The Indian Edit

Drawing on her own American childhood as the daughter of immigrants from Kerala, and parenting her own kids as an expat in Hong Kong and Amsterdam, my newest guest Dr. Anisha Abraham has built on her training and expertise in adolescent health to create a fabulous resource for parenting cross-cultural kids. If you have or will have a teen in your home, or if you just know any, this chat is full of practical tips to being a better guide for the young people in your life!

Join the conversation below, on your favorite podcast app, Spotify or www.theindianedit.com 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! P.S. Our audio connection wasn’t the best in this episode, so please bear with us - Anisha’s amazing tips are so helpful, you don’t want to miss it!

SHOWNOTES FOR EPISODE 46:

Find Anisha at her website and the book on Amazon in paperback and Kindle

Anisha on Instagram

Books and other stuff we discussed:

Reading with Patrick by Michelle Kuo

Third Culture Kids 3rd Edition: Growing up among worlds by Ruth E. Van Reken

This Messy, Mobile Life by Mariam N Ottimofiore

Raising Kids to Thrive by Kenneth R. Ginsburg

Families in Global Transition website

Maisha Concept’s sustainable fashion

Follow us on Instagram for more on our guests and everything we mentioned in this episode!

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

“If I don’t back myself now, then who will?”

My dynamic Singapore-based guest Kshama Alur left her corporate branding career to start Indigrow Kids along with her co-founder and child development expert Akhila Das Blah. They’ve set out to diversify kids’ playrooms with their sustainably produced, multicultural books and games focusing on India and other global cultures. We chat about entrepreneurship, culture, sustainability, and why women should take the plunge and bet on themselves.

Join the conversation below, on your favorite podcast app, Spotify or www.theindianedit.com 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 45:

IndiGrow Kids website and instagram

Other stuff we discussed:

Here We Are film based on the book by Oliver Jeffers on Apple

Oliver Jeffers Books

Tiny World

Follow us on Instagram for more on Kshama, IndiGrow and everything we mentioned in this episode!

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

For so many of us, a New Year dawns with thoughts of restrictive eating and dissatisfaction with our bodies. I hope this conversation brings a healthy dose of caution, optimism and balance to start the year off on a more joyful, self-accepting note. My friend and Eating Disorders coach Lindsay Ronga shares how she overcame her own crippling anorexia and found purpose in helping others achieve the same freedom. Hear how this Harvard Business School graduate turned her back on a private equity career to launch ‘Outshining ED’, how her videos became an unexpected TikTok sensation, and why parents should be wary of diet culture.

Full conversation below, or at www.theindianedit.com 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 44:

Lindsay’s website Outshining ED, her instagram, and TikTok

Read for more on her TikTok success: My TikTok got over 1 million views, why?

Lindsay’s TEDx Talk On YouTube: You Look Okay But Forgot How To Be Okay

Books we discussed:

"How to talk so kids will listen and listen so kids will talk"

"The Highly Sensitive Child"

Susan Burton's memoir "Empty"

Follow us on Instagram for more on Lindsay and everything we mentioned in this episode!

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

Have a kid? Know a kid? Were a kid? This final episode of 2020 is a must listen! Honored to have publishing powerhouse Namrata Tripathi (founder and publisher of Kokila Books) join me in this wonderful chat where she talks about the power of representation in children’s literature, how her international upbringing has shaped her, and what it’s like to create a picture book with His Holiness The Dalai Lama!

SHOWNOTES FOR EPISODE 43:

Kokila Books on the web and instagram

Guardian article (that I misquoted!) about the UK survey from the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education, which found that the proportion of British children’s books featuring a black, Asian or minority ethnic main character had increased to 5% in 2019, from just 1% in 2017.

