I’m taking the way we talk about mental illness and flipping it on its head - literally.
It’s a well-known fact that South Asians generally don’t discuss mental health due to societal taboos. While talking about it is absolutely necessary, this podcast follows a unique model. Rather than starting from the problem and then expanding on it, this podcast starts from the root of the issues, then travels up and outwards. It looks at emotional tendencies rooted in history, culture, and sociology to understand the development and worsening of mental illness and health crises today. This framework allows us to observe the development process of emotional crises common amongst first and second generation Desis, while encouraging people to speak openly about their personal stories.
This website is an extension of the podcast: in addition to episodes and further reading on topics, it serves as an online art collective for Desi creatives. I started this to establish a sense of community and empathy. To not just talk, but to actually show the ways the Desi condition and mental health intertwine, because mental health expression is not just an audio medium!
— Tanushree, Founder
Tanushree is..
an educator and educatee at heart: a high school math teacher by day, graduate student, podcaster at The Desi Condition, and mental health advocate on nights and weekends. The focus of her mental health work is on the destigmatization of mental health in the South Asian diaspora, and interrogating the intersection of “the human condition” and “Desi-ness”.
Professionally, Tanushree has a background in mechanical engineering, industrial design, and teaching.
When Tanushree isnt’t writing, podcasting, or teaching math, she can be found swimming, reading, or baking. You can follow Tanushree/The Desi Condition on Instagram @thedesicondition or contact us at thedesicondition@gmail.com