The Carolina Desi

Meet Udit Rathore: Delhi born, Charlotte raised, and Boston dwelling. Udit and his family moved to North Carolina in the 90s and built a flourishing academy, Sangrock Blackbelt World. The Carolina Desis and Udit discussed everything from his experience in the US Armed Forces, his family's Sangrock Blackbelt World journey, and the true meaning and impact of self-empowerment and leadership. Udit is soon launching the Sangrock Initiative, a service to underprivileged students to experience the empowerment they deserve through the art of Taekwondo. To learn more about Sangrock Blackbelt World, visit http://sangrock.com/

Time. There's never enough of it! At least, not for the Carolina Desis. Why is it so hard to come by? Is it a side effect of being an adult? Join them this week as they try to unravel the concept of punctuality and priorities in both the Desi and American cultures. Follow @thecarolinadesi on social media to join the conversation.

We had the pleasure of having a conversation with Manoj Kesavan. Manoj is an architect, urban designer, educator, creator, and everything else under the sun within the Charlotte Arts community. He is the Founder and Executive Director of Que-OS, a non-profit organization whose mission is to "transform the way art/culture is created and shared, and how people connect to causes and community." They create open and inclusive platforms for artists and other creative professionals to engage and create social impact at a large scale. Que-OS organizes BOOM, an annual artist/community-led festival of contemporary art and creativity, which launched in April 2016. Their other initiatives range from the design of an off-the-grid free rural clinic in Haiti to running the Pecha Kucha Night series in Charlotte. Kesavan has been a visiting lecturer/panelist/juror at several universities and writes/lectures internationally. Aside from Manoj's incredible contributions, we learned about his social capital serving him, working hyper-locally, emerging cultural institutions, and much more. Tune in to hear more about Manoj and his daily work in Human Architecture. Visit http://boomcharlotte.org to find out more! Follow @thecarolinadesi on social media to join the conversation.

The American Dream: the epitome of what is possible, what you value, and what you want to be. The immigrant American Dream is exactly that but is strongly influenced by heritage, culture, and upbringing. Join the Carolina Desis this week as they reflect on what the American Dream is and what it means to them. Follow @thecarolinadesi on social media to join the conversation.

Episode 25 already?! Wow, the silver jubilee. Give us a moment to bask in this ~1 year of existence (thanks to you all!). This week, we spent some time reflecting on our progress, share the evolution of our message, and hint at future projects. There is a lot headed for you all and we are excited to share soon!

Have you considered or even noticed how brands permeate through your life? For example, using the brand name Band-Aid when referring to a bandage. The concept of brands and function are prevalent in any industry and any consumer market. The Carolina Desis explore brands from their childhood that are common in a typical Desi-American household. You may recognize them all! From food and beauty to technology and fashion, tune into this week's episode about various brands, consumerism, the idea of shopping local, and brand loyalty as a whole. Follow @thecarolinadesi on social media to join the conversation.

We had the honor of speaking with Councilwoman Dimple Ajmera, for this week's episode! Councilwoman Ajmera was elected in 2017 and is serving her first term on the Charlotte City Council At-Large and has the proud distinction of being the first Asian-American and the youngest woman to serve. She is passionate about creating a sustainable, equitable and safe Charlotte. Her accolades and accomplishments are endless and nothing short of inspiring, but you will find out just how impressive she is when you tune in! Listen in to learn more about Councilwoman Ajmera's political journey, the Charlotte Women's March, and her response to anyone who asks about her rotis. Instagram: @dimple4charlotte Twitter: @DimpleAjmera About: http://charlottenc.gov/CityCouncil/bios/Pages/DimpleAjmera.aspx Follow @thecarolinadesi on social media to join the conversation.

The Carolina Desis are back from the holidays and ready to take on 2018! They've had time to reflect on their holidays, which was accompanied by the concept of distance. When is distance good, and when is distance bad? We divided the topic into physical distance and distance as intangible to aid the question. While it is not simple to pinpoint a single answer, we concluded that self-awareness is a key factor in accepting the effects of distance. Tune into this week's episode to find out how and why. Follow @thecarolinadesi on social media to join the conversation.

It's December already?! We can't believe it's the last Carolina Desi episode of 2017! We wanted to spend some time reflecting on an incredible year, the rise and shift of holiday symbolism, and what the holidays mean to the Carolina Desis. We've come a long way this year and we truly couldn't have done it without YOU. So, thank you to each and every one of you! HAPPY HOLIDAYS and see you in 2018! Follow @thecarolinadesi on social media to join the conversation.

When time dictates, you will be required to step up into a role for the benefit of your family. The Carolina Desis constantly ask themselves, "What do I do when the time comes? What steps do I take to make sure my family is provided for at any capacity?". We continuously try to regain diluted information from financials to traditions through conversations with our parents, but what else have we missed? Tune into this week's episode to better understand the information gap between our parents' upbringing and our own, and the importance of keeping family traditions alive. Follow @thecarolinadesi on social media to join the conversation.