Chai Across Generations

In honor of MLK Day, we chat about our personal reflections of the holiday and some similarities and differences between the South Asian experience and the black experience in America. We also talk about discrimination - especially in the form of colorism - and  how it’s important to learn about the histories of other communities without assuming that we know them already.

Happy New Year! We chat about our personal impressions of New Year, how we think about New Year’s Resolutions and goal-setting, and questions to ask other generations to better understand their hopes and goals for the year. 🍿 WHERE TO WATCH THIS EPISODE: https://youtu.be/LKAphYpu3X4 🔗 HELPFUL RESOURCES 🎥 How To Make 2024 The Best Year Of Your Life by Ali Abdaal - https://youtu.be/c_DOG_mXz5w?si=1L8T-vrQCGG6ydUI 👋🏽 CONNECT WITH US 📷 Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/chaiacrossgenerations 📧 Email - chaiacrossgenerations@gmail.com 🙋🏽‍♂️WHO ARE WE? Hi! We are friends a generation apart who explore a new topic each week to better understand - and maybe even bridge - the gap between generations. We want to help people feel seen and heard in their experiences and to create greater understanding between our listeners and their loved ones. ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS: 0:00 Intro and personal impressions of New Year 08:39 New Year’s Resolutions and goal-setting 16:56 New Year’s and climate change 21:30 Questions to ask other generations about New Year 23:07 Closing thoughts

We recap our funniest moments from the first 39 episodes in this year-end special! From Shankar sharing hilarious stories with his daughter to Nikil playing a South Asian-inspired version of "Would You Rather?" with Mukhunth, this year had several moments that made us laugh. Thank you all for watching or listening to our show in 2023!  If you want to see more, check out the full episodes below. 🍿 WHERE TO WATCH THIS EPISODE: https://youtu.be/7M-_NMoJaQo 🍿 LINKS TO EPISODES MENTIONED 🎧 Episode 20: Father's Day - Father And Daughter https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/episode-20-fathers-day-father-and-daughter/id1670792621?i=1000617507446 🎧 Episode 13: Cousins Across Continents https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/episode-13-cousins-across-continents/id1670792621?i=1000611266783 🎧 Episode 14: Mother's Day https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/episode-14-mothers-day/id1670792621?i=1000612125383 🎧 Episode 36: Chills, Thrills, and Immigration - A Halloween Special https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/episode-14-mothers-day/id1670792621?i=1000612125383  👋🏽 CONNECT WITH US 📷 Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/chaiacrossgenerations 📧 Email - chaiacrossgenerations@gmail.com 🙋🏽‍♂️WHO ARE WE? Hi! We are friends a generation apart who explore a new topic each week to better understand - and maybe even bridge - the gap between generations. We want to help people feel seen and heard in their experiences and to create greater understanding between our listeners and their loved ones. ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Intro 01:13 Shankar's funny stories with his daughter 07:07 What Nikil and his cousin find funny and confusing about one another 11:13 Stories about Nikil in conversation with his mother 15:28 A game of South Asian "Would You Rather?" with Mukhunth 22:52 Closing thoughts

We recap the four biggest lessons we learned in 2023 from our conversations on the podcast. From mental health to communicating with other generations and raising multicultural kids, this year has taught us a lot that continues to be relevant in our lives. Thank you all for watching or listening to our show in 2023!  🍿 WHERE TO WATCH THIS EPISODE: https://youtu.be/MFl4NKnmCyE 🍿 LINKS TO EPISODES MENTIONED  🎧 Lesson 1: Mental Health - Opportunity Or Pathology? https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/episode-6-mental-health-opportunity-or-pathology/id1670792621?i=1000603891227 🎧 Lesson 2: Mental Health Stories That Inspire Hope And Healing https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/episode-35-mental-health-stories-that-inspire-hope/id1670792621?i=1000631443455 🎧 Lesson 3: Communication - What's The Endgame? https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/episode-11-communication-whats-the-endgame/id1670792621?i=1000609242977 🎧 Lesson 4: Raising Multicultural Kids And Diwali https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/episode-37-raising-multicultural-kids-and-diwali/id1670792621?i=1000634350241 👋🏽 CONNECT WITH US 📷 Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/chaiacrossgenerations 📧 Email - chaiacrossgenerations@gmail.com 🙋🏽‍♂️WHO ARE WE? Hi! We are friends a generation apart who explore a new topic each week to better understand - and maybe even bridge - the gap between generations. We want to help people feel seen and heard in their experiences and to create greater understanding between our listeners and their loved ones. ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Intro 01:51 Lesson 1: A creative, new way to think about mental health 10:46 Lesson 2: Talking to family and friends about mental health  18:11 Lesson 3: Understanding what kids need in a conversation with their parents 26:14 Lesson 4: Tips for raising multicultural kids 29:28 Closing thoughts

