After The Storm

Episode 10: Focus on Mental Health featuring Dr. Ashraf

Hamna and Roha — Mon, 19 Apr 2021 22:42:14 +0000

In our last episode of the season, we chat with Dr Anjabeen Ashraf about something close to our hearts - mental health in South Asian Muslim communities. Dr Ashraf discusses shares with us the journey to her PhD, and chats with us about the mental health issues within our communities and how we can address them, particularly as we live through a pandemic.

Episode 9: Joke's On You featuring Tez Ilyas

Hamna and Roha — Mon, 29 Mar 2021 20:25:24 +0000

This week we bring to you our first guest from across the pond: Tez Ilyas! Tez is one of our favourite comedians and joins us on the podcast to chat about his journey into stand-up comedy and his life experiences as a British-Pakistani. Tez also gives us some life (and dating) advice, and we discuss his role as Eight on BBC Three's Man Like Mobeen, and THAT ending.

Episode 8: HYFNated featuring Humai

Hamna and Roha — Mon, 22 Mar 2021 20:42:13 +0000

This week we chat with Humai, co-founder of Happy Monday and HYFN.

Episode 7: On the Beat featuring Hashir

Hamna and Roha — Mon, 08 Mar 2021 17:48:53 +0000

In this week's episode we talk to Hashir, an up and coming musician with about his work, family and what goes on behind the scenes! Hashir tells us about the first time his family heard his music, brings insight to his musical process and chats with us about life in the pandemic.

Episode 6: Reel Life Doctor featuring Hamza Haq

Hamna and Roha — Wed, 13 Jan 2021 20:33:08 +0000

This week, we chat with Hamza Haq, the star of CTV's hit show Transplant. Hamza is a Canadian actor with Pakistani heritage, and was kind enough to chat with us about his life, career and most recently, the journey to his role as Dr. Bash on Transplant.

Episode 5: Shanaya Pack Your Bags, We're Discussing Reality TV!

Hamna and Roha — Mon, 04 Jan 2021 19:03:05 +0000

In this episode we sit down with our newest team member Tayyaba and talk about the one thing that collectively got us through 2020: Reality TV. We talk about the enigmatic Maheep Kapoor from Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives, why Love is Blind is basically like desi arranged marriages, the scams on Love Island and the plethora of issues on 90 Day Fiance. Tune in for some laughs and lots of chaos.

Episode 4: Identity, God, and the Politics of Poetry featuring Sanna Wani

Hamna and Roha — Mon, 21 Dec 2020 19:54:55 +0000

In this episode we talk to poet Sanna Wani about her work, delving into two of her poems: Schizotheism, and Moon Gods Are Not Born. We go on to discuss how identity plays a role in her writing, the complex nature of representation, and how religion and poetry intertwine.

Episode 3: Food Chaats featuring Zeeshan Bakhrani

Hamna and Roha — Mon, 07 Dec 2020 18:32:46 +0000

In this week's episode we chat with our favourite insta-chef Zeeshan about all things food. Tune in to hear about Zeeshan's journey into food blogging, recipe breakdowns (did someone say elotes chaat?) and insights into his unique and mouth-watering creations!

Episode 2: Bollywood and its ...isms, featuring Desi Standard Time

Hamna and Roha — Mon, 23 Nov 2020 18:39:24 +0000

This week, we sit down with the Maazes of Desi Standard Time to talk about Bollywood, its ...isms (and jisms). Tune in to hear us reflect on the rights and wrongs of the industry, how we make sense of our problematic faves and what we hope for as we move forward.

Season 2, Episode 1: Awkward Reunion

Hamna and Roha — Mon, 16 Nov 2020 17:05:05 +0000

We're back and we're (a little) better. Maybe. We'll let you decide. In our first episode of Season 2, we get off to a rusty start, bringing you a recap of what we've been up to in the last year, and talking about the strange times we live in. An actual pandemic eh? WHO woulda thought. We give you a little inside info on what's coming up this season, which we are SO excited for and we hope you will be too!

Episode 12: Talking Taboos featuring Bisma Bhatti

Hamna and Roha — Fri, 12 Jul 2019 18:17:35 +0000

This episode we sit down with Bisma Bhatti, an entrepreneur who somehow does it all, to talk about taboos in desi culture. Before recording this episode we asked you, our listeners, what taboos you wanted us to chat about and during this episode, we cover quite a few of them, from divorce, to sex education, period, and other things. Tune in for a thought-provoking conversation!

Episode 11: Pretty Fly For A White Guy featuring Daniel

Hamna and Roha — Mon, 08 Jul 2019 19:50:09 +0000

In this episode, we sit down for what we planned on being mostly banter with our go-to "white guy" Daniel, talking about why white people love cheese and others things we don't really get. Things take a turn, however, as we delve into deeper issues of identity, marginalization, and privilege. This was one of the very first episodes we recorded and we are excited to finally release it!

