Dirty Brown

I quit my big tech job at 37 with no backup plan - just savings, a podcast, and a feeling that something in me was dying. I thought I'd feel free. Instead, I felt lost. This is the episode nobody talks about: what actually happens after you make the brave choice. One month in. No KPIs. No performance reviews. No one telling me where I stand. What I didn't expect was that the hardest part w...

At age seven, Reet German was brought from India to Canada by a father she had never met, leaving her mother behind. In this episode of Dirty Brown, Reet joins host Kriti J to discuss how that moment of "shock" birthed a lifelong performance of being the "Good Girl" - and the radical, "besharam" choices she made to burn that script down. From checking herself into a h...

What does it actually cost a brown woman to choose herself - for decades? Manisha Solomon is an Indian woman in her 50s, unapologetic, and refuses to be invisible. In a culture that expects brown women to fade into the background after 50, Manisha has spent her entire life doing the opposite - and paying the price for it. In this episode of Dirty Brown, Manisha opens up about growing up with an em...

She's spent 11 episodes asking the questions. This time, she's answering them. In this special milestone episode, your host Kriti J switches seats and Shruti Sridhar takes the mic. What follows is one of the most honest conversations on the podcast yet: why Dirty Brown started from a place of anger and why Kriti is glad she waited, what it really means to be a brown woman living between tw...

Is life for Indian women better abroad? In Part II of our deep dive into the "India vs. Abroad" debate, host Kriti J and guest Sugandha S move from the safety of the streets to the safety of the systems we live in. If Part I was about the physical "Safety Tax," Part II is about the "Negotiation Tax." We explore sexism at workplace and systemic issues in India vs Abroad. We also get deeply personal...

On paper, lives of these two Indian women are remarkably similar - both are independent, childfree women working on their passions. However, their daily "negotiations" with physical space look very different. From the audacity of Uber drivers in Gurgaon to the subtext of racism and isolation in Toronto, host Kriti J and her long-time friend Sugandha explore the invisible "Safety Tax" that women pa...

What happens when a "good girl" trades an MBA for ultramarathons and designer career paths for desert dust? In this episode of Dirty Brown, Sugandha Singhal joins host, Kriti J to discuss how endurance training became her ultimate tool for self-discovery and social rebellion - from defying the "settled" timeline of her 30s to overcoming self-image issues. It’s a conversation about reclaiming your...

India’s complex relationship with fair skin - From the "Fair and Lovely" ads of our childhoods to the 4,000-year history of the caste system and colonial rule, we explore the "trifecta" of forces - colonialism, capitalism, and media - that fuel the obsession with light skin. Listen to personal stories of navigating family pressure and "ghostly" makeup shades, and sit down with cosmetologist Dr. Pr...

A brown woman in her 40s refusing every "good girl" expectation - that's Mita. In this first episode of the Badchalan Aurat series, host Kriti J talks to Mita about her life as a stand-up comedian, activist, and blogger. Mita shares her journey starting stand-up in midlife , navigating societal pressure with humor, and redefining nurturing, purpose, and womanhood on her own terms. Li...

If you’ve ever been shamed for choosing yourself, this episode is for you! Host Kriti J is joined by our fav guest Shruti S where they delve into the portrayal of female characters in Bollywood, discussing the prevalent tropes of the 'Abla Nari' and 'Badchalan Aurat'. They explore nuanced characters in modern films, who exactly is the badchalan aurat and the importance of reclaimin...

In this bonus episode, host Kriti J is joined again by Shruti S and they share their take on the new movie Aap Jaisa Koi . They break down the clash of conservative and progressive values, the underdeveloped main characters, and the slow pacing that makes parts of the movie a slog. Amid the clichés and missed opportunities, Kusum Bhabi emerges as the real hero, reclaiming agency and driving change...

We love dancing to them, but are we also complicit in the male gaze? In this episode, host Kriti J is joined by longtime friend and fellow Bollywood nerd Shruti S to unpack the complicated world of item numbers - the seductive, high-energy songs Bollywood can’t seem to quit. Together, they create the Dirty Brown Test — a feminist lens for evaluating whether item songs like Choli Ke Peeche, Oo Anta...

Host Kriti J unpacks media’s messy reaction to Blue Origin’s all-female spaceflight. Why did a mission featuring trailblazers like Amanda Nguyen and Aisha Bowe get reduced to Katy Perry memes and "rich girl" shade? Kriti dives into the nuance, calls out the quiet patriarchy, and reclaims the narrative. It’s about more than celebrity—it’s about who gets to belong in the cosmos. Chapters:  00:00 Cel...

Host Kriti J explores the experiences and challenges surrounding menstruation in a conversation with the guest speaker, Toni Knight. The speakers share personal stories about their first periods, cultural perspectives on menstruation, and the stigma associated with it. They discuss the importance of education, the potential impact of diet on menstrual health, and the need for open conversations ab...

"Men are like sand - the tighter you hold on to them, the more they slip away"? More like a pile of red flags. Your host, Kriti J, tears apart this fuckboy wisdom, exposing the misogyny and emotional unavailability hiding behind the poetry. Show notes: Interview with Professor Kate Manne.  Music by Alehandro Vodnik and  Ivan Ohanezov  from  Pixabay