We’re back! We share some life updates that have kept us from the podcast in recent weeks. With the holidays right around the corner, we also talk about the top 3 things we love and hate about the holidays including music, expectations, and the act of giving.   🍿 WHERE TO WATCH THIS EPISODE: https://youtu.be/evQ5XnrpI10 🔗 NONPROFITS MENTIONED BY PREVIOUS GUESTS 👩🏽‍💻 MannMukti - https://www.mannmukti.org/ 👩🏽‍💻 Turpentine Creek Wildlife Reserve - https://www.turpentinecreek.org/ 👩🏽‍💻 Apna Ghar - https://www.apnaghar.org/ 🎊 HOLIDAY SONGS 🎵 "White Christmas" by Otis Redding - https://youtu.be/x_k5skKLwb8?si=pY6CnOUWs6VRLFdM 🎵 "Merry Christmas, Baby" by Otis Redding - https://youtu.be/rEyV8gnC4aQ?si=6B4QIWGl9P23TUkO 👋🏽 CONNECT WITH US 📷 Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/chaiacrossgenerations 📧 Email - chaiacrossgenerations@gmail.com 🙋🏽‍♂️WHO ARE WE? Hi! We are friends a generation apart who explore a new topic each week to better understand - and maybe even bridge - the gap between generations. We want to help people feel seen and heard in their experiences and to create greater understanding between our listeners and their loved ones. ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Life updates 10:20 Things we like and don’t like about the holidays preview 11:25 Holiday-themed drinks and media 13:40 Giving 14:57 Early shopping prompts 16:18 Travel and bad weather 18:12 Quality time with loved ones 21:57 Good music 22:53 Societal expectations about where we should be, especially for women 25:59 Endless, smooth elevator music in stores 27:07 Generosity of spirit 28:31 Holiday get-togethers 29:23 Expectations from others on how you’re spending your time  33:00 Holiday displacement of things we like 35:34 Closing thoughts

Raising kids in a foreign land can be challenging, especially around times of celebration back home. On today's episode, we talk to Ajanta Chakraborty and Vivek Kumar about tips for raising multicultural children, the power of stories, and the upcoming festival of Diwali. Ajanta and Vivek are a married couple and co-authors of Maya & Neel's India Adventure Series, a series of 15 children's books that make South Asian culture more accessible and fun for them. Their book "Let's Celebrate 5 Days of Diwali!" is a great gift for kids of all backgrounds as we head into Diwali season. 🍿 WHERE TO WATCH THIS EPISODE: https://youtu.be/MCgDVtk_4QM 🔗 HELPFUL RESOURCES 📚 Full series of Maya & Neel’s India Adventure Series books: https://www.bollygroove.com/books/ 🌐 Free cultural resources: https://bollygroove.com/free  🧒🏾 Raising multicultural kids Facebook group including free monthly workshops: https://www.facebook.com/groups/RaiseMulticulturalKids 👩🏽‍💻 Apna Ghar organization fighting to end gender violence: https://www.apnaghar.org/ 📚 AJANTA'S RECOMMENDED STARTER BOOKS (IN ORDER) 📕 Let’s Celebrate 5 Days of Diwali! https://a.co/d/asaQG47 📙 Let’s Celebrate Holi! https://a.co/d/4yFJfdC 📘 Diwali 50 Activity Book: https://a.co/d/8ctkl3F 📗 Let’s Learn About Ramayana: The Story of Diwali: https://a.co/d/9r2lc0u 👋🏽 CONNECT WITH US: 📷 Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/chaiacrossgenerations 📧 Email - chaiacrossgenerations@gmail.com 🙋🏽‍♂️WHO ARE WE?: Hi! We are friends a generation apart who explore a new topic each week to better understand - and maybe even bridge - the gap between generations. We want to help people feel seen and heard in their experiences and to create greater understanding between our listeners and their loved ones. ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Opening thoughts 02:24 Journey to begin writing the book series for kids 05:52 What inspired you to start writing these books? 10:05 Reception from kids and parents to the books 12:56 What have you learned about raising multicultural kids? 17:15 Tips for parents raising multicultural kids 20:48 Becoming curious about other cultures 23:24 What has it been like raising a multicultural kid? 26:36 Describing Diwali to someone who hasn’t heard about it before 29:39 Audience reception to the Diwali book and the importance of representation 36:27 What’s the biggest thing you’ve learned from another generation? 38:50 Supporting Apna Gar and closing thoughts

