Subcontinuity: Voices from the South Asian Diaspora
Ragamala Dance CompanyIn Subcontinuity, sisters and creators Aparna Ramaswamy and Ashwini Ramaswamy explore the impact of South Asian-American leaders on the cultural landscape of the United States. In each episode, they moderate a conversation between two prominent thinkers whose work encourages a rich dialogue about our complex identities and provides an open invitation for transformational experiences.
About the hosts:
Aparna Ramaswamy (Executive Artistic Director) and Ashwini Ramaswamy (Choreographic Associate) of Ragamala Dance Company, have catalyzed a bold new vision for Bharatanatyam in the diaspora, making it possible for the company to chart previously unimagined paths for South Asian dance in the U.S**.** The New York Times describes Aparna as “rapturous and profound,” and Ashwini as ‘weaving together the human and the divine.” They mine the artistic, philosophical, and intellectual depths of their Bharatanatyam lineage, evolving ancestral and cultural knowledge in the diaspora as a catalyst for contemporary human thought. www.ragamaladance.org
Produced in collaboration with PRX Productions.
In Subcontinuity, sisters and creators Aparna Ramaswamy and Ashwini Ramaswamy explore the impact of South Asian-American leaders on the cultural landscape of the United States. In each episode, they moderate a conversation between two prominent thinkers whose work encourages a rich dialogue about our complex identities and provides an open invitation for transformational experiences.
About the hosts:
Aparna Ramaswamy (Executive Artistic Director) and Ashwini Ramaswamy (Choreographic Associate) of Ragamala Dance Company, have catalyzed a bold new vision for Bharatanatyam in the diaspora, making it possible for the company to chart previously unimagined paths for South Asian dance in the U.S**.** The New York Times describes Aparna as “rapturous and profound,” and Ashwini as ‘weaving together the human and the divine.” They mine the artistic, philosophical, and intellectual depths of their Bharatanatyam lineage, evolving ancestral and cultural knowledge in the diaspora as a catalyst for contemporary human thought. www.ragamaladance.org
Produced in collaboration with PRX Productions.
Rekha Malhotra and V.V. ‘Sugi’ Ganeshananthan: Creating Worlds
DJ/activist Rekha Malhotra and author V.V. Ganeshananthan on finding fluidity in the challenges of representation, explaining an artist's work to audiences, and the measures of success
ABOUT THE GUESTS
Rekha Malhotra (DJ Rekha) founded Basement Bhangra, one of NYC’s longest-running club nights (1997-2017) and has performed in festivals, clubs, and community spaces worldwide alongside artists such as M.I.A, Ali Sethi and AR Rahman. Their work has been featured on Broadway, NPR, Taste the Nation, Obama’s White House, Celebrate Brooklyn, Central Park SummerStage, South Asian Lodge at Sundance, DJ City and more. They live in Jackson Heights, New York.
V. V. (Sugi) Ganeshananthan, author of NYT Editors' Choice Brotherless Night and Love Marriage, is a distinguished writer whose work has featured in Granta, The New York Times, and other notable publications. She has held leadership roles in South Asian and Asian American literary organizations and is a McKnight Presidential Fellow and associate professor at the University of Minnesota. As a recipient of numerous prestigious fellowships, she co-hosts the Fiction/Non/Fiction podcast on Literary Hub, exploring literature's connection to current events.