“Subcontinuity” celebrates South Asian-American cultural leaders
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.
Ashwini Ramaswamy, Choreographic Associate of Ragamala Dance Company and co-host of the limited-series podcast, explains its origins:
“During the height of the pandemic, my sister Aparna and I were looking for projects we could create and execute that did not include touring, as obviously the entire performance industry was at a standstill. We were already filming conversations with South Asian changemakers that we were inspired by for YouTube, so I thought it might be a good fit for a podcast. Instead of interviewing just one guest, our vision was to bring two people in and facilitate a conversation between them. PRX was interested in the concept and worked with us on the pilot season of 4 episodes.”
Episodes
Episode 1: Vijay Gupta and Priya Krishna
Violinist Vijay Gupta and cookbook author Priya Krishna on the myth of authenticity, owning your art, and creating/defining identity in the diaspora.
Episode 2: Chandrika Tandon and Sri Zaheer
Businesswoman and musician Chandrika Tandon and Academic Sri Zaheer on resilience, not being defined by gender, and letting go of the self
Episode 3: Rakesh Satyal and Vivek Tiwary
Author/Editor Rakesh Satyal and Theater Producer Vivek Tiwary on life and death, being children of immigrants, and the consequences of creating art and bringing others’ artistic voices into the world
Episode 4: Rekha Malhotra and V.V. Ganeshananthan
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