Thoughts of partnering up with an amazing and wonderful person weren’t primary thoughts for these two ‘go-getter’ as they were growing up.  They grew up in different countries, experiencing different foods, and speaking different languages.  But when they met at work their social differences didn’t matter as they shared common goals of ‘making a difference in the world’.

Amy and Shaunak met over 6 years ago and recently got married and through Amy’s Instagram posts we get to see the fairy tale weddings these two enjoyed with their families.  But before these two walked down the aisle, there were plenty of situations to handle including the big reveal to Shaunak’s parents.  That big reveal was Amy, the non-Indian love he had found for himself.  You will get to hear Shaunak speak of that experience. 

Amy has many qualities as you will hear Shaunak share with you but the most adoring quality, in my opinion, is the easy going or going with the flow attitude she adapted for the Indian wedding traditions.  Amy embraced Indian traditions and Marathi language with open mind and you will get to hear the experiences as the couple goes down the memory lane.

“I see you as you are and I want to do this with you” is basically what I hear them say to each other as I listen to their love story.  

This is Part 1 of my interview with the couple and you will get to hear more next week in Part 2. 

Amy shares her experiences and love for Indian traditions on her blog.  Don’t miss the opportunity to catch colorful images from her fairytale weddings on her Instagram.  She also has a knack for explaining Indian ceremonies eloquently. 

Mentions in the episode:

1.     Love Languages – It’s a concept from the book, The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman

2.   Marathi – Indian language spoken by 73 million people.  It’s an official and co-official language in Maharashtra and Goa states of Western India

3.    “Wise words are like seeds. The more you scatter them, the more they will grow into infinite gardens of knowledge." -- Suzy Kassem

Amy & Shaunak on their wedding day...

How was Thanksgiving for you all in U.S.?  Hope you are all enjoying family time and sharing this podcast with the people you care about.

So, here's to another week with Alexandra and Madhavan.  I thought that it was perfect time to post this beautiful couple's interview.  As you heard in Part 1, the couple made major leaps in bringing their families together.  These two came together as a strong unit and started a journey that celebrates old and new relationships.

This week you will hear more laughter and love that these two share.  It gives me so much satisfaction to interview strong and committed couples everyday.  I would love for Alexandra and Madhavan to come back to the show and share more with us.

If you get a chance, find out more about the couple on their blog, Madhmama.  Alexandra has a great eye for capturing beauty in everything and you get to see it all on her Pinterest page and her Instagram

In case you missed Part 1 of the interview - Take a listen here

 

A day with family is a day worth knowing...

I get a great pleasure in introducing this amazing, loving, and passionate couple.

When Alexandra and Madhavan met, they were strangers in a strange land.  Maybe that's why they connected as they supported each other making Madhavan's transition in America a ride such that very few get to experience.

Yes, they met in college and fell in love and they found comfort and safety of family in each other but it took around 6 years to become a family via holy matrimony.  These two are so solid as a couple and have figured out a way to bring their families together as well.  You will enjoy listening to their laughter and jokes while admiring their commitment to their parents.  There are learnings in their story that I really appreciated and hope you do so as well.

From their story, you will really know that falling in love is easy but staying in love is a lot of work and these two have chosen that work.  I'm truly thankful to the couple for sharing their life happenings so openly and generously.

Initially, I enjoyed getting to know the family via their blog named Madhmama where Alexandra gives a little glimpse of her life in mixed culture family.  Her photography style definitely gives you a reason to admire the pictures on her blog and on Instagram.  She contributes heavily to other blogs and media outlets sharing her learnings of her mixed family dynamic.

I encourage listeners to follow her as her guidance in navigating the cold and warm waters of multi-race/multi-culture family will come in handy.

Get to know the Iyengar family on their Blog, Twitter, and Instagram.

Beautiful family.... Alexandra, Madhavan, and Maya (the little lemon rice lover)

 

Here's another week with another episode supporting love and courage and togetherness.  Today's episode is an invitation to all couples, same-sex or opposite-sex couples, in interracial marriages to share their stories.

I wrote my commencement speech for future generations addressing the importance of love and inclusivity in our society and I share that in the episode.

Andrew Ahn, director of Spa Night, said, “There’s a value to learning about people who might have a slightly different experience from you.”  Isn't that so true?  Growth comes from learning and learning from people with different views and experiences adds an extra layer to our growth and gives us the opportunities to open our hearts.

A lot of Asian communities don't want to deal with topics such as Homosexuality.  It's because of religion, faith, belief system, culture that this topic is difficult for some to talk about.  If you choose not to talk about it today that's fine but Indian Interracial Marriages Podcast supports same-sex couples and welcomes them to share their stories.