Many young South Asians leave their home countries to pursue their dreams in other countries like America. As they build their lives, they face an interesting question about whether to stay or to return to their home countries to be closer to family. We chat with Mukhunth Raghavan, a PhD student at the University of South Florida, about his journey as a young professional working abroad. We also play a fun game of South Asian “Would you rather?” in honor of the upcoming Halloween holiday. 🍿 WATCH NEXT: https://youtu.be/CRPVARK_Md4 🔗 HELPFUL RESOURCES 🎥 Tales Of A Reluctant Immigrant episode (Shankar's experience)  - https://youtu.be/wyqDAGydI1Q 👩🏽‍💻 Turpentine Creek Wildlife Reserve - https://www.turpentinecreek.org/ 👋🏽 CONNECT WITH US: 📷 Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/chaiacrossgenerations 📧 Email - chaiacrossgenerations@gmail.com 🙋🏽‍♂️WHO ARE WE?: Hi! We are friends a generation apart who explore a new topic each week to better understand - and maybe even bridge - the gap between generations. We want to help people feel seen and heard in their experiences and to create greater understanding between our listeners and their loved ones. 🎥 WHERE TO WATCH THIS EPISODE: https://youtu.be/3uWefvgvENk ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Opening thoughts 02:39 Something fun and something unexpected about Mukhunth 03:45 What has it been like to navigate three different worlds between Chennai, Dubai, and the US? 05:21 Leaving India and working abroad as a young professional 11:55 Why Mukhunth likes horror movies and Halloween 13:24 What really scares us 20:14 Is Chandramukhi the scariest Tamil horror movie? Plus other South Asian horror movies 23:20 South Asian “Would you rather?” 30:24 What’s the biggest thing you’ve learned about another generation? 32:14 A token of thanks and closing thoughts

We all have things that affects our mental health. In this episode, Abhjith Ravinutala joins the show to chat about his personal experiences with mental health, how the loss of a loved one led him to create MannMukti, and how the perception of mental health has changed over the years within the South Asian community. We also explore Abhjith's love for writing and his passion for creating or understanding a modern version of Hinduism. Join us for a deeply authentic and meaningful episode of the show! 🍿 WATCH NEXT: https://youtu.be/QzvohWZ9M1g 🔗 HELPFUL RESOURCES 👩🏽‍💻 Abhijith's personal website - https://www.AbhjithR.com 👩🏽‍💻 MannMukti's website  - https://www.mannmukti.org/ 🎥 MedCircle YouTube account with videos on personality disorders - https://www.youtube.com/@MedCircle 🎥 Dr. Tracey Marks: What social isolation does to your brain - https://youtu.be/c7_qmkmP-JM?si=cNyePnOMSR_2ihIq 📰 Nicolas Kristof's article on loneliness - https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/06/opinion/loneliness-epidemic-solutions.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare 👋🏽 CONNECT WITH US: 📷 Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/chaiacrossgenerations 📧 Email - chaiacrossgenerations@gmail.com 🙋🏽‍♂️WHO ARE WE?: Hi! We are friends a generation apart who explore a new topic each week to better understand - and maybe even bridge - the gap between generations. We want to help people feel seen and heard in their experiences and to create greater understanding between our listeners and their loved ones. 🎥 WHERE TO WATCH THIS EPISODE: https://youtu.be/QzvohWZ9M1g?si=Af10UO7r1DDgWI1T ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Opening thoughts 04:24 Experiencing culture shock as a kid moving to America  06:50 History as a study of what makes people tick  09:22 How the loss of a loved one inspired the birth of MannMukti  14:01 The power of storytelling to highlight mental health challenges in MannMukti  17:54 How the perception of mental health in the South Asian community has changed  24:12 A powerful, personal experience of sharing mental health challenges with family and friends  33:58 Feeling the despair of depression and the struggle to talk about it  37:57 Balance between parents wanting to help and a child not knowing why they’re feeling depressed 42:48 How to improve the conversation generationally around mental health  47:44 Nikil’s experience with mental health over the years  51:37 Why is mental health a bigger focus now than in previous generations? 58:32 Accepting our gifts of sensitivity in a society that may not always value it  1:04:30 Creating or understanding a modern version of Hinduism  1:17:48 Understanding Hinduism inside and outside of South Asia 1:25:11 A token of thanks and how to find Abhijith’s work  1:26:49 Takeaways from the conversation  1:32:57 Closing thoughts

