Masala Podcast: The South Asian feminist podcast

"My daughter asked if she could choose my wig after chemo..." In this episode, I speak with Susmita Bhattacharya. She’s an award-winning author with many books to her credit. Her debut novel, The Normal State of Mind, was longlisted for the Mumbai Film Festival prize, Word to Screen. Her short story collection, Table Manners, won the Saboteur Award in 2019 . Susmita’s work has been featured in many magazines and BBC Radio 4. She also teaches creative writing at universities and to young people in the community, and has judged many short story competitions.We talk about the taboo around discussing any major illness in our culture. Particularly, cancer. Susmita shares her own journey of discovering she had cancer, going through chemotherapy, learning to talk about it with her kids. She talks about the silence around the issue within the South Asian community as well as the support she received from some community members.MORE ABOUT SUSMITA: • Creative Writing Lecturer, Winchester University • Creative Writing faciliator for Mayflower Young Writers, an ArtfulScribe project in collaboration with Mayflower Theatre, Southampton http://www.artfulscribe.co.uk/blog-category/mayflower-young-writers Editing services: https://www.upclose-editing.comInsta @susmita_b_writerTwitter @susmitatweetsMORE ABOUT SUSMITA’S BOOKS http://dahlia-books.kong365.com/en-gb/products/table-manners https://www.parthianbooks.com/products/the-normal-state-of-mind“A deliciously bold debut novel …vivid and tender, funny and bittersweet. It’s fearlessly full of surprises about what it meant to be young and female in 1990s India on the cusp of change.” Rosie Dastgir, A Small FortuneTable Manners on BBC Radio 4 Extra: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000dpz8?fbclid=IwAR3NFwKb1VEm905Y34Yl9OGlmhDcfuBS-dJBaNMV3DLpDKT5T9aFHZXiUWQ“These triumphant, sharp eyed humorous stories mark the arrival of an intriguing new voice; tender, poignant and wry.” Irenosen Okojie, Speak GigantularRESOURCES:If you’ve been affected by the themes of this episode, please check out these resources:MACMILLANPhoneline – Support available from 9-5, Monday – Friday – 0808 808 0000NHSBREAST CANCER AWARENESSSTIGMA AMONG SOUTH ASIANSMentioned in this episode:Inspiring feminist memoir Bad DaughterBad Daughter is my story of going from Mumbai’s slums to New York’s

"Three-quarters of women with HIV in the UK are BAME..."In episode seven, I talk to Dr Rageshri Dhairyawan, an NHS Consultant who’s also a Sexual Health & HIV activist, working primarily among South Asian womxn. Many of whom have contracted the virus through their husbands, but are unable to tell anyone because of the stigma around HIV.Plus an interview with Mina Kakaiya, who’s had HIV for 20 years and is now an activist working to help other South Asian womxn tackle the stigma associated with HIV.Both Rageshri & Mina who have such passion and compassion in their work, help us look at HIV in a totally different way.We explore: • The shame and secrecy that surround HIV in South Asian culture • How stigma prevents South Asian womxn with HIV seeking support • How shame is such a huge part of South Asian culture MORE ABOUT DR. RAGESHRI:Dr Rageshri Dhairyawan is a Consultant in Sexual Health and HIV at Barts Health NHS Trust and an Honorary Senior Lecturer at Queen Mary University of London. Her clinical work, teaching and research focuses on health inequalities, especially on the intersections between health, race and gender. She is an elected trustee of the British HIV Association, medical board member of NAZ, a charity specialising in the sexual health of minority ethnic communities and has recently joined the Race and Health collective. She has recently co-founded SAHAR, the South Asian HIV Advisory Resource and is passionate about reducing the stigma of talking about sex, sexuality and sexual health in South Asian communities in the UK.Twitter: @crageshriInsta: @crageshriMORE ABOUT MINA:Mina Kakaiya is a social entrepreneur, speaker, author and wellbeing coach. She is a trainer in mental health, emotional resilience and mindfulness. And has been a volunteer peer mentor with Positively UK and informed national BHVIA HIV standards for Peer Support. She has also been involved in HIV campaigns and national and is an international speaker on HIV.Twitter: @KakaiyaMinaLinkedIn: @mina-kakaiyaRESOURCES:If you’ve been affected by the themes of this episode, please check out these resources:NAZPOSITIVELY UKTERRENCE HIGGINS TRUSTTHE FOODCHAINAIDSMAPORGANISATIONS FOCUSSED ON SEXUAL HEALTH FOR SOUTH ASIANSNAZ & MATT FOUNDATIONIMAANCYSTERSMentioned in this episode:Inspiring feminist memoir Bad DaughterBad Daughter is my story of going from Mumbai’s slums to New York’s Billboards, with a healing stopover in Kerala. But it’s your story too. It doesn’t matter where you come from, it doesn’t matter what happened to you. You still get to have the life you want. That's the message of this...

