Desiland

A podcast about modern Desi life in North America, by Niru Kumar

#13 - Currying Votes Part 4: Doing Politics Differently with Ujjal Dosanjh and Adrienne Batra 09/17/2021

#13 - Currying Votes Part 4: Doing Politics Differently with Ujjal Dosanjh and Adrienne Batra The fourth and final instalment in this mini-series features two prominent Sikh-Canadians with critical views on how politicians curry votes: Former Premier (Governor) of British Columbia and federal Health Minister of Canada Hon. Ujjal Dosanjh, and Toronto Sun Editor-in-Chief Adrienne Batra. /episode/index/show/desiland/id/20512781

#12 - Currying Votes Part 3: The Khalistan Argument with Jatinder Singh Grewal 09/17/2021

#12 - Currying Votes Part 3: The Khalistan Argument with Jatinder Singh Grewal With days before Canada's federal election, Niru completes her four-part Currying Votes series with two new episodes on the Khalistan movement in Canada and how Canadian politicians of all stripes court minority communities. /episode/index/show/desiland/id/20510732

#11 - India's Healthcare Crisis: From Palo Alto to Delhi with Rohit and Kanika Mediratta 07/15/2021

#11 - India's Healthcare Crisis: From Palo Alto to Delhi with Rohit and Kanika Mediratta While most Indians around the world watch in horror, worried for their families and friends, one Bay-area couple decided to do take action. Rohit and Kanika Mediratta co-founded CovidReliefIndia.com, an initiative dedicated to getting badly-needed life-saving medical equipment into India. Please consider donating what you can to their efforts. /episode/index/show/desiland/id/19823879

#10 - India's Healthcare Crisis: Cracks in the System with Dr. Samir Gupta 07/15/2021

#10 - India's Healthcare Crisis: Cracks in the System with Dr. Samir Gupta Thank you for subscribing and tuning in to Desiland as we return from a hiatus for two important episodes on India's healthcare crisis. /episode/index/show/desiland/id/19823849

#9 - Pandemic Politics and The Mayor of Desiland, Ontario with Patrick Brown and Gurpreet Malhotra 12/16/2020

#9 - Pandemic Politics and The Mayor of Desiland, Ontario with Patrick Brown and Gurpreet Malhotra There is no sugarcoating it: Canada's unofficial Desi capital, the city of Brampton in the province of Ontario, is a COVID-19 hotspot. But why? Questionable theories abound, and Niru explores a complicated problem with Brampton mayor Patrick Brown (who we also discover has spent more time in India than Niru). First, a snapshot of just how multifaceted pandemic politics are in the heart of Desiland with Gurpreet Malhotra, CEO of Indus Community Services, a social services agency serving Ontario Desis. Subscribe to our Desiblast newsletter to get new episodes delivered to your inbox: /episode/index/show/desiland/id/17224358

#8 - 'Twas the Night Before Diwali with Zenia Wadhwani 11/13/2020

#8 - 'Twas the Night Before Diwali with Zenia Wadhwani On the eve of Diwali 2020, Niru speaks with fellow Torontonian and author Zenia Wadhwani, whose new children's book, 'Twas the Night Before Diwali, introduces us to the Mithai Monster who gobbles up piles of sweets in the midst of family Diwali festivities! /episode/index/show/desiland/id/16796852

#7 - India Manages the Pandemic with Dr. Prabhat Jha and Arnob Bal 06/23/2020

#7 - India Manages the Pandemic with Dr. Prabhat Jha and Arnob Bal On another socially-distanced remote edition of Desiland, Niru explores how India has managed the COVID-19 pandemic and why data suggested the crisis began on a positive note. As India closes in on half a million cases, what changed? Our guests: From Toronto, Dr. Prabhat Jha is a renowned epidemiologist who explains how the crisis has been managed in India, and from Mumbai, Arnob Bal, a music producer and Mispronunciation Nation podcaster, who describes life under lockdown. #HumHaarNahiMaanenge /episode/index/show/desiland/id/14941367

#6 - Love in the Time of Corona with Gurpreet Gill 04/17/2020

#6 - Love in the Time of Corona with Gurpreet Gill Niru offers a unique perspective on the COVID-19 pandemic from Gurpreet Gill, a Colorado woman whose controversial poem on the crisis, "What if...", recently went viral on Facebook. Gill, who describes herself an intuitive healer and guide, spoke to Niru via Zoom video conference in a conversation the Desiland host describes as a "soothing balm". /episode/index/show/desiland/id/14035127

#5 - We Ain't Terrorists with Ali Hassan and Dave Merheje 03/05/2020

#5 - We Ain't Terrorists with Ali Hassan and Dave Merheje Niru pays tribute to a provocative post-9/11-themed comedy tour called We Ain't Terrorists that recently ended a decade-long run touring Canada. She chats with comedians Ali Hassan and Dave Merheje about Desis and brown-skinned people of all backgrounds being victims of "inaccurate" and tragically funny racism. /episode/index/show/desiland/id/13432805

#4 - Branding Desis with Bobby Umar 08/13/2019

#4 - Branding Desis with Bobby Umar After a summer break and vacation with the kids, Niru is back and looking inward on the subject of Branding Desis; stereotypes, assimilation and the brown glass ceiling, with motivational speaker Bobby Umar, a 5-time TED veteran and ranked among North America's top 100 speakers by Inc.com. His book is called "How to Network Anytime, Anywhere, with Anyone". /episode/index/show/desiland/id/10874257

#3 - Currying Votes Part 2: The Two Terrys with Terry Milewski and Terry Glavin 05/14/2019

#3 - Currying Votes Part 2: The Two Terrys with Terry Milewski and Terry Glavin Niru speaks with two Canadian journalists who have reported extensively over decades on the Khalistan movement, as well as the bombing of Air India Flight 182 in 1985. Niru followed Terry Milewski's coverage of the disaster as a youth in the mid-80's, and Terry Glavin discusses his experience covering Indo-Canadian affairs from the west coast, British Columbia. /episode/index/show/desiland/id/9780764

#2 - Currying Votes Part 1: Khalistan in Canada with Balraj Deol and Jonathan Kay of Wrongspeak 05/14/2019

#2 - Currying Votes Part 1: Khalistan in Canada with Balraj Deol and Jonathan Kay of Wrongspeak Part 1 of Desiland's Currying Votes series examines the origins of the Khalistan movement for independence in the region of Punjab and its supporters' influence in Canadian politics. Niru tells the story of her friend Seema and the Air India disaster, then chats with Balraj Deol, editor of Canada's Khabarnama Punjabi Weekly, and Wrongspeak host Jonathan Kay. /episode/index/show/desiland/id/9780587

#1 - Sugar Sammy 02/13/2019

#1 - Sugar Sammy In this first episode, Niru chats with quadrilingual Desi-Canadian comic Sugar Sammy about his Desi influences, family life, "going white" and more! /episode/index/show/desiland/id/8637980

Desiland Preview with Sugar Sammy 02/11/2019

Desiland Preview with Sugar Sammy Welcome to Desiland! This podcast by Toronto-based journalist Niru Kumar in collaboration with TNKR Media explores modern Desi life in North America. In this preview, Niru discusses episodes and guests to come, and we hear from quadrilingual Desi-Canadian comic Sugar Sammy, who weighs in on Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's wardrobe choices during a recent mission to India. /episode/index/show/desiland/id/8608019

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