EkWomen highlights stories of inspiring desi women who’ve broken barriers and excelled in unusual careers. Today’s blog is not about diaspora women, but instead, I’m just reveling in being Indian. Bollywood is a fantastic ambassador and keeps us immigrants connected to the motherland. In the 80’s we waited for movies to be released on VHS...Read More
I attended a dance performance recently. The kathak dancer, Rachna Nivas, was born and raised in the US but her knowledge was far superior to mine considering I was raised in India and not only studied Bharat Natyam, but also played the sitar, sang classical Hindustani music and went to art and drama classes. But...Read More
At a recent event I attended in New York City, one of the panelists quoted Shirley Chisholm, the first African American woman elected to Congress, “If they don’t give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair.” The quote resonated in a room full of South Asian diaspora women. Today, our community is...Read More
Spoiler alert: For those who haven’t seen Season Four of Netflix’s, Never Have I Ever, and plan on watching, don’t continue reading. Though I do watch some shows on various streaming platforms, it is not really my thing. Somehow, I got hooked on to the Mindy Kaling’s creation of life in the Vishwakumar household. The...Read More
Dakshima was a lawyer in Sri Lanka but had to abandon a successful career and flee because identifying as queer in Sri Lanka was a crime. She not only left behind everyone and everything she loved, but had to make a career change too. The first few months were brutal but Dakshima never gave up....Read More
Nicole Mccarthy was just 16 when she decided to jump ship from her hometown of Bangalore and move to the UK to live with her English grandmother. On the podcast she shares about the culture shock she experienced that turned an extrovert into an introvert. Discover how she stumbled into a career in finance, becoming...Read More
Queens native, Trisha Sakhuja Wali is a digital content creator and social media strategist who co-founded Brown Girl magazine. Her foray into publishing was accidental because she entered university with every intention to become a lawyer. Find out how from being a contributor to Brown Girl, she switched tracks and became the owner of the...Read More
How did a girl, born in Birmingham to Muslim Pakistani parents, who became a biochemist and science teacher, end up as a stand-up comedian, actress and writer? Shazia Mirza is a riot and an anomaly. As one of UK’s most successful comedians Shazia has won England’s 1000 Most Influential People in comedy. She has been...Read More
CEO of Teach for India and founder of Akanksha, Shaheen Mistri spent her childhood outside India but came back for summer holidays. On one such visit, she decided to stay back instead of returning to pursue her undergraduate degree at Tufts. That decision not only changed her life but has changed the life of thousands...Read More
Pooja Bavishi is the founder and CEO of Malai, an unusual artisanal ice cream brand. Raised in North Carolina, Pooja remembers waking up each morning to the delicious aroma of her parent’s morning cuppa and knew she would eventually start a dessert business. Life took her to grad school in London, working in DC, business...Read More