"I had night sweats, hot flushes, itchy skin, insomnia, tingling on my skin..."In this episode, I talk with Madhu Kapoor, Founder, M for Menopause who went through a difficult journey through menopause. She found no literature or support when she was struggling. And is now on a mission to get South Asian women talking openly about the menopause.Sangeeta’s monologues talk about how talking about any female bodily functions was such a taboo when she was growing up. In a culture that doesn’t discuss periods, or childbirth or sex and how they affect our bodies – talking about menopause is such a long way away.MORE ABOUT MADHUMadhu’s menopause journey was horrific; she struggled at home, socially and at work. As her symptoms became severe her relationships broke down and affected her life and work. Despite having been surrounded by women all her life, she’d never had any open discussions about the menopause and she really struggled.This led her to set up M for Menopause which aims to encourage open conversations about the menopause and to increase knowledge, awareness and support for women, employers and families.Website: www.mformenopause.co.uk Insta: @mformenopause Facebook: @mformenopauseRESOURCES If you’ve been affected by the themes of this episode, please check out these resources:NHSMENOPAUSE SUPPORTMENOPAUSE RESOURCESNICE RESOURCESMentioned in this episode:Inspiring feminist memoir Bad DaughterBad Daughter is my story of going from Mumbai’s slums to New York’s Billboards, with a healing stopover in Kerala. But it’s your story too. It doesn’t matter where you come from, it doesn’t matter what happened to you. You still get to have the life you want. That's the message of this book. My memoir Bad Daughter is deeply personal. I talk about growing up in poverty. I talk about my father’s violence, my mother’s murder. I talk about how I turned my pain into power, navigating mental health, sexuality, spirituality & patriarchy. If you’re looking for a book to move you and inspire you to change your own life, buy this book on Amazon: https://shorturl.at/TDC7g. Or buy directly on my website: https://baddaughter.co.uk/about/ Bad Daughter is an essential feminist book, this inspirational memoir is for every woman who wants to break free. This powerful memoir is a reminder that the courage to be your authentic self can transform your own life – and the lives of those around you.

"Women are taught to carry shame & honour for their families."In this episode, I speak with Leesa Gazi, the director of a critically acclaimed and highly impactful film about survivors of rape in Bangladesh during the war, who are now in their 70’s and 80s. Leesa stayed with the women, connected with them and discussed their experiences – and has now turned this into an empathetic and impactful film.Leesa and I discuss: • How patriarchal attitudes in the culture prevent rape victims from coming forward • The horror and impact of rape on women and young girls in South Asian communities • How the burden of “honour” & “shame” are attached exclusively to women in South Asian culture ABOUT THE FILM ‘RISING SILENCE’: https://www.risingsilence.co.uk/MORE ABOUT LEESA:Leesa Gazi is a Bangladeshi-born British writer, actor, filmmaker and Joint Artistic Director of a London based arts company Komola Collective. She is the concept developer, co-writer and performer of the theatre production Birangona: Women of War, which she later developed into the documentary film Rising Silence, which has won multiple international awards. The film sheds light on the lives of rape survivors of the Liberation War of Bangladesh.Twitter: @LeesaGazi Insta: @leesagaziRESOURCES If you’ve been affected by the themes of this episode, please check out these resources:RAPE CRISISHelpline: 0808 802 9999 (12-2:30 and 7-9:30)NHSVICTIM SUPPORTSupportline: 0333 300 6389THE SURVIVORS TRUSTHelpline: 0808 801 0818SUPPORTLINEHelpline: 01708 765200 Email: [email protected]

