Roundglass India Center Launches Podcast Series with Prominent Indian Americans

The Roundglass India Center at Seattle University has produced a podcast series, titled Desi Roots & Routes that will explore the stories of prominent Indian Americans in technology, business, the arts and government and politics. The first episode of Desi Roots & Routes will drop September 20. The series will be hosted by Sital Kalantry, law school professor and founder and executive director of the center.

“There are almost 5 million people of Indian descent in the United States, making them the second largest Asian group,” says Kalantry. “So many of them have made significant contributions to positive growth and change in the United States.”  

The first season of Desi Roots & Routes will include six episodes, with each featuring a long-form interview and discussion with the following prominent Indian Americans with ties to Seattle and the Puget Sound region:

• Sunny Singh: Gurpreet “Sunny” Singh was born in India and is the founder of global health care technology company Edifecs and the Roundglass Foundation. He will be the podcast’s first guest.
• Rita Meher: Meher is the executive director of Tasveer, a nonprofit organization dedicated to sparking change through the power of films and storytelling, lifting up underrepresented South Asian voices in the wake of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Rita will be the podcast’s second guest.
• Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal: Jayapal has served the 7^th Congressional District of Washington state (most of Seattle, Shoreline, Vashon Island, Lake Forest Park and parts of Burien and Normandy Park) since 2017.
• Krishna Thiagarajan: Thiagarajan is the president and CEO of the Seattle Symphony and Benaroya Hall. He was previously the CEO of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra.
• Ankur Vora: Vora is the Chief Strategy Officer at the Gates Foundation.
• Pallavi Mehta Wahi: Wahi is the managing partner of K&L Gates’ Seattle office and previously served as the co-U.S. managing partner of K&L Gates’ 25 offices across the country.

Nalini Iyer, a professor of English at SU and a faculty affiliate to the Roundglass India Center, is looking forward to Desi Roots & Routes providing more context for those interested in South Asian communities in the greater Puget Sound area.

“Indian Americans are the second largest Asian American community in King County,” says Iyer. “The Pacific Northwest has seen continuous migration of South Asians from the early 1900s, but their history has been largely invisible even as they are hyper visible in some fields like tech and education.”

Desi Roots & Routes is produced by Lower Street, a leading podcast production company helping Roundglass develop and reach its audience.

“With Desi Roots & Routes we’re going far more in depth into the stories of many prominent Indian leaders in Seattle, in ways you can't find anywhere else,” explains Oriana Marrone, a producer at Lower Street, which is producing the podcast. “Every episode shares the unique journey of these individuals, but simultaneously the commonalities and truths that this whole community of the Indian diaspora face." 

About the Roundglass India Center

The Roundglass India Center at Seattle University focuses on the study of contemporary India as well as the Indian American community. Its mission is to educate our communities on current issues impacting them and conduct cutting-edge research on India and Indian Americans with the goal of advancing positive social, economic and policy change in the United States and India.

Read more at the SU Newsroom.

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