Rethink Desi

In this episode of the Rethink Desi Reframe Series, we sit down with Charvi Budhdeo, the founder of The Movement Spectrum. As an expressive arts practitioner based in India, Charvi shares her unique journey from studying at EGS Switzerland to becoming a trained dance movement therapist and integrated family systems practitioner. Join us as Charvi delves into the transformative power of expressive...

Debasmita Dasgupta, an artist, arts for change advocate, and cinema lover, founded Films Positive to combine her passion for arts and her communication expertise. She has written and produced films, illustrated over 20 stories and poems for children and young adults, and created cause-based illustrations. Debasmita's work spans various mediums, including picture books, graphic novels, illustra...

Anirudh Rajagopalan is an Indian-Japanese-American music composer, director, producer, songwriter, and performer. He grew up in a dual cultural environment, learning both Western and Carnatic music🩷. Anirudh integrates different musical influences in his compositions and aims to bridge the gap between genres and cultures. He believes in keeping an open mind and exploring the similarities and diff...

Qasim Rashid, Esq. is a human rights lawyer, author, and former candidate for US Congress. He has published multiple peer reviewed works of scholarship on human rights, is a children’s book author (Hannah & the Ramadan Gift, Penguin Publishing), and is on Season 3 as host of The Qasim Rashid Show on SiriusXM🩷. Qasim has been published and featured in The New York Times, TIME, NPR, BBC, Guardi...

Bio: Jyoti Sarda brings twenty years as a senior-level global marketing executive with major studios and blue chip brands to developing impact-creating, documentary and narrative content through her company Nimble Media LLC. Currently, she is a producer on LILLY is a feature film chronicling the personal and political path of fair pay activist Lilly Ledbetter. Previously, she was producer on AND S...

In this episode, dive into the inspiring journey of Joseph Kolapudi, Creative Director of Solve Squad, as he shares insights from his diverse background in Business Management, HRM, and Theology. From his experiences as a South Asian immigrant to his dedication to supporting refugees, Joseph discusses the intersection of entrepreneurship, creativity, and social equity. Join us as we explore how Jo...

In this enlightening interview, join us as we delve deep into the transformative journey of Janani K.V. Rajan🩷, founder of The Indian Standard and a creative force on Instagram and TikTok. From navigating her own mental health challenges to inspiring thousands with her vulnerable storytelling, Janani shares insights, experiences, and practices that have shaped her perspective on mental health, sp...

A Journey to Mental Health & Self-Discovery | Interview with Janani K.V. Rajan 2024 ।। #Health #Self-Discovery #Interview #ReThinkDesi 🥰In this enlightening interview, join us as we delve deep into the transformative journey of Janani K.V. Rajan🩷, founder of The Indian Standard and a creative force on Instagram and TikTok👌. From navigating her own mental health challenges to inspiring thous...

In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Kavita Pallod Sekhsaria, a licensed clinical psychologist offering telehealth services across Maryland, Washington D.C., and Virginia. Join us as we explore a wide range of topics including anxiety, depression, stress, identity exploration, self-worth, multicultural issues, relationship challenges, and spirituality. Dr. Sekhsaria shares her journey into clinic...

In this episode, Arpita interviews Mrinal Gokhale about her new book, Taboo: South Asian Mental Health Stories. They discuss the inspiration behind the book and its focus on navigating mental illness, neurodivergence, identity, culture, and trauma in South Asian culture. They also explore the importance of challenging the model minority myth and providing a platform for South Asian Americans to sh...

Summary Dr. Sumitra Murthy, a mixed methods researcher at the University of Illinois Chicago, discusses her research on disability, family support, and caregiving for people with disabilities, with a focus on South Asian caregivers. She shares her personal journey and the reasons behind her interest in disability studies and caregiving. Dr. Murthy explains her current research study, MindWalk, whi...

Voting for the presidential primaries and local representatives is set for March 5, 2024. Bhavin Jindal, the youngest city council member in Loma Linda's history, shares his background and journey into local politics. He discusses the challenges he faced during his campaign and the importance of voter registration. Bhavin also highlights the unique perspective he brings to the City Council as...