"My mum found out that I was a Porn Star!"This episode features an interview with the South Asian porn star Sahara Knite. We explore attitudes towards porn & sex among South Asians, and talk about very South Asian fetishes. We talk about Sahara’s family and their responses to her work. Sangeeta talks about her personal experiences watching porn for the first time, when she was growing up in India. She also discusses how porn skews our idea of what the ‘perfect porn body’ should be. And how porn has normalised the concept that all women have hairless bodies and hairless vulvas. As well as the racial stereotyping that exists in porn.MORE ABOUT SAHARA: Website: https://saharaknite.co.uk/ Insta: @itsmesaharaknite Twitter: @saharakniteMentioned in this episode:Inspiring feminist memoir Bad DaughterBad Daughter is my story of going from Mumbai’s slums to New York’s Billboards, with a healing stopover in Kerala. But it’s your story too. It doesn’t matter where you come from, it doesn’t matter what happened to you. You still get to have the life you want. That's the message of this book. My memoir Bad Daughter is deeply personal. I talk about growing up in poverty. I talk about my father’s violence, my mother’s murder. I talk about how I turned my pain into power, navigating mental health, sexuality, spirituality & patriarchy. If you’re looking for a book to move you and inspire you to change your own life, buy this book on Amazon: https://shorturl.at/TDC7g. Or buy directly on my website: https://baddaughter.co.uk/about/ Bad Daughter is an essential feminist book, this inspirational memoir is for every woman who wants to break free. This powerful memoir is a reminder that the courage to be your authentic self can transform your own life – and the lives of those around you.

"This idea of not belonging anywhere is one of the sadnesses of my life."In this episode, I speak with writer, poet, speaker and BBC radio presenter Salma El-Wardany speaks about juggling multiple identities & looking for belonging within those identities. She speaks about her South Asian side and how her ‘Desi’ identity plays out in her life & her work.MORE ABOUT SALMA: Writer, poet, speaker and BBC radio presenter, Salma El-Wardany performs internationally, has given 2 TEDx Talks, worked with Edinburgh University on the Dangerous Woman project, as well as partnering with The British Library and The Wellcome Collection. She’s half Egyptian, half Irish and part Desi and regularly works with global brands to raise awareness through poetry and conversation, most recently working with Always on their ‘End Period Poverty’ campaign. She’s also worked with Virgin, Made.com, Bumble, Hinge, Sofar Sounds and Plan International. She writes for Metro, Stylist, Huffpost and Buzzfeed.Website: https://www.salmaelwardany.com/ Insta: @salmaelwardany Twitter: @writtenbysalmaRESOURCESIf you’ve been affected by the themes of this episode, please check out these resources:REFUGEFreephone 24-Hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline: 0808 2000 247CITIZENS ADVICEWOMEN'S AIDSOLACERIGHTS OF WOMENFOR SOUTH ASIAN WOMXN:SOUTHALL BLACK SISTERSASIAN WOMEN’S RESOURCE CENTRE Email: [email protected] Tel: 020 89616549Mentioned in this episode:Inspiring feminist memoir Bad DaughterBad Daughter is my story of going from Mumbai’s slums to New York’s Billboards, with a healing stopover in Kerala. But it’s your story too. It doesn’t matter where you come from, it doesn’t matter what happened to you. You still get to have the life you want. That's the message of this book. My memoir Bad Daughter is deeply personal. I talk about growing up in poverty. I talk about my father’s violence, my mother’s murder. I talk about how I turned my pain into power, navigating mental health, sexuality, spirituality & patriarchy. If you’re looking for a book to move you and inspire you to change your own life, buy this book on Amazon: https://shorturl.at/TDC7g. Or buy directly on my website: https://baddaughter.co.uk/about/ Bad Daughter is an essential feminist book, this inspirational memoir is for every woman who wants to break free. This powerful memoir is a reminder that the courage to be your authentic self can transform your own life – and the lives of those around you.

