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Brown People We Know

Brown People We Know

Suraj Kandukuri

Brown People We Know is an interview podcast with South Asian Americans taking non-traditional paths. Past guests include a a world-touring Death Metal guitarist that retired and became a dentist, a single mother that became a Hindu priestess at age 62, and a professional dancer blending Bharatanatyam with Tap Dance on large stages like NYC's Lincoln Center. By sharing these stories, the podcast aims to break down stereotypes about South Asians and to reduce social pressures from within the diaspora community to take a certain path. BPWK has been featured in Forbes and News India Times, and in 2021, we received the Lions Share Podcast of the Year award.
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Top 10 Brown People We Know Episodes

Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Brown People We Know episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Brown People We Know for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Brown People We Know episode by adding your comments to the episode page.

Dan is a management consultant turned company builder. After majoring in Cognitive Sciences at Rice University, Dan went on to work as an associate with the consulting firm Oliver Wyman. There, Dan took a secondment where he was shipped off to Colombia to work in the impact investing space. He got hooked. Dan left consulting and today, he lives in Colombia working as Chief of Staff for Polymath Ventures, an investment firm that builds new businesses from scratch to scale across Latin America. In this episode we reflect on how Dan’s multifaceted identity, as a Malayali Christian son of divorced parents that moved around a lot, affected his relationships with the “brown community” in New Jersey. We also talk about why it led to his decision to turn down a full-ride scholarship to NYU Stern, despite knowing early on that he wanted to build a career in business. Dan also gave us a glimpse into how Polymath Ventures tailored its business model for Colombia, why the country is ripe for investment, and his excitement about finding a place that combines social impact and business. Lastly he shared some funny anecdotes about life in Colombia. Those included not having internet access during the 2016 election results, getting approached by a Colombian Bhangra team, and venturing into some of the lesser-explored spots in Colombia.
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Anu Seghal is a cultural educator that grew up in India as the daughter of an Hindu Army soldier and a Muslim gynecologist. She moved to the United States over 20 years ago to complete her education and began working as a brand manager for major companies including Colgate and Mattel. In those roles, Anu honed her entrepreneurial skills, something she’s had since childhood, to then launch The Culture Tree. Since 2015, she’s spearheaded this organization which works with museums, schools, and libraries to promote South Asian Literacy, in addition to running language classes for children! Past clients of the Culture Tree include the Met and Children's Museum of Manhattan, and in 2021 they hosted Colors of India, the first South Asian event in NYC’s Hudson Yards. We talked about the diversity that Anu saw within India, both living in a multicultural household and growing up as an “army brat.” She reflected on coming to America and what she did to fit in, versus today running a business that highlights her South Asian heritage. Lastly, we talk about how running The Culture Tree has influenced the way that Anu parents and the role that Anu plays in taking care of her own mother today.
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Brown People We Know - PWK: Mild Mannered & Timid (Basmati Wars)
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08/10/21 • 76 min

Mild Mannered & Timid is a conversational show where hosts Kunal, Kush, and Ria share their unfiltered takes on anything and everything related to the diaspora. If you don’t believe it, just check out the names of their episodes: Jalebis Look Like Poop, What The F Is Holi, Cockfighting, Women Should Not Wear Ripped Jeans, and Baba F*ckdev. Today’s episode is called “Basmati Wars,” because Kunal did some research and reveals to us why India and Pakistan are fighting over Basmati. Him and Ria talk about their move to LA, including the expensive breakfast spot across the street. And there’s a more somber conversation on hate crimes... but that’s in addition to chatting about Kim Kardashian’s Om earrings, Google’s opinion on the ugliest Indian language, and the Florida of India. Again, unfiltered takes on anything and everything.
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Anish is a NYC Queens-raised Bengali that built a career in finance, working for Barclays and Goldman Sachs. While he still wears Ferragamo and advocates for crypto, he’s not your typical finance bro. Before leaving his job as a VP at Goldman, Anish started building a second career in standup comedy. He’s performed at Gotham Comedy Club, The Village Underground, and at many corporate gigs. He even ran a monthly show, called The Surprise Show, which featured some big names like Hasan Minaj, Jim Gaffigan, and Nikki Glaser. Today Anish has combined his two careers into IPO & Chill, a brand focused on putting out entertaining financial news and content. You’ve probably seen his TikToks about the best shoes to buy as an intern, or his IG stories about whether you should buy Bitcoin. In this episode, Anish talked about the reasons why people pursue a career in investment banking. He talked about getting money for the first time and about how his attitude around money and his spending habits have evolved over time. He shared the funny story of how a coworker introduced him to stand-up comedy, and how that medium compares to making funny content for social media. Near the end, Anish shares his one tip for living a more intentional life and becoming a better dater.
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Brown People We Know - Two New Segments!

Two New Segments!