Anu Kumar is a Communications Manager at BRAC. She is responsible for the Ultra Poor Graduation Initiative’s digital communications, including the engagement and management of digital platforms. Prior to joining BRAC UPGI, Anu was the Communications Specialist for the Economic Analysis and Research Network (EARN) at the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) focused on outreach and advocacy for issues ce...

Born in India and raised in Kentucky, Dr. Rajani LaRocca is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Medical School. She has been a primary care internal medicine physician at Massachusetts General Hospital since 2001. She lives in eastern Massachusetts with her husband and two children, where she spends her time writing, practicing medicine, and co-hosting the STEM Women in KidLit podcast. In 20...

Apurva Bhandari is the Founder of SankalpTaru Foundation, a tech-enabled nonprofit whose mission is to promote sustainable development and preserve the natural environment through community engagement, education, and implementing innovative techniques. Users can choose to plant a tree, proceed to pay for it, and the organization will plant and provide users with a geo-tracker which has the trees l...

Dr. Preeti Kaushik has has completed her PhD. in Nano and Micro Technology from Masaryk University in Brno, Czech Republic. She has recently completed her postdoctoral research at Czech Academy of Sciences in Prague. She talks about her journey and some of her work. 🔗 CONNECT WITH PREETI KAUSHIK 👥 LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/preeti-kaushik-8b3a4152/ 📸 Instagram - https://www.instagra...

Krishma immigrated to the United States from India when she was five years old, and like her protagonist Mira, grew up in Long Island and then attended NYU. She is a poet, writer, and public speaker. Krishma was the author of “Free Spirit,” a regular column in her hometown magazine, Brookville Living. She has an MS in education, as well as an MS in marketing. She has also worked as a high school s...

This is the second part of our conversation with author, Dhipa Lee. During this episode, she reflects on the importance of pursuing one's goals and dreams, even in the face of opposition or doubt from others. She encourages women to take that first step towards their aspirations and break down their goals into small, achievable steps. Dhipa emphasizes the power of focusing on what one wants ra...

Welcome to the 3rd season of the Reframe Series podcast and our first guest is Dhipa Lee, a Bangladeshi-born British author of the novel, Written . Written is about the journey of a young girl named Eleanor born into a complex family with strict religious and cultural beliefs. Readers are forced to grapple with love, secrets, betrayal, and honor through the landscape for painful experiences and de...

Ashesh Kamdar is President of Pratham, LA Chapter. He is also the President CEO of GBS Linens, which he joined in 2006. Prior to GBS, Ashesh worked in the technology sector for over a decade. He held various product management, marketing, consulting, and engineering positions with firms such as Symantec, Nortel Networks, Deloitte Consulting, and Hewlett-Packard. He has a BS in Electrical Engineeri...

Hi everyone, welcome back to another episode of the Reframe Series, where we are unpacking what it means to be Desi, locally and globally. Please follow ups for more content! For this week, we will be having a discussion on what a multi-national partnership for promoting education within India looks like. For this discussion, we have Shrithika Logeshwaran, a third-year student at UC Berkeley, who...

Kevin Thomas is an undergraduate student at UC Berkeley studying Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. He is the President of Asha for Education, Berkeley chapter.    https://ashanet.org/ #podcast #immigrants #southasian #philanthropy #nonprofit

Dr. Laxmi Ramasubramanian is Interim Associate Dean for Research for the College of Social Sciences and Professor of Urban Planning at San Jose State University. Her research focuses on how to improve the quality of public engagement about complex urban problems; and how to innovatively use local/indigenous community knowledge to inform planning and policymaking. #urban planning #education #resear...

Payal Sawhney (MHA, MSW, LCSW) is a licensed mental health practitioner with over 20 years of experience. She has worked in various hospitals in various cities in the field of mental health. She has extensive experience in successfully planning and launching community projects for prevention of mental illness and enhancement of well-being in the South Asian community. She also has an extensive bac...

Saumya is a Research Associate at the Global Center for Environment & Energy at the Ahmedabad University. She also works on the Opportunities for Climate Mitigation and Sustainable Development (OPTIMISM) project, which is funded by the UK Natural Environment Research Council as part of the research council’s “Towards a Sustainable Earth” program and the DBT at Ministry of Science and Technolog...