"I was depressed & suicidal because of how I was treated because of my skin colour." In this episode, I speak with Seema Hari, who is a model, a Software Engineer and a powerful activist fighting colourism.Seema talks about growing up as a dark skinned Indian girl and the awful way she was treated by teachers and adults around her. She talks about slowly worked towards loving her own skin colour – to become a model and an activist fighting hard to change South Asian attitudes towards dark skin. Seema is a passionate activist fighting colourism in South Asian society, constantly challenging Bollywood actors and government policies.Together, we explore the South Asian fixation for fairer skin, with millions spent on skin lightening creams and bleaches. We talk about:The idea of beauty attached to skin colourHow the Hindi word for beauty ‘gori’ translates as whiteHow our South Asian obsession with light skin damages life on so many levels MORE ABOUT SEEMA:Instagram: @seemahariRESOURCESWant to explore more about the issues discussed in this episode? Here are some articles/resources that you might find interesting:Dark Is BeautifulGuardian articleBBC articleNPR articleThe Star articleMentioned in this episode:Inspiring feminist memoir Bad DaughterBad Daughter is my story of going from Mumbai’s slums to New York’s Billboards, with a healing stopover in Kerala. But it’s your story too. It doesn’t matter where you come from, it doesn’t matter what happened to you. You still get to have the life you want. That's the message of this book. My memoir Bad Daughter is deeply personal. I talk about growing up in poverty. I talk about my father’s violence, my mother’s murder. I talk about how I turned my pain into power, navigating mental health, sexuality, spirituality & patriarchy. If you’re looking for a book to move you and inspire you to change your own life, buy this book on Amazon: https://shorturl.at/TDC7g. Or buy directly on my website: https://baddaughter.co.uk/about/ Bad Daughter is an essential feminist book, this inspirational memoir is for every woman who wants to break free. This powerful memoir is a reminder that the courage to be your authentic self can transform your own life – and the lives of those around you.

"I feel pressure to produce perfect chapattis despite being a successful comedian!" I speak with Shazia Mirza, a famous comedian and writer, appearing on Jonathan Ross, Celebrity Island with Bear Gryls, Celebs in Solitary & many more shows. Her new show ‘Coconut’ will be on tour in 2021. Shazia travels all over the world doing stand-up comedy, is hugely successful but still feels the pressure to be the perfect South Asian woman.Shazia and I speak about some of the issues we’ve experienced in our culture: • The expectation to always be the dutiful daughter, to be the quiet subservient one • The expectation to get married, have kids, look after everyone around us • How cultural conditioning carries on even with professional successful South Asian womxn • Anti-blackness that pervades South Asian society, and what can be done to change it • Getting our names mis-pronounced (Shazia being called ‘Shava Minza’ has got to be the funniest!) • How all brown women are lumped into the same person (Shazia talks about being mistaken for everyone from Meera Syal to Malala to her local GP)MORE ABOUT SHAZIA:https://www.shazia-mirza.com/Instagram: @theshaziamirzaTwitter: @shaziamirza1RESOURCESWant to explore more about the themes discussed in this episode? Here are some resources/social media accounts that you might find useful:THE INDIAN FEMINISThttps://www.instagram.com/the_indian_feminist/?hl=enASIAN WOMEN FESTIVAL:https://www.asianwomanfestival.com/BROWN GIRL MAGAZINEhttps://www.browngirlmagazine.com/BURNT ROTIhttps://www.burntroti.com/

In this final episode for Series 1 of Masala Podcast, the theme is Mental Health especially among South Asian women.I chat with Tina Mistry, clinical psychologist and director of TherapySense. She specialises in issues around race, culture and identity and works with South Asian communities. Tina has a specialist interest in working with trauma (including PTSD, developmental and intergenerational trauma).We talk about issues affecting South Asian girls and women, particularly struggles with their dual identities. We discuss how we are taught to never show rage or anger and how that affects us as women in the culture. We debate whether current mental health methods are “Euro-centric”.I also talk about my own struggles with mental health over the past few years, specifically the anxiety and panic attacks that I’ve experienced.This is a really important episode for me, because this is personally relevant to me. And also, mental health issues affect so many of us.ABOUT MASALA PODCASTThe Spotify award-winning Masala Podcast is a show for South Asian women, where we talk about all those things that we’re NOT supposed to talk about in our culture. Sex, sexuality, periods, menopause, mental health, shame, sexual harassment and many more taboos.ABOUT TINA MISTRYInsta: https://www.instagram.com/thebrownpsychologist/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/brownpsych Website: https://therapysense.co.uk/meet-the-psychologistsEmail: [email protected] Walker-Brown Multi-Award-Winning Documentary Maker www.hanawalkerbrown.com Music Credit: Sunny Robertson @sunnyrobertsonmusicsFIND OUT MORE ABOUT MY PLATFORM SOUL SUTRASWebsite: https://soulsutras.co.uk Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Soul_Sutras Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soulsutras/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SoulSutrasNetwork/ Click here to join the Soul Sutras newsletter:https://soulsutras.us15.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=ddd9c3fdfeb58cecbc5d8a6b2&id=99fbec55d9

