Life of a Global Desi Life of a Global Desi

What is backpack travel with a toddler like? How does one hostel-hop across Europe with a baby? How can moms keep up their love for travel with baby et al? We explore all these questions on Episode 28! Meet Deenaz a.k.a. Backpacking_Indian_Mama, a media and communications professional, a freelance travel writer and mom blogger. Deenaz has travelled across 17 countries and 23 states in India with her family. She solo backpacked to three destinations with her toddler Arianna (across Germany, Cambodia, and Barcelona, Spain). Having backpacked across multiple countries with a little kid, she is trying to encourage more Indian mothers to take up backpack travelling with their children to explore your inner strength and the beauty outdoors. Deenaz writes about travel and parenting in several publications including The Indian Express, The Times Of India, Women's Web among others. She has been featured on TV on a chat show for the TravelXP channel network called The Chatroom, in print for The Hindu, The Indian Express and online for Travel and Leisure Magazine, Tripoto etc. and has delivered two TEDx talks based on her travel journey with her child.
She has worked with multinationals such Google India, RR Donnelley and Williams Lea in the fields of online advertising and market research. Throughout her life, she has nurtured her interest in using communication for social change. She is married to an Indian Army officer and has a daughter (Arianna) aged 5. When not traveling, she loves cooking and latin dancing. 
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On this episode we explore the idea of 'Indian-ness' with Samira Bandaru, a Product and experience designer from Georgia Tech; who shares her thoughts of growing up first generation Indian in the US. When is someone Indian enough? Does having an Indian accent count? Must one be defined solely by their racial and cultural identity?
It is hard enough to define what it means to be an Indian in India, leave alone trying to define what it means to be an Indian born and living outside of India. The American born desi comes in many flavors. Primarily dictated by the lived experiences of the individual in question. The Indian diaspora and their descendants are an ever-evolving bunch and it's time we move beyond conveniently boxing individuals. Instead, appreciate them for the uniqueness in interests, experiences and diversity of thought that they each bring to the table. Join us in the conversation and check out Samira's food blogs at Yesterday's goods. 
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Why do so many desi women feel like they are not in control of their own life? Why is there immense pressure on desi women to conform to norms set by the desi tribe? What steps can desi women take to find their authentic voice in the community and how can family and friends around her support them during challenging life transitions? We speak with Cindy Gunraj, the founder of Stillness Blooms about her challenging life transformation and how she found her calling as an Author, life coach and entrepreneur! 
 
Cindy Gunraj has successfully overcome many life transitions. Divorce was the catalyst for her major life shifts. Growing up, she was immersed in a culture where women act as caretakers in the home but are taught to suppress their voice and desires. Cindy’s time as a performer allowed her to develop her communication skills, which led to awakening a new voice and identity, and shedding the limiting cultural beliefs. On her journey working across multiple industries (global health, pharmaceutical medical education, real estate, and yoga), she met many people who were struggling with owning their power to live a truly wholehearted, authentic life. This paved the way to the creation of StillnessBlooms, a safe space to help empower others to overcome their limiting beliefs. Cindy attained her BA in Management and Economics, from Goucher College. She is a Certified Divorce Coach® and RYT® Yoga Certified teacher. Cindy is also a speaker who specializes in presentations and workshops to empower others to overcome difficult life situations. She’s spoken at the United Nations, Unicef, Dress for Success Worldwide, and Hewlett Packard. Cindy loves hiking, meditation, and spending time with her puppy, Joy.
 
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One of the hardest things about living away from India is a long list of mouthwatering foods that take you back to emotions of comfort or nostalgia. Each of us, including our foodie guest Nikhil Raju, list 7 desi foods that we miss from back home in India and share it with each other. Let's find out what we have in common! Would LOVE to hear in the comments if your list matched ours or if you had foods that we completely missed. 
 
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On episode 24 we chat with Shruthi Baskaran, an engineer-turned-consultant and food-fairy from Chennai. She moved to the US to pursue an engineering degree at Penn State. She has since worked at Boston Consulting Group, the United Nations, and received a dual MS-MBA from Stanford University. She currently works at BCG Seattle, almost exclusively on social impact projects, particularly around food systems. She’s meandered, both professionally and geographically and has lived, worked and traveled to more than 60 countries in the last decade. Oh, and she runs a food blog called Urban Farmie, which is all about seasonal vegetarian food inspired by unique flavors from her globetrotting. She lives in Seattle with her Nigerian partner. Hope you enjoy this mouthwatering conversation with Shruthi. You can find Shruthi on Medium and watch her Stanford Tedx talk.
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Demystifying Student 👩🏻‍🎓life in the US. Why did we decide to pursue graduate degrees in the US? And what is the academic rigor, campus life, food, extracurriculars, social life, recruiting, and money situation like in universities in the US? 
We would to hear about student life in other parts of the world as well. Please reach out to us to be featured on our podcast! 
Share your student stories with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and lifeofaglobaldesi@gmail.com. Listen to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Podbean, JioSaavn, Stitcher, YouTube, Google Podcasts and anywhere else you listen to podcasts!