In honor of MLK Day, we chat about our personal experiences of the holiday and discuss similarities and differences between the histories of African-Americans and South Asians in the US. We also talk about discrimination - especially in the form of colorism - and how it’s important to learn about the histories of other communities.

🍿 WHERE TO WATCH THIS EPISODE: https://youtu.be/GGzSRrTxNiY

🔗 HELPFUL RESOURCES
🌐Zinn Education Project - https://www.zinnedproject.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.

⏱️ TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 Intro and personal reflections on MLK Day
08:50 Colorism
11:05 Similarities and differences in the history of black and South Asian communities in the US
15:57 Learning and listening to the histories of other communities
22:03 Closing thoughts

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, and it can feel very vulnerable to share them with others. In this episode, Abhjith Ravinutala joins the show for an inspiring, vulnerable, and courageous conversation about mental health. He shares 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/CRPVARK_Md4

⏱️ 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