A SPECIAL BOOK CLUB EPISODE WITH SASS In this special episode of Masala Podcast, I’m discussing the book ‘Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows' by Balli Kaur Jaswal with Shirin Shah who’s the Co-founder of SASS - South Asian Sisters Speak (SASS) as well as Mahek Mehta and Maryam Siddiqui who’ve been part of previous SASS book clubs.Described as ‘warm and hilariously funny’ – this gem of a book takes on a big taboo: sexuality among older South Asian women.We read some (saucy) extracts from the book, we discuss lots of important themes like the ‘de-sexualisation’ of older South Asian women. We talk about our perceptions of what is acceptable in South Asian culture vs. Western culture. We explore what physical displays of affections (or the lack of them) mean for us growing up as women in our culture.This is a really special episode for me, because we connected, we chatted about some important themes and we had such a laugh.ABOUT MASALA PODCAST The Spotify award-winning Masala Podcast is a show for South Asian women, where we talk about all those things that we’re NOT supposed to talk about in our culture. Sex, sexuality, periods, menopause, mental health, shame, sexual harassment and many more taboos.  SOUTH ASIAN SISTERS SPEAK (SASS)Contact Shirin Shat of SASS: Insta: https://www.instagram.com/weare_sass/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/weare_sass Website: https://southasiansistersspeak.wordpress.com/ Contact Mahek Mehta Insta: @mahek_ Twitter: @mahekstweetsContact Maryam Siddiqui Insta: @quiyam9 Twitter: @msid93  ABOUT THE AUTHORhttps://www.ballijaswal.com/ Link to buy the book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01M70UBQ6/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1  Masala Podcast Producer: Hana Walker-Brown Multi-Award-Winning Documentary Maker www.hanawalkerbrown.com Music Credit: Sunny Robertson @sunnyrobertsonmusics  FIND OUT MORE ABOUT MY PLATFORM SOUL SUTRAS Website: https://soulsutras.co.uk Follow me onTwitter: https://twitter.com/Soul_Sutras Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soulsutras/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SoulSutrasNetwork/ Click here to join the Soul Sutras newsletter:https://soulsutras.us15.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=ddd9c3fdfeb58cecbc5d8a6b2&id=99fbec55d9Mentioned in this episode:Inspiring feminist memoir Bad DaughterBad Daughter is my story of going from Mumbai’s slums to New York’s Billboards, with a healing stopover in Kerala. But it’s your story too. It doesn’t matter where you come from, it doesn’t matter what happened to you. You still get to have the life you want. That's the message of this book. My memoir Bad Daughter is deeply personal. I talk about growing up in poverty. I talk about my father’s violence, my mother’s murder. I talk about how I turned my pain into power, navigating mental health, sexuality, spirituality & patriarchy. If you’re looking for a book to move you...

On this episode of Masala Podcast, I chat with Seeta Patel, a renowned classical Bharatanatyam dancer.We explore how traditional Indian dancing and the female body relate to each other. We discuss the origins of the Bharatanatyam dance, which can be traced back to the Devadasis and temple and court traditions. We talk about classical dance and its place in Indian society today.My guest Seeta Patel, winner of innumerable awards and bursaries, has been a judge, mentor and advisor for the first ever BBC Young Dancer Competition. In 2017, Seeta received the Washington S&R Award for her work championing Bharatanatyam in the diaspora, presented her solo classical performance with live music at Sadler’s Wells as part of the prestigious Darbar Festival in November 2017.This has been an exciting year for Seeta with creating larger ensemble works, including the iconic Rite of Spring, being part of the British Council Showcase in Edinburgh with ‘ Not Today’s Yesterday’ and being nominated for ‘Best Stage Production’ at The Asian Media Awards.MORE ABOUT SEETA PATEL:Insta: https://www.instagram.com/seetadances/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/seetadances Website: https://www.seetapatel.co.uk/ The Spotify award-winning Masala Podcast is a show for South Asian womxn, where we talk about all those things that we’re NOT supposed to talk about in our culture. Sex, sexuality, periods, menopause, mental health, shame, sexual harassment and many more taboos.Producer: Hana Walker-Brown Multi-Award-Winning Documentary Maker www.hanawalkerbrown.com  Music Credit: Sunny Robertson @sunnyrobertsonmusic  FIND OUT MORE ABOUT MY PLATFORM SOUL SUTRASWebsite: https://soulsutras.co.uk Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Soul_Sutras Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soulsutras/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SoulSutrasNetwork/ Click here to join the Soul Sutras newsletter:https://soulsutras.us15.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=ddd9c3fdfeb58cecbc5d8a6b2&id=99fbec55d9

