In this episode of Red, White, and Brown, Prerak and Sofia tackle one of the most complex topics in the Desi American community: Politics. Since we last spoke in 2020, the landscape has shifted dramatically. South Asians are no longer just participating in the political process—they are at the very forefront of it, making headlines from Washington D.C. to the United Kingdom.

We dive deep into the data behind the 40% surge in South Asian voter turnout (source here) since the 2021 primaries and explore what is driving this newfound civic passion. Is it a result of increased representation, or is the community finally finding its voice as it moves up the socioeconomic ladder?

In this episode, we discuss:

The "Ramaswamy/Usha/Mamdani Effect" & The Second Lady: What does it mean for our community to see names like Usha Vance and Vivek Ramaswamy on the national stage, regardless of their party affiliation?

The Immigrant Identity Crisis: Prerak shares his personal experience of feeling "othered" by politics before gaining citizenship, and how the transition from immigrant to citizen changes your stake in the American dream.

The Myth of the Monolith: We break down why it is impossible to lump the South Asian vote into one bucket, discussing the diversity of religion, income, and national origin that shapes our viewpoints.

The Gen Z Revolution: From 10-year-olds reading Time for Kids to Gen Z activists organizing on TikTok, we look at how the younger generation is pushing their parents and grandparents to be more politically active and less "othered."

Civic Responsibility & Social Justice: Sofia explains the duty of the younger generation to educate our elders on U.S. history and the civil rights movements that paved the way for our success today.

Timestamps:

Why is it that South Asians seem to be at a higher risk for heart disease and diabetes, even when they look "fit"? In this episode, Prerak and Sofia tackle the unique challenges of fitness and nutrition within the Desi-American community.

As two doctors who recently survived the grueling 80-hour work weeks of medical residency, we share our personal journeys with health—from Prerak’s transition from a non-athletic kid to a marathon runner, to Sophia’s discovery of weightlifting as a way to build strength she never thought she had.

They dive deep into the medical "Skinny Fat" phenomenon, explaining why BMI can be a deceiving metric for South Asians. They also get real about the struggle to get our parents active, offering creative (and slightly cheeky) strategies like "grandchildren bargaining chips," religious appeals, and the power of Garba as cardio. Finally, they break down what "whole foods" actually means and how to overcome the "activation energy" needed to hit the gym after a long day at work.

TIME STAMPS: 

After a three-year hiatus, Prerak and Sofia are finally back behind the mic! A lot has changed since our last episode in 2022—we’ve finished our medical residencies, hit the big 3-0, and seen the world of Desi-American representation explode in ways we never imagined.

In this episode, we’re catching you up on everything you missed. Prerak shares the story of his residency at Stanford, his recent marriage, and how he went from medical student to marathon runner. Sofia fills us in on her time at NYU, her world travels to places like South Africa and Japan, and her new-found love for weightlifting.

We also dive into the "Identity Shift" that happens when you enter your 30s—from managing finances and politics to the pressure of staying fit and avoiding "Uncle/Auntie status." Plus, we discuss the massive shift in the Desi-American landscape, including the rise of South Asian figures in the U.S. government and the "London-fication" of the NYC dining scene.

We’re so excited to be back with weekly episodes. Let's get into it!

TIME STAMPS: 

In today’s day and age, it is getting harder and harder to stand out. Traditionally, we as desi people have always put a huge premium on education, but after a certain point, does more education really help us stand out? What are the ways that we can stand out in today’s competitive world? In this episode, we discuss the ways that individuals can stand out in an increasingly competitive world.

Relevant Memes and Bollywood Scenes: 

NOTE: We've hyperlinked the memes referenced in the show below. Enjoy!

01:23 – Why are Desi People so Obsessed with Education?

03:07 – [MOVIE Reference] – “Life is a race” via 3 Idiots (Compete or DIE?!)    

07:31 – [STUDY Reference] – Is the World More Competitive Today than Ever Before? (feat. College Admissions (1995 vs. 2020: How College Admissions Has Changed Over the Past 25 Years))

08:10 – How is “Standing Out” in Today’s World Different than “Standing Out” in the Past?

18:36 – [SCENE Reference] – Steve Jobs' 2005 Stanford Commencement Address – Sometimes life will hit you in the head like a ton of bricks – do not lose faith. The only way to do great work is to LOVE what you do.

26:50 – Spaced Repetition – This is one of the best ways to improve your memory and learn more about topics that are really important to you. Prerak has created a TON of videos related to this topic, and you can find them here (Anki: ALL YOU WILL EVER NEED)!

Last time we did a Q&A, we got far more questions than we could answer. So, to make sure we could answer a few more of them, we are doing another Q&A. The details for each of the questions and the scenes referenced in the episode can be found below!

Relevant Memes and Bollywood Scenes: 

NOTE: We've hyperlinked the memes referenced in the show below, but they are usually only "click-able" when you listen to the podcast via Apple podcasts on your phone.

01:03 – Inside the mind of a master procrastinator via Tim Urban – shows you how to deal with procrastination like a boss!

01:57 – How we deal with Procrastination (& Sofia’s blog post on productivity)

06:50 – Toxic Productivity: What is it and how to manage it?

