The Indian Edit

Why does American history still exclude so many? My latest guest Mae Ngai is Lung Professor of Asian American Studies and History at Columbia University and has written award-winning books on immigration and the Chinese diaspora sharing stories of immigrants during the Gold Rush and other pivotal historical events. Before becoming a historian, Mae was a labor union organizer and educator in New York City where she met another influential documenter of Asian America: photographer Corky Lee who sadly passed away from Covid-19 in early 2021. Mae has edited a brand new book “Corky Lee’s Asian America: Fifty Years of Photographic Justice” which collects the activist photographer’s iconic images into a beautiful and moving book.

Join me as Professor Ngai gives us a glimpse into Asian American history and Corky’s important contribution, and please share the episode with a friend who might enjoy this chat!

SHOWNOTES for Ep. 93:

Buy the new book: “Corky Lee's Asian America: Fifty Years of Photographic Justice”

Professor Ngai’s other books: The Chinese Question: The Gold Rushes, Chinese Migration, and Global Politics, The Lucky Ones: One Family and the Extraordinary Invention of Chinese America

The NYT on Corky Lee

Other books we discussed on the show:

Orphan Bachelors: A Memoir by Fae Myenne Ng

Questions? Comments? Get in touch @theindianeditpodcast on Instagram !

Want to talk gardens? Follow me @readyourgarden

Special thanks to Sudipta Biswas, Aman Moroney and the team @ Boon Castle / Flying Carpet Productions for audio post-production engineering!

Wondering where to start with learning more about black and brown solidarity? Or how to write about a difficult experience? Reading author and educator Nina Sharma’s wonderful debut “The Way You Make Me Feel: Love in Black and Brown” is a great first step. So grateful to Nina for her honest and elegant writing and for this amazing chat! Nina shares her sometimes rocky road to owning her writer identity, her struggle to write about her mental health challenges, and the profound connection she felt when she met her husband who is African-American and a fellow writer.

BONUS: So much great advice on writing for everyone out there! Listen now on iTunes, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts, and if you enjoyed this, PLEASE SHARE THE EPISODE WITH A FRIEND!

SHOWNOTES for Ep. 92:

Connect with Nina through her websiteand Twitter/X

Buy her book “The Way You Make Me Feel: Love in Black and Brown”

Books and other stuff we discussed on the show:

Margo Jefferson’s Negroland and Constructing a Nervous System

Big Blue Marble Bookshop in Philadelphia

Asian American Writer’s Workshop

The Question of Palestine by Edward Said

Grief is for People by Sloane Crosley

They Called Us Exceptional: And Other Lies That Raised Us by Prachi Gupta

Lesbian Love Story: A Memoir in Archives by Amelia Possanza

Questions? Comments? Get in touch @theindianeditpodcast on Instagram !

Want to talk gardens? Follow me @readyourgarden

Special thanks to Sudipta Biswas, Aman Moroney and the team @ Boon Castle / Flying Carpet Productions for audio post-production engineering!

What happens to families AFTER they’ve survived a traumatic historical event? Veera Hiranandani set out to explore this question in her sequel to the beloved Newbery-honor winning middle-grade novel ‘The Night Diary’. ‘Amil and the After’ now finds Nisha and Amil navigating a new life in Mumbai following their family’s migration from Sindh during the Partition of India in 1947. Join me as Veera chats about her new book, and listen and rate us on iTunes, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

If you enjoyed this, please leave a star rating wherever you listen! And if you’d like to hear Veera’s whole journey leading up to ‘The Night Diary’, please check out Ep. 34!

SHOWNOTES FOR Mini-Edit 3:

Connect with Veera through her website and Instagram

Buy her books here, including Amil and the After

Other books we discussed on the show:

The Partition Project by Saadia Faruqi

Lion of The Sky by Ritu Hemnani

The Moon from Dehradun: A Story of Partition by Shirin Shamsi

Questions? Comments? Get in touch @theindianeditpodcast on Instagram !

Want to talk gardens? Follow me @readyourgarden

Special thanks to Sudipta Biswas, Aman Moroney and the team @ Boon Castle / Flying Carpet Productions for audio post-production engineering!

Ever wondered whether you should take that step to turning your hobby into a business? New York based Simran Khiantani (also goes by Namrata) shares her journey from Bombay to New York via the Canary Islands! Inspired by her MIL’s amazing sauces and her friends’ insistence that she start selling them, Simran recently launched her condiment brand after years of research and development. Try them now from Amazon and join our chat as Simran takes us behind the scenes of launching her business and some ideas for dinner tonight!

Listen and rate us on iTunes, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. If you enjoyed this, please leave a star rating wherever you listen!