On this episode of Masala Podcast, we explore what it means to be transgender, South Asian & Muslim.My guest is Asifa Lahore, Britain’s first out Muslim drag queen. Asifa is a well-known drag performer and TV star. She’s constantly pushing the boundaries of what it means to be LGBT, South Asian and Muslim. Asifa featured in Channel 4’s groundbreaking documentary Muslim Drag Queens in 2015. She has also been the face of Channel 4's 2016 diversity campaign, 'True Colour TV'.On the podcast, we talk about Asifa’s journey of first coming out to her traditional Muslim parents as gay and then later coming out as trans and transitioning into being a woman. She talks about balancing her life within the LGBT community as well as being a Muslim. We also discuss the traditional Hijra community, one of the oldest transgender communities in the world and their place in modern India.Asifa's journey into the spotlight has been a deeply personal one through which she discovered her transgender identity and continues being a voice for intersectional Britain. MORE ABOUT ASIFA LAHORE: Insta: @asifalahoreTwitter: @AsifaLahoreYouTube: http://bit.ly/2X4zzMY Contact: https://www.curtisbrown.co.uk/client/asifa-lahore The Spotify award-winning Masala Podcast is a show for South Asian womxn, where we talk about all those things that we’re NOT supposed to talk about in our culture. Sex, sexuality, sexual identity, periods, menopause, mental health, shame, sexual harassment and many more taboos. FIND OUT MORE ABOUT MY PLATFORM SOUL SUTRAS Website: https://soulsutras.co.uk Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Soul_Sutras Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soulsutras/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SoulSutrasNetwork/ Click here to join the Soul Sutras newsletter:https://soulsutras.us15.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=ddd9c3fdfeb58cecbc5d8a6b2&id=99fbec55d9Producer: Hana Walker-Brown Multi-Award-Winning Documentary Maker www.hanawalkerbrown.com Music Credit: Sunny Robertson @sunnyrobertsonmusic  Mentioned in this episode:Inspiring feminist memoir Bad DaughterBad Daughter is my story of going from Mumbai’s slums to New York’s Billboards, with a healing stopover in Kerala. But it’s your story too. It doesn’t matter where you come from, it doesn’t matter what happened to you. You still get to have the life you want. That's the message of this book. My memoir Bad Daughter is deeply personal. I talk about growing up in poverty. I talk about my father’s violence, my mother’s murder. I talk about how I turned my pain into power, navigating mental health, sexuality, spirituality & patriarchy. If you’re looking for a book...

This is a live recording of the Masala Podcast Launch Event on 8th Oct, at Rich Mix, London.The official launch of Masala Podcast was such a powerful experience. The audience responses were incredible, the support was overwhelming.The evening was a panel discussion with my guests from Season 1. We discussed the themes of the podcast: identity, race, sexual identity, mental health, the body and periods & answered questions from the audience.Panelists included:• Asifa Lahore – Britain’s first out Muslim drag queen, TV star & LGBT activist• Jane Chelliah – activist & star of Channel 4’s Mums Make Porn• Rittika Dasgupta – representative from Cysters, a charity for South Asian female reproductive health• Bolly Ditz Dolly – South Asian Burlesque performer from House of Burlesque• Tina Mistry – Psychologist specialising in South Asian mental health issues• Famida Islam – Queer Bengali & Muslim activisitA warm heart-felt thank you to my incredible panelists for being passionate, honest, open & awesome. Here are their Insta handles, if you’d like to follow them: @ambitiousmamas @asifalahore @thebrownpsychologist @mercury_dun @rittikadg @bollyditz.dollyAnd thank you to all the amazing audience members, who turned up and supported us so whole-heartedly.When South Asian womxn come together, when they really hear each other, when they share their stories, their pain...this magic happens. And we all felt that magic at this launch event for Masala Podcast.The Spotify award-winning Masala Podcast talks about taboos in South Asian culture: sex, sexuality, periods, menopause, mental health & more. Producer: Hana Walker-Brown Multi-Award-Winning Documentary Maker www.hanawalkerbrown.com Music Credit: Sunny Robertson @sunnyrobertsonmusicFIND OUT MORE ABOUT MY PLATFORM SOUL SUTRAS Website: https://soulsutras.co.uk Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Soul_Sutras Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soulsutras/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SoulSutrasNetwork/ Click here to join the Soul Sutras newsletter:https://soulsutras.us15.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=ddd9c3fdfeb58cecbc5d8a6b2&id=99fbec55d9Mentioned in this episode:Inspiring feminist memoir Bad DaughterBad Daughter is my story of going from Mumbai’s slums to New York’s Billboards, with a healing stopover in Kerala. But it’s your story too. It doesn’t matter where you come from, it doesn’t matter what happened to you. You still get to have the life you want. That's the message of this book. My memoir Bad Daughter is deeply personal. I talk about growing up in poverty. I talk about my father’s violence, my mother’s murder. I talk about how I turned my pain into power, navigating mental health, sexuality, spirituality & patriarchy. If you’re looking for a book to move you and inspire you to change your own life, buy this...