Episode 10: Ramzan Thots

Hamna and Roha — Mon, 24 Jun 2019 19:56:00 +0000

No, that wasn't a spelling error. This episode is a Ramzan/Ramadan/however-you-pronounce-it special! Tune in to hear us chat about our favorite things about this month, our struggles with it, and people that really test our patience.

Episode 9: Social Entrepreneurship featuring Sam from SIS

Hamna and Roha — Mon, 24 Jun 2019 19:53:23 +0000

You know how all desi parents want their kids to be doctors, lawyers or engineers? We didn't do that, and neither did Sam Dharmasena, a.k.a. DJ Roshanie. Sam is the founder of Solidarity in Sound (SIS) and a kickass DJ. We sit down with her to chat about what social entrepreneurship is, how she got started with SIS and why we need more of us South Asians in non-traditional career paths!

Episode 8: Social Responsibility in a Digital Age featuring Afshan Nasseri

Hamna and Roha — Mon, 24 Jun 2019 19:49:55 +0000

In this week's episode, we are joined by Afshan Nasseri, known on Instagram as @lifesforliving. We chat with Afshan about the incredible authenticity she has on her social media when sharing her Irani and Indian culture. The conversation goes back to where this authenticity comes from and what social responsibility can look like on social media, when it is so easy to tokenize yourself for clout.

Episode 7: It's All In Your Head Part 2 featuring Amilah Baksh

Hamna and Roha — Mon, 24 Jun 2019 19:46:00 +0000

We are back with a follow up to our first mental health episode. This time we sit down with Amilah, a mental health professional, to discuss the impact of misunderstanding mental health in racialized communities and how we can work towards a positive change. Might wanna get your parents to tune into this one too!

Episode 6: It's All In Your Head Part 1

Hamna and Roha — Mon, 24 Jun 2019 19:43:30 +0000

Desi people don't like talking about mental health so you know what we're going to do? Talk about mental health! We discuss the stigmas that surround mental illness in our communities, share our experiences and anecdotes and talk about why we need to shift our attitudes towards mental health in desi, Muslim spaces.

Episode 5: Shaadi Barbaadi?

Hamna and Roha — Mon, 24 Jun 2019 19:40:56 +0000

This episode was supposed to be short and sweet but it ended up being fast and furious because we're ranting! Being a desi girl in your mid-twenties isn't easy, and it's only made harder by the social pressure to get married at a "desirable" age. Tune into hear us talk about something we think many of you will resonate with and tell us how you deal with the struggles of wanting to stay single when everyone and their neighbor's dog wants you married.

Episode 4: The Urdu Session

Hamna and Roha — Mon, 24 Jun 2019 19:37:02 +0000

We're back with a very exploratory episode. This time, we attempt to do a whole episode speaking in Urdu, so this isn't for you English-speaking folks out there. We chat about why we hesitate to speak in our own language and the challenges of doing so. Tune in to hear us muddle through in Urdu and validate our attempt at being truly Pakistani.

Episode 3: Punjabi Folk Tales

Hamna and Roha — Mon, 24 Jun 2019 19:31:41 +0000

It's story time with Hamna and Roha! This episode we tell the incredible and heart-wrenching tale of Sohni Mahiwal, one of the famous Punjabi folk tales, and Roha's favorite one by far. We talk about how Coke Studio retells this tale in Season 9 through their song Paar Chanaa De. Tune in to learn about folklore in Pakistan, and hear a story that will tug on your heartstrings.

Episode 2: Desi Muslims and Anti-Black Racism featuring Nasra

Hamna and Roha — Mon, 24 Jun 2019 19:25:39 +0000

In this hard hitting episode we tackle an issue seen all too often in our communities. Anti-black racism is rampant and in desi Muslim spaces and we discuss the impacts of this. We sit down with a good friend Nasra, for an honest conversation on her experiences of being a Black Muslim woman living in a predominantly white suburbia. The conversation drifts to how desi Muslims can work to challenge racism in our communities and create spaces that are truly inclusive.

Episode 1: Are We Gentrifying Sufi Music? And Other Concerns

Hamna and Roha — Mon, 24 Jun 2019 19:14:02 +0000

On our very first episode we talk about our recent experiences at the Hasan Minhaj live stand-up and the Misaq e Ishq show featuring Ali Sethi. We talk about the importance of representation in arts and culture and how meaningful it can be to experience art we resonate with. We go on to talk about Coke Studio and how it bridges us back to our Pakistani culture questioning if we are in an era of gentrifying our own culture. Tune in for a fun episode and join our journey of cultural exploration!