Namrata’s Turban Talk for Ignite @ Kickstarter

KOKILA BOOKS (Namrata shared how some of these gems were created):

Fauja Singh Keeps Going: The True Story of the Oldest Person to Ever Run a Marathon by Simran Jeet Singh

The Seed of Compassion: Lessons from the Life and Teachings of His Holiness the Dalai Lama by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, illustrated by Bao Luu

Patron Saints of Nothing by Randy Ribay

Antiracist Baby by Ibram X. Kendi and illustrated by Ashley Lukashevsky

The Ocean Calls: A Haenyeo Mermaid Story by Tina Cho, illustrated by Jess X. Snow

My Rainbow by DeShanna Neal and Trinity Neal, illustrated by Art Twink

The Night Diary by Veera Hiranandani

PRE-ORDER:

Fatima's Great Outdoors by Ambreen Tariq , illustrated by Stevie Lewis

Laxmi's Mooch by Shelly Anand, illustrated by Nabi H. Ali

OTHER BOOKS WE DISCUSSED:

Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates

Begin Again: James Baldwin's America and Its Urgent Lessons for Our Own by Eddie S. Glaude

The Undocumented Americans by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio

The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You're Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are by Brené Brown

Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women That a Movement Forgot by Mikki Kendall

The Light of the World: A Memoir by Elizabeth Alexander

Follow us on Instagram for more on Namrata, Kokila, and everything we mentioned in this episode!

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

My dearest friends Priya, Kanchan and I had a little too much fun recording this live Zoom call where a few of you joined! We chat about holiday traditions, menus, gift ideas and of course what we are each reading, watching and listening to this December. Grab a chai or champagne and join us in this Happy Hour which was recorded live on Dec 4, 2020 with old friends and audience members joining us from all around the world!

Full conversation below, on your favorite podcast app, Spotify or at www.theindianedit.com and please take a second to rate us wherever you’re listening so others can find us too! (Please excuse the audio quality as everyone had a bit more background than usual.)

SHOWNOTES FOR EPISODE 42 (we covered so much I’ve probably missed some things!):

Kanchan’s cookbook, blog & instagram

Priya at The India Center Foundation and her documentary Lovesick now on Vimeo - a must watch!

The Elder-fashioned cocktail recipe

The champagne we all sampled during the call by Drappier

Stanley Tucci’s instagram cocktail experiments

Sbagliato cocktail recipe

DiasporaCo spices

Burlap & Barrel Floyd Cardoz masalas and the unusual and ‘life-changing’ Black lime and Urfa Chili

Just Date syrup and chai caramel

Artem Jewelry by Sadhna whose hoops I was wearing

Design Mom’s Gifts for Teens

BOOKS WE DISCUSSED:

Finding Mighty by Sheela Chari

Here We Are by Aarti Shahani

Caste by Isabel Wilkerson

Brit Bennett’s The Vanishing Half

Witches of Brooklyn by Sophie Escabasse

Patron Saints of Nothing by Randy Ribay

Fauja Singh Keeps Going: The True Story of the Oldest Person to Ever Run a Marathon by Simran Jeet Singh

Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling

After The Ecstasy The Laundry by Jack Kornfield

Parwana: Recipes and Stories from an Afghan Kitchen by Durkhanai Ayubi

Yotam Ottolenghi’s cookbooks

Dishoom: The First Ever Cookbook from the Much-Loved Indian Restaurant by Shamil & Kavi Thakrar

The Yoga of Eating

Eat to Beat Disease: The New Science of How Your Body Can Heal Itself

SHOWS & FILMS:

The Social Dilemma

His Dark Materials

Aarya on Hotstar

Made in Heaven

My Octopus Teacher

Fantastic Fungi

Lovesick - Priya’s fantastic documentary

PODCASTS:

Song Exploder

Home Cooking with Samin Nosrat and Hrishikesh Hirway

OTHER FAB GIFTS FROM PREVIOUS PODCAST GUESTS:

Maisha Concept sustainable fashion

Christine Chitnis’ gorgeous book Patterns of India

Sayali Goyal’s magazine Cocoa & Jasmine

Follow us on Instagram and check out our website for more amazing guests, gift ideas!

