Culture Chaos

Culture Chaos is just over a year old and in this time, I have opened my heart out with my stories and my chaos. This journey continues being amazing and the most rewarding part has been the emails and messages from you.  This episode is dedicated to your letters and a new special segment I am introducing. We all have a story and I want to hear yours.  You can write to me at culture_chaos@yahoo.com. Check out more episodes from Culture Chaos where I share stories of my experiences trying to navigate life away from India.  Thank you for listening!

From capturing your whole life in those point and click cameras, to the joys trapped in the juicy maze of jalebi. From the smell of fresh rains transporting you to the summer holiday evenings to the dizzying comfort of a boiling pot of hot masala chai - Nostalgia can come in the form of thousands of memories that are carried through sensory stimulants.  Check out more episodes from Culture Chaos where I share stories of my experiences trying to navigate life away from India. You can write to me at culture_chaos@yahoo.com or leave your feedback/review on iTunes. Thank you for listening!

Most of us hold on to the comforting memories from our childhood days and feed on that nostalgia for the rest of our lives. In this episode I talk about how our five senses hold the key to all these nostalgic memories.  Check out more episodes from Culture Chaos where I share stories of my experiences trying to navigate life away from India. You can write to me at culture_chaos@yahoo.com or leave your feedback/review on iTunes. Thank you for listening!

Pressure cookers are an inseparable part of desi households and this humble little gadget carries with it hundreds of years worth of stories which go way beyond just our culinary history. In this week's podcast, I bring some stories from my childhood, woven together through the whistles of the good old pressure cooker.  Check out more episodes from Culture Chaos where I share stories of my experiences trying to navigate life away from India. You can write to me at culture_chaos@yahoo.com or leave your feedback/review on iTunes. Thank you for listening!

Before all the conversations about breaking the glass ceiling and fighting for equality even came into the picture - the desi women had learned that taking control of her destiny in her own hands was the only way out. From giving her family the perfect life, to contributing to the household finances - this woman did it all. There could have been no light at the end of the tunnel but she still found her way. This is the common thread in the stories of desi super heroins I saw all around me while growing up in India.  This woman's day - my episode is a tribute to all these women thanking them for making me realize what my true potential can be as a woman of this world.  Check out more episodes from Culture Chaos where I share stories of trying to navigate life away from India. You can write to me at culture_chaos@yahoo.com or leave your feedback/review on iTunes. Thank you for listening!

While the glamour of a life abroad and a promise of stronger relationships and happier marriages holds true for most of us, there is a another harsh side of this reality for a lot of NRIs too. Contrary to popular belief, NRIs too can be victim to domestic violence and for them -legal protection is a vague concept. This episode is an attempt to bring to light some of the more harsh realities of an immigrant and expatriate life and domestic violence is the topic of conversation.  Check out more episodes from Culture Chaos where I share stories of trying to navigate life away from India. You can write to me at culture_chaos@yahoo.com or leave your feedback/review on iTunes. Thank you for listening!

For some of us, nothing beats the joy of enjoying a sweet and crisp paan after dinner. The humble little paan could be nothing more than a few sweet condiments wrapped in a green leaf; but for some of us desis, this paan is a little packet of nostalgia and our childhood memories.  In this episode, I reminisce about paan walahs or panwaris back home and share some stories of how more pan shops are opening up in the west.  Check out more episodes from Culture Chaos where I share stories of my experiences trying to navigate life away from India. You can write to me at culture_chaos@yahoo.com or leave your feedback/review on iTunes. Thank you for listening! Background Music Attribution: Khaikey Pan Banaras Wala from the movie Don owned by Shemaroo.  Dessert City by Kevin McLeod via Youtube audio Library

Being a multi-linguist isn't unusual for a lot of us desis. In this episode, I share the story of how I came to speak 4 languages other than english and how my life growing up back in India made it possible. With the UN declaring 2019 as the year of indigenous languages, I reflect upon how regional and local languages all over the globe could be under a threat of extinction and we all could do our bit in preserving these rich cultures before its too late.  Check out more episodes from Culture Chaos where I share stories of my experiences trying to navigate life away from India. You can write to me at culture_chaos@yahoo.com or leave your feedback/review on iTunes. Thank you for listening! Background music attribution: Dharma Fire - Madhar - Sitar Jam by Andrea Mosca (Creative Commons License) ASMA band via Vijay Agarwal on youtube (Creative commons License)

There is a thing or two our nation knows about finding opportunities in adversity and against all odds. That is what India did with stereotypes built by the western media - whats more ? We not only found an alternate approach to tell our side of the story and break some of those unfair stereotypes, but we also almost bank rolled our way into it. In this episode, I share some of my insights about how we have been extremely creative and rather business savvyin our quest to destroy some of these stereotypes.  Check out more episodes from Culture Chaos where I share stories of my experiences trying to navigate life away from India. You can write to me at culture_chaos@yahoo.com or leave your feedback/review on iTunes. Thank you for listening!