Brown People We Know

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07/14/21 • 1 min

Another exciting announcement for BPWK listeners! Check your podcast feed in the upcoming weeks for the launch of our two new segments. South Asian University - an interview series where we bring in academics and discuss cultural or historical topics that affect the diaspora. SAU episodes will come out every five episodes in lieu of our regular interviews. The first one is with Madhavi Reddi, a PhD student studying ethical media representation with a focus on the South Asian diaspora. Releasing 7/20. PWK - a feature series where we bring you episodes from other South Asian-created podcasts ranging in topic, style, etc. It could be a talk show, a show about South Asian history, anything is game. PWK episodes will come out biweekly on Thursdays, in addition to our regular episodes. The first one is with South Asian Stories, a show that is similar to BPWK. Listen as Sameer interviews Romen Borsellino, an Indian-Italian writer for celebs like Kal Penn and Lilly Singh. Releasing 7/29. Episodes will be labeled SAU and PWK in the feed. Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your podcast app to get notified when they come out!
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Surbhi Sahni is a chef with over two decades of professional culinary experience. She served as the Creative Director behind the Michelin-starred New York restaurants Devi and Tulsi. Today, she continues to work her magic at Saar Bistro in Midtown, New York. Surbhi is also the founder of Tagmo Treats, a small-batch South Asian food company, through which she creates delectable mithai confections like burfi in chocolate, pistachio, and rose flavors. Through Tagmo, she aims to make Indian mithai a mainstream dessert in America. Aside from her culinary delights, Surbhi has used her work as Job Director at Sapna NYC and Founder at Tagmo to provide job training and employment in professional kitchens for immigrant women. In this episode, she shares her own story starting as a chef in an all-women kitchen in Delhi, before successfully immigrating to the USA despite a Visa mishap. She explains why we continue to see a gender disparity in professional kitchens and about her qualms with the coveted Michelin Star award. Lastly, she talks about the form of recognition that brings her the most joy, the real process behind how chefs draw inspiration for dishes, and about her cookbook recommendations.
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Ranjan is a retired engineer who earned her PhD in Chemistry in India during the 1980’s. At 62, she decided to come out of retirement by visiting Haridwar in India and training to become a priestess. Today, at 67, she goes by the moniker The New England Priest as she officiates weddings. It was interesting to hear about her motivation for becoming a priestess and how she has adapted her learnings from Haridwar for the unique weddings that she conducts in America. For example, interfaith weddings. In this episode, Ranjan shared the story of her family leaving Tanzania during Idi Amin’s time and about earning the nickname “Rapid Ranjan” as she hiked Kilimanjaro years later. We talk about her decision to pursue higher education despite her father’s wishes, and the funny way that she convinced him to pay for it. And she reflected on parenting as a single mother of two and what she sees her role as a grandparent today.
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TikTok isn’t just for dances. Annesa is an advocate using the platform to share her story, marrying young and divorcing an abusive husband, to inspire women to act with confidence and to break stigmas in the South Asian community. Her vulnerability has earned her well over 300,000 followers, with some videos hitting views in the millions. And her job as an influencer is on top of being a full-time psych nurse and a full-time Masters student. In this episode, Anessa talks about having to explain Bangladesh to people who think that it's the same place as India. She explains the mental barriers that she faced when leaving her abuser and how Islam played a role before and after her marraige. And she shares the story of how she became a TikTok star thanks to a bet.
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Deepti Sharma doesn’t just eat at restaurants, she builds businesses around them. She’s a Forbes 30 under 30 entrepreneur with two food-related ventures. In addition to her businesses, Deepti is very active in the NYC community. She’s a board member for the Business Center for New Americans, a mentor in the WE NYC initiative, and one of the candidates that ran for NYC Council this past year. In this episode, Deepti shares how COVID affected her two businesses differently. She reflects on her experience as a candidate in New York’s first ranked choice election. And she talks about asking her kids lots of questions, and the definition of success that she wants to leave them with.
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Brown People We Know - Trailer

Trailer

Brown People We Know

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06/19/20 • 1 min

Welcome to Brown People We Know! My name is Suraj Kandukuri. As an Indian that grew up in Canada and the United States, I got to experience two cultures at the same time. Different foods, languages, holidays, and more. It’s an interesting experience, that I want to dive deeper into. Join me as I interview fellow Indian Americans, and other brown people that live outside South Asia.
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FAQ

How many episodes does Brown People We Know have?

Brown People We Know currently has 39 episodes available.

What topics does Brown People We Know cover?

The podcast is about Society & Culture, Personal Journals, Podcasts and Relationships.

What is the most popular episode on Brown People We Know?

The episode title 'Dan Abraham - Management Consultant on Moving to Colombia, Impact Investing, & Multifaceted Identities' is the most popular.

What is the average episode length on Brown People We Know?

The average episode length on Brown People We Know is 45 minutes.

How often are episodes of Brown People We Know released?

Episodes of Brown People We Know are typically released every 13 days, 23 hours.

When was the first episode of Brown People We Know?

The first episode of Brown People We Know was released on Jun 19, 2020.

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