The theme of this episode of Masala Podcast is Periods.On this episode I speak to Manjit K. Gill, CEO & Founder of the period charity Binti. Her mission is to create a huge, social impact whilst generating a sustainable organisation. As a British Indian, providing basic menstrual rights for women in India has become her obsessive, compulsive dedication to making a change.Binti is a registered charity, with a mission to provide menstrual dignity to all girls, all over the world. This means facilitating access to pads to ensure menstrual hygiene, educating girls about what menstruation is and what they can expect from it, and dispelling stigma, taboos, myths and negative perceptions around menstruation.Binti is headquartered in the UK, and currently runs projects in India, Kenya, Swaziland and the U.S., as well as at home in the UK. Manjit& I talk about the stigma attached to periods in South Asian culture. Not just in South Asian countries but here in the UK where some families don’t let girls go to the temple or attend weddings when they’re on their period.I talk about the first time I got my period, and my traumatic memories around that time.Masala Podcast is a show for South Asian women, where we talk about all those things that we’re NOT supposed to talk about in our culture. Sex, sexuality, periods, menopause, mental health, shame, sexual harassment and many more taboos.  More about Binti: Website: https://bintiperiod.org Twitter: https://twitter.com/binti_period Insta: https://www.instagram.com/binti.period/  Producer: Hana Walker-Brown Multi-Award-Winning Documentary Maker + Composer Executive Producer at Amazon Audible www.hanawalkerbrown.com Music Credit: Sunny Robertson @sunnyrobertsonmusics  FIND OUT MORE ABOUT MY PLATFORM SOUL SUTRASWebsite: https://soulsutras.co.uk Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Soul_Sutras Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soulsutras/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SoulSutrasNetwork/ Click here to join the Soul Sutras newsletter:https://soulsutras.us15.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=ddd9c3fdfeb58cecbc5d8a6b2&id=99fbec55d9Mentioned in this episode:Inspiring feminist memoir Bad DaughterBad Daughter is my story of going from Mumbai’s slums to New York’s Billboards, with a healing stopover in Kerala. But it’s your story too. It doesn’t matter where you come from, it doesn’t matter what happened to you. You still get to have the life you want. That's the message of this book. My memoir Bad Daughter is deeply personal. I talk about growing up in poverty. I talk about my father’s violence, my mother’s murder. I talk about how I turned my pain into power, navigating mental health, sexuality, spirituality & patriarchy. If you’re looking for a book to move you and inspire you to change your own life, buy this book on Amazon:...

