the heat, working from home and why acclimatisation matters far more than ethnicity. We also share practical public health advice, including who is most at risk during heatwaves and how heat can affect sleep, mood and concentration.

A warm, funny and useful conversation about culture, climate and why brown definitely does not mean heatproof.

In this episode of Chai & Chat, Sundari and Ranjit continue exploring Sundari’s debut collection, Poems, as she reads more of her work and reflects on the fascinating relationship between poetry, medicine and personal storytelling.

Sundari shares poems that draw on her journey through medical training and hospital life, revealing how the emotional and physical demands of a medical career shaped her writing. From long hours as a junior doctor to difficult supervisors and the pressures of professional life, we discuss how challenging experiences can become stories, lessons and sometimes even comedy.

The conversation also explores the lighter side of medical poetry, including humorous reflections on hospital life, motherhood, cultural identity and the everyday realities of working in healthcare. Sundari talks about why she started writing, how her poems developed during medical training and family life, and why authenticity matters more to her than formal poetic structure.

We also reflect on how migration, Malaysian heritage and professional experience shape her creative voice. Through Poems, Sundari finds a way to connect cultures, process experience and share stories that are personal, funny, painful and healing.

In this episode of Chai & Chat, Sundari and Ranjit explore Sundari’s debut collection, entitled Poems, and the cultural stories, memories and identities woven through her writing.

We begin with the story behind the book itself, including Sundari’s vibrant cover inspired by Magritte, before moving into the deeper themes of migration, belonging and personal history. Through poems such as Belong, Sundari reflects on what it means to carry more than one place within you, and how family, memory and heritage shape identity.

The conversation also turns to childhood, her grandmother, Malaysian street food, durian, and the sensory richness of food as cultural memory. We explore how poetry can capture not only emotion, but also language, taste, sound, place and movement.

Later, we discuss urban life in Kuala Lumpur through “Taxi 1999”, and how Sundari uses poetry to observe the city, its rhythms and its people. The episode closes with a look at Sundari’s future writing plans, including poems that explore professional life, cultural identity and the everyday experiences that shape who we become.

In this episode of Chai & Chat, we reflect on ageing and hindsight through two very different poems.

We begin with W. B. Yeats’ The Wild Swans at Coole, a poem chosen by Sundari because it came from a book of poetry owned by her father, complete with his handwritten notes. Through Yeats’ autumnal melancholy, the passage of time, the swans that mate for life, and the poignant image of fifty-nine swans, we explore change and what it means to look back.

The conversation then moves from Yeats to Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake, and to Ranjit’s memories of watching ballet in Russia at the Bolshoi Theatre.

In the second half, we turn to something much more comic, Pam Ayres’ I Wish I’d Looked After Me Teeth. This leads us into a lively conversation about teeth, genetics, gum disease, “summer teeth”, and the uncomfortable truth that we often only appreciate our health once some of it has gone.

Together, these two poems, one reflective and one funny, help us think about ageing, hindsight, and the things we wish we had noticed, valued, or looked after sooner.

In this episode of Chai & Chat, Sundari and Ranjit begin with W. H. Davies’ poem Leisure, a gentle reminder to pause, look around, and ask whether we are making enough space to simply be.

From there, we move into a conversation about leisure, work, rest and the ever-elusive idea of work-life balance. What does balance actually mean, and is it something we ever truly achieve, or something we keep renegotiating at different stages of life?

Together, we reflect on busy working lives, personal responsibilities, guilt around resting, and the pressure to always be productive. We talk about what leisure looked like when we were younger, what it means now, and how our ideas of success, time and happiness have changed.

And, as always, we ask the bigger questions: are we working to live, living to work, or still trying to work it all out over a cup of chai?

In this episode of Chai & Chat, Sundari and Ranjit reflect on growing up, and ask the deceptively simple question: when do you actually become a grown-up?

We look back at our teenage years, the fears we carried when we were younger, and the ways we tried to fit in, belong, and find our place in the world. We talk about confidence, how it develops over time, and the people, parents, friends and colleagues, who helped us overcome doubts and step into ourselves.

Together, we explore what growing up really means. Is it working, taking responsibility, paying bills, making difficult choices, or simply learning how to deal with life when it does not go to plan? We also share the lessons we have learned along the way, the fears we still carry, and the advice we would offer to anyone still figuring it all out.

And, of course, we ask the big question: do we actually feel grown up yet?

In this episode of Chai & Chat, Sundari and Ranjit turn their attention to friendship, opening with Kahlil Gibran’s beautiful reflections from The Prophet on friendship as nourishment, companionship and mutual exchange.

Together, we explore the friends who come into our lives for a reason, a season, or a lifetime. From childhood friends who know the earliest versions of us, to school friendships that offered safety and belonging, we reflect on why friends matter, what they give us, and how they help nourish different parts of our lives.

We talk about friendships that ebb and flow, short-lived connections, long-term bonds, work friends, reunions, and those special people we can pick up with as if no time has passed. We also touch on the modern complications of friendship, including being cut off on social media, drifting apart, and asking: who are your real friends?

In this episode, we look back at the awkward, exciting and sometimes chaotic teenage years.

From school life and teenage fashion to musical obsessions and first parties, we reflect on the experiences that shaped us growing up in two very different parts of the world. Sundari remembers glamorous house parties in Malaysia, while Ranjit reflects on the world of the British Asian daytime disco scene of the 1980s.

We also chat honestly about teenage rebellion, including drinking, smoking and the questionable decisions many of us made along the way. And, as always, we begin with a poem to help us reflect on the theme.

A nostalgic, funny and thoughtful conversation about adolescence, identity and growing up.

In this episode, we take a step back and reflect on what it was like growing up, from Sundari’s childhood in Malaysia to Ranjit’s in the Black Country in the West Midlands.

We explore the similarities and differences in our experiences, from school and play to family life and expectations, and how these moments have shaped who we are today. It is a personal and reflective conversation about culture, identity and the journeys that bring us to where we are now.

A thoughtful chat about growing up, across places, cultures and experiences.

In our very first episode, we start where all good conversations begin… with a cup of tea, or chai, or whatever you call it.

Join us as we introduce ourselves through our shared memories of tea, from everyday routines to the memories and cultural traditions that come with it. We chat about the different ways tea shows up in our lives, the stories it brings back from childhood, and how something so simple can connect people, cultures and generations.

This is a relaxed, informal introduction to who we are, what the podcast is about, and the kinds of conversations you can expect.

So put the kettle on, grab your favourite cup, and join us for our very first Chai & Chat.