Changing Suits

Growing up in a South Asian household can have its challenges, even more so is this felt when hitting life’s milestones of womanhood. Bal & Taj reflect back on their life growing up and discover each other’s experiences. It is a journey of understanding why the subject of periods, bras and sex is such a taboo in the South Asian community.

It is often that mums are the sole parent who is expected to explain to their daughter about growing into a woman. Fathers often take a back seat, which then builds up the stigma in the community that having a period or a bra is something to be ashamed about. 

Mental Health Awareness Week 9th -15th May

Bal & Taj wanted to explore the effect of desi parenting on everyone’s mental health… from the child’s perspective 🥴.

This week we welcome Navneet back, with her amazing son Mehtab. On the show we discuss how the 3rd generation teaches us some important life lessons and show us how we should be looking after ourselves first. 

It’s something a lot of South Asian people suffer from - the “what will people say” syndrome.

Together, we can break the vicious cycle and start to slowly edge towards change. Breaking the psychological trap we build from taking opportunities to grow.

Guarav’s mother explains that Guarav getting diagnosed was just part of the challenge they faced. Guarav’s life depended on getting the right stem cell donation, but as there is a lack of donations in the South Asian community, families have to start campaigning themselves to get people to donate stem cells to be transplanted for the recipient. 

Rather then spending precious time as a family and preparing for a transplant Guarav’s family had to prepare for running drives all over the country. This putting pressure on the family mentally and physically. It’s a painful wait to see if the right donor can be found. 

Listen to the podcast and find out how you can make a difference for anyone that needs a stem cell donation. 

SHARE this podcast.

When dealt the card that was unexpected, you turn to family and friends to support you through the tough road that lays ahead. Veer’s family had to deal with such an ordeal. Firstly, finding out that their son had a genetic disorder that was life threatening, therefore needed a stem cell transplant. But the second blow came when Veer’s parents found out that there is lack of people donating from the South Asian community. 

Bal and Taj talk with Veer’s mother about how their world had changed from the moment that they were told that Veer needed a stem cell transplant. In a time of despair, where all that she wanted to do was spend every moment with her family, Kirpa and her husband had to start campaigning to encourage people from the South Asian community to put their name on the stem cell register. 

LISTEN to the episode, SHARE it with family and friends raise the AWARENESS! This could potentially be saving a life.

There is a lack of stem cell donors in the South Asian community. In this episode Bal & Taj investigate this issue with DKMS charity volunteers. We learn about the distress families have to go through to find the right donor, which is caused by the low number of donors in the community.

Bal discusses her journey of being a donor - from the reason she became a donor to the donation process.

This podcast episode is one in three that has been released, navigating the importance of stem cell donations.

To find out more about stem cell donation please visit DKMS.org.uk

Is there anything wrong with a bit of gossip with your nearest and dearest? Is it just friendly banter or is there more of a negative impact of talking about others?  In this episode Bal and Taj have a discussion about what they enjoy talking about in their daily chats. They also discuss the impact on people's mental health and life choices when they think about "what will others say?"

Bal & Taj talk in-depth with Dr Kavita Sekhsaria about the Ayurvedic way of living. Ayurvedic is a traditional holistic way of healing the body, mind and soul. Through the podcast Ayurvedic is explored in a relatable way of our everyday living and how it can be incorporated in our life.

 What is most amazing about Ayurveda is that growing up the South Asian community, many are already exposed to the Ayurvedic way of living - without even realising. In everyday language our parents tell us about and gharam (hot) & tundah (cold) foods and drinks. 

As the next generation we have grown up using this terminology, but do we actually understand the concept of the way this effects our mental health and well-being?

Lost between two worlds east and west. Bal & Taj speak to Navneet, a South Asian therapist, about what desi parenting is and the long term implications it can have on mental health. This could include affecting confidence, anxiety and it’s impact on future relationships.

Desi parenting can be a bittersweet experience, where being children of immigrants has meant taking on the burden of parents expectations, yet wanting to be like others. The feelings of being trapped can lead to resentment. However, the podcast investigates all sides from the child and parents point of view, things that may not have been considers, to the point of leaving Bal & Taj speechless which is so very rare😂!

Bal & Taj discuss how much pressure there is to become a mother as soon as someone from the South Asian community gets married. Much of the pressure falls upon the female. There are no limits to what an aunty says😬.

Mothers are the central part of the family yet we all forget how much a mother does, bringing a child to the world, along with the parenting journey.

Happy Mothers Day to all the brilliant mothers!

Bollywood has had a significant effect on South Asian culture, from East to West. Bal and Taj speak to Ragini Jha, a member of the Brown Therapist Network, to discuss the effects of Bollywood films on mental health.

This Changing Suits podcast episode goes into depth  about various aspects of Bollywood from the music, drama to the stereotypes that are depicted in the storylines. How much responsibility does the Bollywood industry have on the problems in the South Asian community? How much does Bollywood influence important decisions in our day to day lives?