SHOWNOTES FOR Ep. 91:

Try Simran’s AMAZING sauces through her website and Amazon

Wondering what to cook for dinner tonight? Follow her on Instagram for some lovely recipes!

More recipes with SimranCooks sauces here

Dominique Ansel’s lovely banana bread recipe that is my household staple now!

Books we discussed on the show:

Cooking Up a Business: Lessons from Food Lovers Who Turned Their Passion into a Career -- and How You Can, Too

Zaytinya by Jose Andres

Flavors of the Sun: The Sahadi's Guide to Understanding, Buying, and Using Middle Eastern Ingredients

Growing Up in a Nonya Kitchen: A Peranakan Family's Food Memories of Singapore by Sharon Wee

Questions? Comments? Get in touch @theindianeditpodcast on Instagram !

Want to talk gardens? Follow me @readyourgarden

Special thanks to Sudipta Biswas, Aman Moroney and the team @ Boon Castle / Flying Carpet Productions for audio post-production engineering!

Exploring her husband’s Goan and Portuguese heritage led writer Christine Chitnis to create a beautiful celebration of the visual culture of Portugal: “Patterns of Portugal”. Having successfully completed a similar project in 2020 with “Patterns of India”, Christine was inspired to share her view of the beauty of this small nation at the edge of Europe.

Join me in this mini-Edit where Christine takes us behind the scenes of putting together this stunning lifestyle book, including some of her favorite moments and travel tips!

Listen and rate us on iTunes, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Christine’s first appearance where we chat about “Patterns of India” was on Ep. 31 and if you enjoyed this, please do tell a friend!

SHOWNOTES FOR MINI-EDIT 2:

Experience Christine’s work through her website and her beautiful instagram account

Buy Patterns of Portugal here or on Amazon

Patterns of India book and our pandemic chat on episode 31!

East Coasting

Christine’s exclusive Patterns of Portugal box with Portugalia Market brings to life the pages of the book through carefully selected artisanal products

Take an IRL trip to Portugal with Christine - sign up here

Books we discussed on the show:

A History of Burning by Janika Oza

Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano

Notes on an Execution: An Edgar Award Winner Danya Kukafka

Questions? Comments? Get in touch @theindianeditpodcast on Instagram !

Want to talk gardens? Follow me @readyourgarden

Special thanks to Sudipta Biswas, Aman Moroney and the team @ Boon Castle / Flying Carpet Productions for audio post-production engineering!

“You know, as Asian Americans, we often don't know our history. I myself have lived in the US more than 50 years, and yet a lot of people still think that you’ve recently come from India. This is not just about MIT, it's actually an important part of the history of South Asians in America.” - Ranu Boppana

A physician and former President of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology South Asian Alumni Association, Ranu Boppana began to learn about the history of South Asians at MIT (which began in 1880!) and the history of MIT’s role in developing technological education in the newly independent India and Pakistan. She teamed up with History Professor Sana Aiyar and, along with MIT-India Program Manager Nureen Das, they conceived of an exhibit showcasing this shared history. Driven by their own curiosity and their commitment to sharing their discoveries with current and former MIT students, the team has created a wonderful digital resource for us all.

I learned so much about the history of South Asians in the US, including many surprising connections with the Indian Independence movement. Join me in this fascinating journey back in time with Ranu and Sana and please take a second to rate the podcast on iTunes so we can spread the word about their amazing work!

SHOWNOTES FOR EPISODE 90:

Experience the “South Asia and The Institute” digital exhibition via the website including some wonderful videos

Follow Sana’s work here including her books

Read more about Ranu here

Other Books we discussed on the show:

Ross Bassett’s The Technological Indian

The Other One Percent: Indians in America by Sanjoy Chakravorty, Devesh Kapur and Nirvikar Singh

Our Stories: An Introduction to South Asian America by South Asian Digital Archive

The Caste of Merit: Engineering Education in India by Ajantha Subramanian

The Exceptions: Nancy Hopkins, MIT, and the Fight for Women in Science by Kate Zernike

Booker Shortlisted Western Lane by Chetna Maroo

Jhumpa Lahiri’s Roman Stories

Kamila Shamie’s Best of Friends

Questions? Comments? Get in touch @theindianeditpodcast on Instagram !

Want to talk gardens? Follow me @readyourgarden

Special thanks to Sudipta Biswas, Aman Moroney and the team @ Boon Castle / Flying Carpet Productions for audio post-production engineering!

Ever wondered how an author takes a flash of inspiration and weaves a story from it? My guest Sheela Chari shares how she came to write her many wonderful children’s books, including the moment in college (as an economics major) that changed her life. Sheela now teaches writing at the Vermont College of Fine Arts while creating new stories of her own, and she graciously breaks down the process behind writing and publishing each of her books.

