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About the Show
There are over 5 million South Asians in the United States - one of the most influential and fastest-growing communities in the world. Yet, their stories are often simplified, filtered, or left untold. Diaspora Dialogues by TOITM changes that.
Hosted by Sujatha Padmanabhan, the series explores what it truly means to build a life between cultures, through honest conversations on identity, ambition, creativity, and belonging. No scripts. No posturing. Just real stories from people shaping the world around them.
"The South Asian diaspora has built extraordinary things across the world. What has been missing is a platform worthy of their stories. That changes now."
Satyan Gajwani
Episodes
Chef Vijay Kumar on Why He Refused to Simplify Indian Food for the West | Diaspora Dialogues by TOITM
Why is Indian food always expected to be affordable? Chef Vijay Kumar has been asking that question for years, and Semma is his answer. Sujatha Padmanabhan speaks with one of the most celebrated South Indian chefs in the world about food racism, diaspora identity, and the restaurant that made New York rethink Tamil cuisine entirely. From his grandmother's snail curry to a James Beard Award, Vijay breaks down what it took to get here and why none of it came easy.
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The Chai Business That Got Hasan Minhaj's Attention | Kolkata Chai Co.'s Million Dollar Story
At a time when America saw chai as a sugary latte, Ani and Ayan Sanyal decided to change the story. Sujatha Padmanabhan speaks with the founders of Kolkata Chai Co. about how they built a million dollar business rooted in culture, not trends.In this episode of Diaspora Dialogues, we go behind the scenes of the Hasan Minhaj partnership and the long road of entrepreneurship - from selling at NYC farmers' markets to surviving COVID shutdowns. We discuss: - Growing up as 1st Gen Indian Americans in
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Amit Tandon: Indian Standup Comedy, NRI Audiences & The Truth About Making It | Diaspora Dialogues
He followed the script: Engineering, MBA, a stable career. And then, slowly, Amit Tandon rewrote it with his clean Indian Stand-Up Comedy. Sujatha Padmanabhan speaks with Amit Tandon, one of India’s most widely watched stand-up comedians, about what it actually takes to build a career in comedy without rushing the process. From performing in small rooms to over 2,500 shows globally, Amit breaks down the discipline behind the laughs.This is a conversation about patience, trial and error, and why
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Vidya Vox on Identity Crisis, Family Trauma & YouTube Success | Indian American Story | Diaspora Dialogues
Vidya Vox sits down with us for an honest, unfiltered conversation about growing up Indian in America, navigating her desi identity, and building a global music career — entirely on her own terms. From Chennai to California, Vidya's journey is one of the most inspiring Indian American stories on the internet. In this episode, she opens up about the moments that shaped her sound, her viral mashups, and what it really means to be a brown girl chasing a dream in the West.
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Presenting Sponsors
We’re proud to partner with brands that believe in the power of storytelling and the global South Asian community.
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