Masala Podcast Episode 3 - SOUTH ASIAN IDENTITYOn this episode I speak to the multi-award-winning novelist, Preti Taneja. Preti was born and grew up in the UK and following a career in human rights reporting, now teaches writing in prison and in universities.Her novel WE THAT ARE YOUNG (Galley Beggar Press) won the 2018 Desmond Elliot Prize for the best debut of the year. It has been described as a 'masterpiece' and an 'instant classic' by critics in India, America and the UK, and was also shortlisted for the Republic of Consciousness Prize and the Books are my Bag Readers Choice Awards, and longlisted for the FOLIO Prize, the Jhalak Prize and for Europe’s most prestigious award for a work of world literature, the Prix Jan Michalski. It has been translated into seven languages to date and will soon be a major international TV series from the makers of Narcos, Gaumont. Preti & I talk about identity, about “fitting in”.We talk about not having a ‘double identity’ but rather a ‘dual reality’. Which makes life far more interesting for those of us who belong to two different cultures. We talk about how shame is used as a weapon by patriarchy to keep us ‘in our place’ Preti also talks about the state legislating over the body and sexual morality – and so many other interesting things.I talk about what my identity is, having moved to the UK from India about 15 years ago. Which parts of me are Indian and which are British? And does it even matter?Masala Podcast is a show for South Asian women, where we talk about all those things that we’re NOT supposed to talk about in our culture. Sex, sexuality, periods, menopause, mental health, shame, sexual harassment and many more taboos.FIND OUT MORE ABOUT MY PLATFORM SOUL SUTRASWebsite: https://soulsutras.co.uk Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Soul_Sutras Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soulsutras/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SoulSutrasNetwork/ Join the Soul Sutras newsletter:https://soulsutras.us15.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=ddd9c3fdfeb58cecbc5d8a6b2&id=99fbec55d9MORE ABOUT PRETI TANEJA:Website: http://www.preti-taneja.co.uk/ Twitter: @PretiTanejaLink to buy the novel WE THAT ARE YOUNG: https://www.galleybeggar.co.uk/paperback-shop/we-that-are-young  MASALA PODCAST PRODUCER:Hana Walker-Brown, Multi-Award-Winning Documentary Maker + Composer Executive Producer at Amazon Audible www.hanawalkerbrown.com Music Credit: Sunny Robertson @sunnyrobertsonmusicMentioned in this episode:Inspiring feminist memoir Bad DaughterBad Daughter is my story of going from Mumbai’s slums to New York’s Billboards, with a healing stopover in Kerala. But it’s your story too. It doesn’t matter where you come from, it doesn’t matter what happened to you. You still get to have the life you want. That's the message of this book. My memoir Bad Daughter is deeply personal. I talk about growing up in poverty. I talk about my...

This theme of this episode of Masala Podcast is ‘Queer and South Asian’.I speak to three incredible people who identify as queer and South Asian. My guests are open and authentic in discussing their early lives and how they discovered their sexuality. We talk about how heteronormative and patriarchal ideologies in South Asian culture make it almost impossible for some womnx to consider an alternative. We also discuss how our culture affects our sexuality. And the fact that while we might have rejected our culture early in our lives, we’ve found our own way of picking and choosing the bits that we like from our culture.I also talk about my own experiences, growing up in a traditional Indian family, discovering and learning to love my own body, and my sexuality. Masala Podcast is a show for South Asian women, where we talk about all those things that we’re NOT supposed to talk about in our culture. Sex, sexuality, periods, menopause, mental health, shame, sexual harassment and many more taboos.My guests on this episode: Famida Islam Queer Bengali & Muslim activisit. Co-host of London’s first queer Bengali night @odbhutqueerbangle Insta: @mercury_dunAroob Sajjad A storyteller gravitating towards raw, authentic expression through performance, photography and penmanship. Insta: @aroob95  Website: https://aroobsajjad.com/ Komal Amin Actor from London. Insta: @komalamee Website: www.komalamin.com  Producer: Hana Walker-Brown Multi-Award-Winning Documentary Maker + Composer Executive Producer at Amazon Audible www.hanawalkerbrown.com  Music Credit: Sunny Robertson @sunnyrobertsonmusic  Click here to join the Soul Sutras newsletter: http://eepurl.com/gFG3oX Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Soul_Sutras Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soulsutras/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SoulSutrasNetwork/Website: soulsutras.co.uk  Mentioned in this episode:Inspiring feminist memoir Bad DaughterBad Daughter is my story of going from Mumbai’s slums to New York’s Billboards, with a healing stopover in Kerala. But it’s your story too. It doesn’t matter where you come from, it doesn’t matter what happened to you. You still get to have the life you want. That's the message of this book. My memoir Bad Daughter is deeply personal. I talk about growing up in poverty. I talk about my father’s violence, my mother’s murder. I talk about how I turned my pain into power, navigating mental health, sexuality, spirituality & patriarchy. If you’re looking for a book to move you and inspire you to change your own life, buy this book on Amazon: https://shorturl.at/TDC7g. Or buy directly on my website: https://baddaughter.co.uk/about/ Bad Daughter is an essential feminist book, this inspirational memoir is for every woman who wants to break free. This powerful memoir is a reminder that the courage to be your authentic self can transform your own life – and the lives of those around you.

Masala Podcast is a show for South Asian & British Asian women, where we talk about all those things that we’re NOT supposed to talk about in our culture. Sex, sexuality, periods, menopause, mental health, shame, sexual harassment and many more taboos. On each episode, I speak to brave and beautiful South Asian women: burlesque dancers, drag queens, mental health specialists, erotic novel lovers, acclaimed writers as well as queer & non-binary actors. I also talk about my own experiences, growing up in a traditional Indian family, discovering and learning to love my own body, and my sexuality.