Hear Sheela now on your favorite podcast app, Spotify or iTunes and please please take a second to rate us wherever you’re listening or share the podcast with a friend!

SHOWNOTES FOR EPISODE 89:

Read more about Sheela’s work at her website and connect with her on Instagram

Sheela’s books:

Vanished

Finding Mighty

Karthik Delivers

The Unexplainable Disappearance of Mars Patel

Super Puzzletastic Mysteries: Short Stories for Young Sleuths from Mystery Writers of America

Other books we discussed:

Elizabeth Acevedo’s books including With the fire on high, Family Lore and The Poet X

The Summer Book by Tove Jansson

Questions? Comments? Get in touch @theindianeditpodcast on Instagram !

Want to talk gardens? Follow me @readyourgarden

Special thanks to Sudipta Biswas and the team @ Boon Castle / Flying Carpet Productions for audio post-production engineering!

Sumaira Ahmed is a force! Upon being diagnosed with a rare neuroimmune condition (Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder/ NMOSD, whose symptoms can include vision loss, paralysis, and weakness), Sumaira couldn’t find the community she needed, so she went right ahead and launched a foundation (two months later!) to create that support for herself and patients around the world. The Sumaira Foundation has since advocated for patients, funded disease research, increased NMO awareness globally and truly been a game changer in the field. Hear how this young dancer and Bollywood aspirant (who was crowned the first Miss Bangladesh-USA) turned into a fearless non-profit leader and champion for patients suffering from this rare disease.

Join me with the wonderful Sumaira - now on your favorite podcast app, Spotify or iTunes and please please take a second to rate us wherever you’re listening so the voices of these inspiring women can be heard all over the world!

SHOWNOTES FOR EPISODE 88:

Read more about Sumaira’s work at The Sumaira Foundation and connect with her and The Sumaira Foundation on Instagram

Infinite Vision: How Aravind Became the World's Greatest Business Case for Compassion

Questions? Comments? Get in touch @theindianeditpodcast on Instagram !

Want to talk gardens? Follow me @readyourgarden

Special thanks to Sudipta Biswas and the team @ Boon Castle / Flying Carpet Productions for audio post-production engineering!

My guest Chandana Singh is a lawyer, founder of ‘Advocacy for Dyslexia’, and of The Office of Learning Support at India’s leading liberal arts university Ashoka University. Join me in this chat as Chandana dives into what makes life challenging as a neurodiovergent learner and what we can do as parents, friends, and community members to both support these children and adults and also learn from them!

Listen in as Chandana shares what led her to doing this important work in Mumbai and all over India! Hear our chat now on your favorite podcast app, Spotify or iTunes and please take a second to rate us wherever you’re listening so the voices of these inspiring women can be heard all over the world!

SHOWNOTES FOR EPISODE 87:

Read more about Chandana’s work featured in The Times of India

Neurodivergence

Aamir Khan’s film Taare Zameen Par

Questions? Comments? Get in touch @theindianeditpodcast on Instagram !

Want to talk gardens? Follow me @readyourgarden

Special thanks to Sudipta Biswas and the team @ Boon Castle / Flying Carpet Productions for audio post-production engineering!

Ever wonder what makes people take that leap and pivot into a second or even a third act? My Boston-based guest moved from a successful career in consulting to non-profit leadership, and now to landscape design! So inspiring to hear how this dynamic and passionate Bangladeshi-American has jumped into new fields and established her own business. I’m particularly partial to this topic as a plant and garden design nerd myself, and I hope you’ll take away some inspiration to plan your own garden for next spring, or even your own career pivot!

Listen in as Shoma shares tips on successfully switching into a new career, and also ideas for making your outdoor space more sustainable and wildlife-friendly! Hear our chat now on your favorite podcast app, Spotify or iTunes and please take a second to rate us wherever you’re listening so the voices of these inspiring women can be heard all over the world!

SHOWNOTES FOR EPISODE 86:

Read more about Shoma’s work on her website and follow her on instagram

Doug Tallamy’s books and Homegrown National Park website

BBC Gardener’s World (available via Britbox in the US)

Books we discussed:

Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants

The Garden Tourist: 120 Destination Gardens and Nurseries in the Northeast

Kitchen Garden Revival: A Modern Guide to Creating a Stylish, Small-Scale, Low-Maintenance, Edible Garden

Planting in a Post-Wild World: Designing Plant Communities for Resilient Landscapes

Questions? Comments? Get in touch @theindianeditpodcast on Instagram ! Want to talk gardens? Follow me @readyourgarden

Special thanks to Sudipta Biswas and the team @ Boon Castle / Flying Carpet Productions for audio post-production engineering!