While watching Uri this past weekend at a theater in Toronto, every NRI was in tears and the movie climax was filled with unanimous chants of Jai Hind. While films and cricket mostly dominate the expression of patriotism for those  of us living away from India, the boundaries of our sentiments for the homeland are not limited to that.  Whether it is the opposition to NRIs being able to cast their votes this coming election or it is questioning our ability to post a simple tweet about an event back home - the general sentiment about NRIs seems to be getting increasing bitter and restrictive.  So in this podcast, I share a view from the other side and make an appeal about going beyond the differences to recognize the fact that we're all seeds of the same crop and no one must get to call dibbs on the motherland.  Check out more episodes from Culture Chaos where I share stories of my experiences trying to navigate life away from India. You can write to me at culture_chaos@yahoo.com or leave your feedback/re

This December, our country witnessed the strangest obsession with with outrageous weddings but if you're thinking that the wedding wave is finally over, think again..because the NRI wedding season is just beginning and it promises to be a bigger and a gaudier circus with every passing year. In this podcast, I try to look into where the thin line is between extravagance and outrageousness and how NRIs are changing the Indian wedding industry. Check out more episodes from Culture Chaos where I share stories of my experiences trying to navigate life away from India. You can write to me at culture_chaos@yahoo.com or leave your feedback/review on iTunes. Thank you for listening!

What would our long distance relationships with our family be without video chats? This episode is dedicated to all the apps on our phones and computers that have stayed with us throughout our NRI lives and have magically transported us back home and our parents and them to us with every call, just like that.  Check out more episodes from Culture Chaos where I share stories of my experiences trying to navigate life away from India. You can write to me at culture_chaos@yahoo.com or leave your feedback/review on iTunes. Thank you for listening!

While immigrants and expats are more widely accepted than ever before, they all continue experiencing subtle hints of racism in their daily lives. Check out more episodes from Culture Chaos where I share stories of my experiences trying to navigate life away from India. You can write to me at culture_chaos@yahoo.com or leave your feedback/review on iTunes. Thank you for listening!

The festival of light is celebrated with the same spirit the world over but Abroad waali Diwali comes with a slight twist and in this podcast, I share how some basic diwali things can be a little convoluted for NRIs. Check out more episodes from Culture Chaos where I share stories of my experiences trying to navigate life away from India. You can write to me at culture_chaos@yahoo.com or leave your feedback/review on iTunes. Thank you for listening! Twitter: @culture_chaos Facebook: Isha Soni - Culture Chaos Podcast

Ever wondered why the humble papad is known by the complex and vague name 'papadom' in the west? If you have, than you aren't alone. Check out this week's podcast where I try to find answers about where this word really came from and how it became the new brand name of this humble desi crisp. Check out more episodes from Culture Chaos where I share stories of my experiences trying to navigate life away from India. You can write to me at culture_chaos@yahoo.com or leave your feedback/review on iTunes. Thank you for listening! Twitter: @culture_chaos Facebook: Isha Soni - Culture Chaos Podcast

The #MeTooIndia movement in India has opened a whole new set of dialogues which are finally approaching the issue of women's safety in the subcontinent and all over the world, with a progressive point of view. In today's episode, I share my take on this revolution which is storming our nation and on why it is important for our generation to ensure that these dialogues are carried forward responsibly.  Check out more episodes from Culture Chaos where I share stories of my experiences trying to navigate life away from India. You can write to me at culture_chaos@yahoo.com or leave your feedback/review on iTunes. Thank you for listening! Twitter: @culture_chaos Facebook: Isha Soni - Culture Chaos Podcast

Last week, I was able to visit my home in Mumbai after almost three years and my favorite thing during home visits is revisiting my old memories and giving myself a good dose of nostalgia before I get on the place to return back to my NRI life. This episode is dedicated to nostalgia and all those products that build the foundations of our lives and memories growing up back home.  Check out more episodes from Culture Chaos where I share stories of my experiences trying to navigate life away from India. You can write to me at culture_chaos@yahoo.com or leave your feedback/review on iTunes. Thank you for listening! Twitter: @culture_chaos Facebook: Isha Soni - Culture Chaos Podcast

A historic judgement was recently passed in India decriminalizing homosexuality. While this judgement was a long awaited step in the forward and progressive direction, I take a minute to question if it is time for us Indians to rejoice at #LoveIsLove just yet?  Check out more episodes from Culture Chaos where I share stories of my experiences trying to navigate life away from India. You can write to me at culture_chaos@yahoo.com or leave your feedback/review on iTunes. Thank you for listening!

The thing about popular culture and its references is, that it changes faster than the seasons. From being the life of a party with my Bollywood treasure-trove of knowledge ready at the tip of my tongue to being completely clueless in conversations and not getting some of the most basic of jokes, comments and references without depending on urban dictionary. In the west, a FOB's struggle with popular culture is very real. In this episode, I talk about how I still fail to get most western popular culture references and crave for my meet ups with 'apne log' every chance I get!  Check out more episodes from Culture Chaos where I share stories of my experiences trying to navigate life away from India. You can write to me at culture_chaos@yahoo.com or leave your feedback/review on iTunes. Thank you for listening!

Contrary to common assumptions, Indian festivals are celebrated with a lot of enthusiasm and pomp abroad and us desis don't leave any stone unturned when it comes to making a party out of our festivals. This podcast is a little sneak peak into how the mood is during the long festival season spread over the last 4 months of the year.  Check out more episodes from Culture Chaos where I share stories of my experiences trying to navigate life away from India. You can write to me at culture_chaos@yahoo.com or leave your feedback/review on iTunes. Thank you for listening!