12:19 – [BOOK Reference] - Atomic Habits (One of the BEST Productivity Books of ALL TIME, please check it out!)

13:18 – SCREW Goals and Focus on Systems Instead (feat. Ali Abdaal)  

14:41 – What are the Factors to Consider When Picking College/Medical School? (feat. Prerak’s Video: Picking a Medical School? Here's What You Need to Consider!)

22:24 – What We’d Change About Our Experience in College and Medical School

Today, the dream job for many kids – including desi kids – is to become an Intagrammer, TikTok-er, and YouTuber. This demonstrates just how interesting the creator economy has become in our day-to-day lives. In this episode, we are going to discuss the details behind what it means to be a creator and some great creators in the desi-space.

The creator economy is defined as the class of businesses built by over 50 million independent content creators, curators, and community builders including social media influencers, bloggers, and videographers, plus the software and finance tools designed to help them with growth and monetization.

Relevant Memes and Bollywood Scenes: 

00:40 –What is the Creator Economy? (there are more than 50 million “creators” and it’s fascinating to see how they’ve created an economy)

02:29 – [Article Reference] Kids now dream of being professional YouTubers rather than astronauts, study finds    

04:49 – Sofia’s Creator Economy Contributions and Prerak’s Creator Economy Contributions

07:20 – Misconceptions Individuals Have Regarding the Creator Economy

14:18 – Challenges of Being a Creator on Instagram, TikTok or YouTube

17:50 – Prerak and Sofia Gossiping about FAKE Creators

Do you ever wonder why our parents often are so averse to us taking “time off” to figure stuff out? Is this a prevalent theme among all desi parents, and if so, what does this say about our culture? If you want to join our next Q/A discussion, please drop us a follow at @redwhitebrownpod. Also feel free to connect with both of us on Instagram: Sofia (@thisgirlnamedSofia) and Prerak (@prerakcity).

Relevant Memes and Bollywood Scenes: 

NOTE: We've hyperlinked the memes referenced in the show below, but they are usually only "click-able" when you listen to the podcast via Apple podcasts on your phone.

02:56 – [SCENE Reference] Gully Boy Scene about How Harvard Literally Waits for NO ONE (feat. Ranveer Singh

It seems like the older we get, the more we turn into our parents. We’ve been seeing that a lot in ourselves lately and we wanted to use this as a chance to talk about “adulting.” We chat about what it is, how it works, and how we can (slowly) get better at it!

Relevant Memes and Bollywood Scenes: 

NOTE: We've hyperlinked the memes referenced in the show below, but they are usually only "click-able" when you listen to the podcast via Apple podcasts on your phone.

01:30 - Progressive Commercial        

03:03 - Adulting Definition 1: This is a really fun definition to get the conversation started! To carry out one or more of the duties and responsibilities expected of fully developed individuals (paying off that credit card debt, settling beef without blasting social media, etc). Exclusively used by those who adult less than 50% of the time

We’re in our mid-20s, and it seems like you can’t turn a single corner without getting into a conversation about weddings. So, we decided we may as well just embrace it and have an entire episode on the topic. The good part is that one of us is married and the other isn’t, so this episode (hopefully) provides a nice balanced view of desi-weddings from a novel perspective.

Relevant Memes and Bollywood Scenes: 

NOTE: We've hyperlinked the memes referenced in the show below, but they are usually only "click-able" when you listen to the podcast via Apple podcasts on your phone.

08:21 – [SCENE Reference] – The Big Day (via Netflix): Describe just why weddings are so importent in Desi culture because they symbolize the two families coming together.

11:53 – [DATA Reference] – What Percent of Desi People Do/Did Feel Pressured to Have a Large Wedding  (done super meticulously through IG

**SPOILER ALERT: We do discuss scenes of Never Have I Ever in this podcast, so if you are planning to watch the show, please go ahead and skip this podcast!**

Never Have I Ever is a coming of age show that announced that it will be releasing season 3 soon! In light of this announcement, we wanted to talk about the issue of desi-representation within the media. In reviewing Never Have I Ever, we are talking about the normalization of diversity in SO many ways. There is the normalization of mental health struggles, lived experiences, sexuality, and even race. It’s interesting how the show incorporates each of these themes without making them the central tenet of the shot.

Relevant Memes and Bollywood Scenes: 

NOTE: We've hyperlinked the memes referenced in the show below, but they are usually only "click-able" when you listen to the podcast via Apple podcasts on your phone.

06:56 – [SCENE Reference] – Never Have I Ever: Where Rebecca totally Schools Paxton (LOL)

10:11 – [SCENE Reference] – Devi Breaks Down Sexism in a Pretty Damn Awesome Way  

11:42 - [SCENE Reference] – Kamala goes HAM in Standing Up for Herself!

13:30 – [NEWS Reference] – Canada's Maitreyi Ramakrishnan named one of TIME's next 100 most influential people

15:51 - [SCENE Reference] – The Subtleties of the Indian Accent  

18:12 - [SCENE Reference] – The TRUE Desi-American Accent   

20:12 - Criticisms of the Show

24:14 – Where is Season 3 Headed?