My commitment is to provide a platform where all can share their stories and give others an opportunity to learn.  Love has many colors.  We all want to be loved and give love so let's accept love in whatever color it shows up in our lives.

Hope today's episode gives you hope, support, and courage to reach out to people who are different from you and support them.

Be sure to share with others.  Follow on Instagram.

Send all you questions or comments to me at [email protected] or [email protected]

Mentions in the episode:

Andrew Ahn

Spa Night

John A Powell

Suzy Kassem (Apologies for pronouncing the name incorrectly in the episode)

This is Part 2 of my interview with Nikita and Sachin from GrowingUpGupta.

Sachin is a romantic at heart.  You will get to hear him speak of love and the depth of his commitment to have love as the core of existence is amazing.  Hearing Nikita speak of her understanding and appreciation of Indian culture and traditions is very refreshing.

The couple has worked hard to have the success that they enjoy today.  Quality is by-product of hard work and commitment.  I encourage you to give their books a read.  You will find plenty of nuggets of wisdom in the books.

Truly, this couple is strong, loving, and powerful.   These two definitely make me proud to be sharing this planet with them.

I want to thank all the listeners for sharing this story with friends and family.  What a perfect way to celebrate the opening of the movie, LOVING, that opens today (11/04/16).  Let's empower the integration of race, culture, and religion and celebrate togetherness.

If you haven't listen to Part 1, here's your chance to hear Nikita and Sachin share the beginning of their love story.

Mentions in the episode:

Loving vs. Virginia

Poem by Pablo Neruda Sonnet XVII

I read somewhere, " no one is in charge of your happiness, except you"...  I heard a perfect example of this in Nikita and Sachin's story.  It takes courage to stand up for what you want, especially when you are raised in a family that holds cultural ways of being or cultural norms as its family values.

It takes courage, love, and understanding to get past challenges and create a new space for loved ones to step into and accept change(s) and lifestyle.  Sachin and Nikita share how their hard work, persistence and love for each other helped them build understanding with Sachin's family.  This couple's story will definitely give you plenty to appreciate while giving you hope for what is possible.  It isn't easy but it is doable to build trust and love among people.

Remember to come back next week for Part 2 of the interview.  You don't want to miss it.

If you would like to learn more about Nikita & Sachin, please visit their blog

Nikita & Sachin have written two books available on Amazon:

Habits of Successful Career Nomads

The Art of Interracial Dating. I'm Dating Indian. Now, What?

The art of interracial dating is available via Growing up Gupta for $5 in PDF format.

Here are a few mentions in this episode:

Growing Up Gupta

Festive Roots

3 Curious Monkeys App

Hope you enjoy this.  You may email at [email protected] with any questions.  Please may also leave a comment below.

Nikita & Sachin from Growing up Gupta

Today, we meet a lawyer turned a personal life coach.  From a boarding school in England to now settling in U.S., Archana, traveled plenty creating a beautiful life story.   She shares her coaching philosophy along with her experience and her journey of being in an interracial marriage.

Archana has shaped lives of many individuals through coaching and teaching yoga.  She is truly an inspiring woman who found her own path to happiness while providing space for her parents to accept her choices in life.  She has a healthcare business career background.

Archana Daniels - A Life and Holistic Health Coach

Website- www.archanadanielscoaching.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/archanadaniels

https://www.facebook.com/archanadanielscoaching

Twitter: @unintendedyogi

Archana Daniels

"It sometimes takes going through a lot of life changes before deciding how to live your passion.  Or you could work with a Life Coach to hack the process that will help you make your daydreams into a functioning, exciting and empowering reality.  We owe it to ourselves to create the life we want and live it through action right now."

Join me for Part 2 of my conversation with Ian and Delia. Ian is my husband Otto's brother.

I was there when Ian and Delia first met, and I was at their wedding, too. They've been married for two years now. In this week's episode, we discuss many issues that the couple faced after getting married, and I marvel at their love and devotion for each other.

If you didn't hear, Part 1, click here to listen to it now.

 

Join me for Part 1 of my conversation with Ian and Delia. Ian is my husband Otto's brother.

I was there when Ian and Delia first met, and I was at their wedding, too. They've been married for two years now.

Be sure to come back next week for Part 2!

Delia and Ian

Join me for something different this week as I relate the story of William Dalrymple's White Mughals.

I was moved to intense emotion as I read this absorbing tale of interracial love, betrayal, politics, intrigue, sorrow . . . and inspiration.

For more information about White Mughals, click here.

The letters between gma and Katherine are on page 387 of the book.

Portraits of James, Khair un-Nissa and kids can be viewed here.

You can read more stories of interracial marriages on www.pbs.org

Courtesy of White Mughals book