Meet the 2 Idiots, Abhishek and Natasha, who traveled 31 countries, comprising of 39 flights, 3 cruises, and almost a 100 destinations in 8.5 months. They left their corporate jobs and did it together, with a 2 year old.

In 18 days, we covered 6 countries, 5 currencies, 8 hotels and we don’t know how many languages with our 2 young children. All on a relatively slim budget.

Dr. Ajay Verghese, Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of California Riverside joins us to dive into two urgent topics affecting the social landscape of India today- 1) the legacy of ethnic colonialism and 2) modernization’s affect on Hindu's religious practices.

Author Leslie Verner approaches how Western cultures can learn from other cultures posture of open hospitality. Author of “Invited- the Power of Hospitality in an Age of Loneliness”, Leslie sensitively approaches being a white American engaging in cross cultural friendships and what her research and learnings have led her to in her personal life. In this episode, Jessica and Leslie discuss how being a stranger in a new culture produces a sense of empathy for others.

What are some the unique challenges that India faces in managing toilet waste, water and everything in between?

Sanitation expert Chris Hyun, PhD Candidate, joins us to share about India’s unique sanitation challenges and what he has found through his research.

Even with the best of motives, short term volunteer trips can create chaos and unintended long term problems, especially in developing countries.

What are the pitfalls and dangers of engaging in voluntourism?

This episode is for the people who are long term NGO employees, aid workers or those volunteering in an under-privileged environment. Maybe you are burnt out from seeing hard stuff on a day in and day out basis and from being confronted daily with human pain and suffering.

Do Westerners have a lot of money? Life in places like the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Europe must be easy. Why do Westerners "abandon" their parents in nursing homes? Is romance in the West really like what we see in the movies?

Misogyny, sexism and restrictive gender roles are all challenges that this generation of children are standing up against. In India, we have unique challenges for both girls and boys as the cultural narrative is rapidly shifting of what manhood and womanhood looks like. How do we compassionately parent and empower our children to navigate mixed messages? Is it best to adopt Western values or is there some that Indians can uniquely guide this next generation into a new understanding of gender roles while retaining Indian culture?

This week, we take on the top misconceptions about India and debunk them one by one. Do all Indians have arranged marriages? What is all the fuss about caste? Do Indians ride elephants to school? (Yes, that one really came in.)