Chai and Chat Aditi and Natasha

The first thing you notice about Vijaya is her voice. It’s deep and musical and it takes me right back to college days when we’d listen, enthralled, to her sing. She still sings beautifully, plays several instruments and writes songs. But what we dwell on is her love of words, in poetry, in writing, in teaching. How did she navigate the duality of teaching English in the public school system and homeschooling her daughter in parallel? We round out 2021 with our last chai and chat of the year.

It isn’t often we get to traverse the globe during our little podcast chats. But that’s exactly what Natasha and I felt after our chat with Alexandra. She introduced us to her exciting life in diplomatic circles, her nomadic existence, her life experiences. As a diplomats wife and an author in her own right, Alexandra does her bit in bringing people together. Do listen to our chat with a bonafide world harmonizer!

Our chat with Nupur on her 16 year journey with “One Hot Stove”, a blog about home cooking and so much more. What got her started, what keeps her going, her fun, adventurous A-Z series (check out her X for eXploration:new vegetables, old ways) And what the future hold for her and her blog! Khayali Pulao for starters?!! Link to her blog http://onehotstove.blogspot.com/

To the world at large, she is Dr Mangala Khadilkar, a psychiatrist working in the state prison system. To me and other students of music, she is Mangal Mavashi (aunt), warm and welcoming. How did she adjust to life in this new country in the mid-70s? How did she balance the toughness of her job with the happy and culturally-rich family life she created with her late husband, Vivek? As for what’s in her tea, we got the most “perfect” reply ever to that question. Do listen to the very end. I hope it moves you as much as it did us!

Ever met a feisty firebrand who lives life on her own terms? You are about to. Rennu Dhillon is the life-force behind Genius Kids, the organization she founded to provide quality education to kids that focuses on character building and confidence. Running a business is what she does. But what she is is so much more. Natasha and I have a no holds barred chat with Rennu about her life growing up in Kenya to her life as a single mom in the US. What has she learnt about herself and others in the journey? How does she pay it forward and what does she hope for the Indian community? Most importantly - what’s in her Gurudwara Style cup of chai? Listen and discover! 

Earth calling Amma!!! There are times when carnatic singer Chitra Srikrisna is so deeply focused on her art that her family has to gently call her back to reality. Singer, writer, teacher, podcaster! Through all these facets of Chitra’s life run the swaras and ragas of her beloved music. Dedicated as she is in maintaining the purity of the art form, she knows that for classical music to survive and thrive, she must continue to innovate and adapt. We chat about how she does this and so much more, including how one so “steeped” in music makes her perfect cup of chai! I know this pun will get me in “hot water”!