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

Growing up in a family of Sindhi entrepreneurs based in Morocco and Ghana, my guest Sandhya Nankani grew up speaking French, Twi, English and Sindhi. Join me as she shares what it was like growing up between Ghana, India and the US, and how she came to launch her children’s media production studio Literary Safari. Her studio focuses on using evidence-based research to inform its inclusive creations (podcasts, apps, games and curriculum) that celebrate diversity and global citizenship. The award-winning NYC-based studio has worked on projects for UNESCO, Sesame Workshop, Scholastic and also recently launched its own podcast: Story Seeds.

We chat multicultural childhoods, favorite podcasts for kids and their grown-ups, and even Amitabh Bachchan! Full conversation below, or www.theindianedit.com 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 41:

Sandhya’s studio Literary Safari’s website and her instagram

The Story Seeds Podcast

KIDMAP (Kids' Inclusive and Diverse Media Action Project)

BOOKS WE DISCUSSED:

The Unexplainable Disappearance of Mars Patel by Sheela Chari

The Mars Patel podcast

Caste by Isabel Wilkerson

Sandhya’s favorite podcasts:

Song Exploder

Ten Percent Happier

Poetry Unbound

Follow us on Instagram for more on Sandhya and everything we mentioned in this episode!

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

My guest in this episode is the ambitious, yet modest entrepreneur and architect, Anjali Mangalgiri, who has built her business Grounded on sustainable principles that she also abides by in her daily life. After training at premier institutions in India and the US, Anjali jumped in the deep end by launching her own practice in Goa to build hand in hand with nature.

Tune in to hear how the Singapore-based Anjali builds and develops properties in Goa, why she wishes she had taken more time off after her first baby, and why she doesn’t want her buildings ‘to shout’, in this inspiring episode that might make you take a closer look at the environment you live in.

Full conversation below, on your favorite podcast app, or on www.theindianedit.com and please do subscribe, so you don’t miss an episode!

SHOWNOTES FOR EPISODE 40:

Anjali’s architecture practice Grounded and instagram

Cool stuff we discussed:

The Japanese film Every Day a Good Day — a lovely ode to paying attention

Anjali’s favorite podcasts:

- Monocle on Design

- 99% Invisible

- Holistic healing with Vasudha Rai for Ayurvedic knowhow, eating well and holistic wellness

- More than one thing by Athena Calderone for girl power

Anjali’s favorite Singapore bars & restaurants:

Since we are in the middle of a pandemic and cannot travel, a list of favorite bars/ restaurants (where you feel like you are on vacation):

- Bob's Bar at Capella Sentosa for a luxury island getaway feel

- FOC Sentosa for a Bali feel

- Akanoya Robatayaki for a Japan feel

- Clinton Street Baking Co. for a New York feel

- Samy's Curry for a Chennai feel

Nature walks.. so many:

- I love the East Coast Park, it is now super crowded, but it is amazing with kids

- MacRitchie Reservoir

- Walk from Horticulture Park to Mt. Faber

A final note from Anjali on Singapore food locations - everywhere. Singapore is such a food heaven with wonderful food from all over Asia. Wonderful fried chicken & tofu stew from Korea, dumplings from Taiwan, pho from Vietnam, sushi from Japan. I love laksa, nasi padang, and the humble chicken rice at food courts. There are hand made noodles and stir-fried bowls in mala sauce to enjoy. I love Hokkien Mee, which is a dish with noodles and prawns and just a little bit of broth that makes it slurpy, soft and comforting. Szechuan dishes, ramen and satay are all mouth watering. Sorry, did I get to the Thai food yet and of course the pepper crab

Follow us on Instagram for more on Anjali and everything we mentioned in this episode!

Special thanks to Varun Dhabe, Aman Moroney and the team @ Flying Carpet Productions for audio post-production engineering!

“It is so important for our kids to be seen. The importance of seeing a Black-Indian girl exploring these traditions from South Asia, I think the value of that is intentional.”