Healing from grief after losing a loved one can be incredibly challenging. How do we move forward, and how do we make peace with their absence? How do we heal when our communities aren't as supportive or understanding about grief as we would like them to be? We explore these questions and much more in this heartfelt episode during Pitru Paksha, a time of reflection in the Hindu calendar to honor those who have passed and those who came before us. You can also watch this episode with video on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/GUOuhASZQy4?si=-cwf6YEqd85FH604 ⏱️TIMESTAMP⏱️ 00:00 Opening thoughts 06:43 Shankar’s personal experience with loss and grief 13:27 Spiritual wisdom that helped Shankar through grief 16:08 Nikil’s personal experience with loss and grief 18:28 How different cultures honor the dead 21:55 Overview of Pitru Paksha 24:21 Pitru Paksha as a way to honor and forgive the deceased  27:05 Examining our connection and link to past generations 31:47 Policing emotions within the community and what can be done 39:26 How to process unfinished conversations with those who have passed 43:49 Recommendations for younger generations who want to observe Pitru Paksha 47:58 Recommendations for those working through grief  53:36 Closing thoughts

The ICC 2023 Cricket World Cup starts later this week, the biggest event in the cricketing calendar. India is hosting the tournament and hopes to win its third World Cup title. We bring on special guest Balaji Narasimhan to chat about the history and memorable moments of Indian cricket, what it means to be an Indian cricket fan, and preview the upcoming World Cup. We also share an overview of the World Cup schedule, the competing teams, and predict the winner. If you're new to cricket and want to learn more about the sport, check out this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWpbtLIxYBk&ab_channel=SportsExplained ⏱️TIMESTAMP⏱️ 00:00 - Opening thoughts 02:55 -  How did you find and sustain your passion for cricket? (Initial love for cricket 07:00  - History and evolution of cricket in India 09:35 - What cricket means to us and personal memories (Balaji’s historic 96) 13:35 - Favorite cricket memories as a fan 19:55 - Cricket fan superstitions 22:48 - Favorite cricket players and what we admire about them - Vivian Richards, MS Dhoni, Ashwin 28:05 - History and importance of the World Cup  30:15 - World Cup tournament contenders 32:40 - Can India’s bowling keep up with the batting this time? 35:40 - Should bowlers be more popular than batsmen? 37:50 - Things to to watch for in this World Cup 39:50 - Who’s going to win the tournament? 43:05 - What’s the biggest thing you’ve learned from another generation? 44:47 - Closing thoughts

If you've ever been to a South Asian dinner party, you've probably gotten these questions from all of the aunties and uncles: "What are you studying? What are you doing?" Education and and career are highly valued in the South Asian community. On this episode, we explore a range of topics including our own educational journeys and how our community can alleviate the high academic pressure placed on students.

We reflect on the life and story of Jaahnavi Kandula, a 23-year-old graduate student who tragically lost her life when a police officer in Seattle accidentally hit her with his car. Her story became a big news story this week after body camera footage captured another cop making comments about the value of her life. We also talk about the  American Dream and how Jaahnvi's case shows that we as a society have more work to do to make this dream a reality.

Nikil just got back from a trip to India and we chat about all of the things on his trip, including the beauty of a blended Hindu/Sikh wedding, the joys and challenges of visiting relatives back home, and all of the food he ate along the way. Plus, we talk about why the South Asian breakfast buffet is one of the best in the whole world.

We finish our Me Or We series by exploring how individualism or collectivism show up for individual people as and how South Asia and Western societies differ on these dimensions. We also chat about the longstanding South Asian tradition of morning showers and the role that rebellion plays to shape our cultural and family traditions.

We continue our Me or We series this week and explore the topic of family vs. friends. We chat about a number of themes including  the challenges of navigating emotional space with parents, the generational differences in how we think about spending  time with family vs. friends, and the benefit of building guilt-free relationships.

We continue our Me or We series exploring how individualism and collectivism show up in South Asian and Western countries. On this episode, we dive into the idea of private space and how to navigate privacy between generations, especially between parents and children. While privacy is relevant in physical spaces, it's also relevant in digital spaces. Is it okay for parents to follow their children on social media? Listen on for our answer to this question and many others.

We kick off a new series called Me or We: examining individualism vs. collectivism in the South Asian community. The research and our experience shows that South Asian countries tend to be more collectivist while America and other Western countries focus more on the individual. How does this show up in our lives and influence who we are? We share some fun and hopefully relatable stories about growing up in these two different environments in part one of the conversation.

We're 25 episodes in and take a look back at how the podcast has grown and changed in that time. What did we set out to do initially, how have done against those goals, and what's next? We also chat about what we've learned about ourselves, how we work together, and share something funny that we've learned about the other person along the way!

Traveling to a new country opens our hearts and minds to new ways of thinking and being in the world. While Shankar travels to a new country, we exchange stories and ideas about yoga, meditation, and spirituality as tools that help us "level up" as people as we grow up. 

Immigration marks the start of a personal journey for each person as they learn to relate to both their home culture and their host culture. On this episode, we chat about what it looks like to integrate between two cultures as an immigrant, the cultural elements that really endure over multiple generations, and the differences between cultural appreciation and cultural appropriation. We also reflect on our biggest takeaways from this three-part series on immigration.