My chat with preventive medicine physician, meditation and yoga teacher, and mother of two young girls moved me to tears but was so hopeful! Rashmi shares both her journey as a doctor trying to expand modern medicine’s approach to healing, and her moving, personal story of integrating her own culture and her black husband’s while raising their two daughters. As a debut picture book author, Rashmi found a way to represent this diversity in the beautiful ‘Finding Om’ - a wonderful addition to any home library! We talk meditation, Ayurveda, medicine, intergenerational connection, race, and of course, lots of great books! Join us in our full conversation below, and please do subscribe, so you don’t miss an episode!

SHOWNOTES FOR EPISODE 39:

Rashmi’s website and instagram

Finding Om at Mango and Marigold Press and Amazon

Books and other things we discussed:

Vijay Prashad’s The Karma of Brown Folk

Ronald Epstein's Attending

See No Stranger by Sikh social Justice activist and lawyer Valarie Kaur

Supriya Kelkar’s American as Paneer Pie

Tomi Adeyemi’s Children of Blood and Bone and Children of Virtue and Vengeance

Tami Charles’ All because you Matter

Follow us on Instagram for more on Rashmi and everything we mentioned in this episode!

Special thanks to Varun Dhabe, Aman Moroney and the team @ Flying Carpet Productions for audio post-production engineering!

“When I felt like I wasn’t growing in a job, I just left. I was not there for the comfort zone, I was not there to look good! My career graph!? Let’s just say a corporate wouldn’t hire me!”

My latest guest embodies the entrepreneur’s need for freedom to pursue a vision, even when others can’t understand what it is. Delhi-based cultural entrepreneur, brand and travel consultant, Sayali Goyal, created Cocoa & Jasmine, a digital and print publication dedicated to the visual documentation of crafts, arts, and design in a contemporary Indian and global context. Hear how her agency or ‘studio’ work supports the independent publication of this gorgeous, coffee-table worthy magazine, and check out her platform to meet more creative entrepreneurs from all over the world. We chat about her Delhi favorites, her global adventures, and her wish to be mentored by Good Earth’s Anita Lal!

SHOWNOTES FOR EPISODE 38:

Cocoa & Jasmine website and instagram

Read how Shamil Thakrar’s dissatisfaction with the UK’s expression of Indian culture and his childhood fascination with Bombay’s Irani cafes led to the creation of Dishoom.

Sayali’s interview of Good Earth founder Anita Lal is here

Books and other things we discussed:

Nappa Dori https://www.nappadori.com/

FabIndia https://www.fabindia.com/

Lota https://shoplota.com/

Nicobar https://www.nicobar.com/

Eka http://www.eka.co/

28 Kothi boutique guest house in Jaipur http://www.28kothi.com/index.html#about

Safdarjung tomb http://delhitourism.gov.in/delhitourism/tourist_place/safdarjang_tomb.jsp

The Bookshop Jor Bagh https://thebookshopjorbagh.wordpress.com/

Devan’s coffee shop https://www.devans.in/index.php?route=information/information&information_id=4

Bikaner House https://lbb.in/delhi/bikaner-house-delhi/

NGMA http://ngmaindia.gov.in/

The Crafts Museum http://nationalcraftsmuseum.nic.in/

Vadehra Art Gallery - Defence colony https://www.vadehraart.com/

Habitat Centre https://www.indiahabitat.org/

Odd bird Theatre https://www.oddbird.org/

Travels of Ibn Batuta

Shiva to Shankara by Devdutt Pattanaik

Indigo by Satyajit Ray

Essential Kabir

Follow us on Instagram for more on Sayali and everything we mentioned in this episode!

Special thanks to Varun Dhabe, Aman Moroney and the team @ Flying Carpet Productions for audio post-production engineering!

SHOWNOTES FOR EPISODE 37:

Pravini’s website and instagram

The Uprising full film on YouTube

Books and other things we discussed:

Jhumpa Lahiri’s The Namesake

Indian Matchmaking on Netflix

Follow us on Instagram for more on Pravini and everything we mentioned in this episode!

Special thanks to Varun Dhabe, Aman Moroney and the team @ Flying Carpet Productions for audio post-production engineering!