The sari-wearing skater
Who said Aunties in their 40’s can’t take up skating? I am so excited to introduce you to Oorbee Roy, also known as Aunty Skater on Masala Podcast.
I loved chatting with Oorbee Roy who lives in Toronto, Canada. She started skating at the age of 43, when most South Asian women are told that we’re just too old. Well, that didn’t stop Oorbee. Now at 47, not only is she a fab skateboarder, she’s been featured in so many media outlets.
Her Aunty Skates persona on TikTok – someone who wears a sari and skates – is a real joy to watch. Orbee spreads real positivity, sari flying through the air as she somersaults. She skates with her two kids & her husband, and it’s lovely to see.
So yes, Aunty Skates shows us that it’s never too late, and that we’re never too old to do whatever it is that we want to do.
Oh and if you fall off a skateboard, just get up and do it again. Brilliant life advice!
Oorbee took the name “Aunty” to change the meaning of that word. In our culture, an aunty is seen as someone who is judgemental, someone who tells your parents when you’re “seen with a boy”. Oorbee wanted to change that perception that Aunty trope.
Oorbee wants to be the Aunty you go to for advice. She wants to spread positive vibes on social media and for her family. We all saw how she matched her helmet to her sari! Now that is one aunty I want to get some advice from. Who knows? By the end of this year, we might all be skating in our saris.
I hope you enjoy this episode!
Aunty Skates on Masala Podcast: Transcript
Sangeeta Pillai 0:00
I’m Sangeeta Pillai and this is the Masala podcast, a Spotify original. This award-winning feminist podcast for and by South Asian women is all about cultural taboos, sex, sexuality, periods, mental health, menopause, nipple hair, shame, and many more taboos. Join me around my virtual kitchen table as I talk with some inspiring women from around the world, exploring what it means to be a South Asian feminist today. I loved chatting with Oorbee Roy, who lives in Toronto, Canada. She started skating at the age of 43. When most South Asian women are told that we’re just too old. Well, that didn’t stop Oorbe. Now at 47 not only is she a fabulous skateboarder, but she’s also been featured on so many media outlets. Her Aunty Skates persona on TikTok, someone who wears a sari and skates is a real joy to watch. Oorbee spreads real positivity. Sari flying through the air as she somersaults. She skates with her two kids and her husband. And it’s lovely to see. So yes, Aunty Skates shows us that it’s never too late. And that we’re never too old to do whatever it is that we want to do. Oh, and if you fall off the skateboard, just get up and do it again. Brilliant life advice. I hope you enjoy this episode.
Oorbee Roy 2:31
My name is Oorbee Roy, and I was born in Chicago. I grew up in New Jersey. I’m from a Bengali family. My parents were immigrants. I was a computer programmer. I started off as a computer programmer and I left my Wall Street job- sorry mom- in my 20s because I wasn’t happy. And I started to pursue my creative passions. Somewhere along the line one of my creative passions was a Montreal skateboarder. I fell in love, married him, and move to Canada and I’ve been here since 2005. I’ve been in Toronto, such a great quality of life here. I have two kids with my husband and we’re all skateboarders. Which is just fantastic.
Sangeeta Pillai 3:15
So let’s start I have this question to ask you. What is a 47-year-old Indian woman in a sari doing skating? Tell me.
Oorbee Roy 3:25
I love the way you said that like the way it rolled off your tongue like that. It sounds sexy.
Sangeeta Pillai 3:30
It is sexy.
Oorbee Roy 3:31
I want to do it. So my husband was a skateboarder. And honestly, I kind of said the same thing you said in the beginning that it just seems so fascinating. But you know, so far removed from anything I could do as a grown woman. I can’t get on a skateboard. I wasn’t even allowed on a bike growing up, forget it. But when my kids started skateboarding, I was like, oh no, I don’t want to be the mom standing there watching my kids and my husband living their lives. And I’m on the side-lines. That was just not for me. I don’t want to be on the side-lines of anything while other people are living their best lives. So I said, you know what, I’m going to learn how to skateboard. I don’t care if I’m going to be terrible at it. I don’t care if I’m going to fall, I don’t care if people laugh at me. I’m going to go out there and do this now. And I immediately fell. But I got back up again. And I just became addicted right away. It’s just so liberating exactly what you think it is that it is liberating.
Sangeeta Pillai 4:40
I bet you didn’t turn out to be the usual doctor, lawyer engineer, that South Asian folks aspire to be well, what did your parents think?
Oorbee Roy 4:48
Well, I did go into computer science. And I was an engineer in that respect. So I fulfilled my goals as a good Indian doctor. But I was so unhappy. I remember the day that I went downstairs and called my dad and said, Baba, I can’t do this anymore. I’m miserable. And my dad was like, okay, if you want to quit, I’ll support you, I support your decision. And I think the reason they did that was because I fulfilled their expectation of me, right? I did the thing they wanted me to do, and they realized I was unhappy. And so then ultimately, the next thing they want me to fulfil is happiness, they want me to be happy, there are going to be the parents that make their kid miserable. Thankfully, they were not, so they were supportive.
Sangeeta Pillai 5:37
That’s really nice to hear, actually, because too often you hear these stories about South Asian women, particularly having to kind of leave the family because they’re not happy, or they’re not supportive with the choices you’ve made. So this is really, really good. So you call yourself Aunty Skates. And I think that’s what drew me to your account first. But something tells me you’re definitely not that toxic aunty that we all know. I know from you that that’s important to you. Can you talk a little bit about that?
Oorbee Roy 6:06
Right, I think in the South Asian community, I mean, a lot of communities have that one person, the stereotypical person who judges you, who asks why you’re not married yet. Why did you put on weight? What job do you have? And in South Asian culture, it’s the aunty. And I think the aunty was once somebody full of dreams and hopes, and maybe those dreams and hopes got squashed by society and the patriarchy and stuff. And I saw a lot of women on Instagram being triggered by this aunty, these are South Asian young women. And I said, oh my god, I’m an aunty. I’m definitely not a toxic aunty. So why don’t I go out there and be the aunty that builds you up and doesn’t tear you down? If somebody says something to me on Instagram, I will always build them up. And I think the world needs that. You know, we can be part of the change, right?
Sangeeta Pillai 7:06
The Aunty gets a lot of flak in South Asian culture. Growing up in Mumbai, I remember this one particular aunty, who would stay up late at night, so that she could clock what time I was coming home. After my job in the advertising agency where I worked. She would then ask my mum the next day. Why is your daughter coming home at midnight? What kind of job does she do that makes her work so late? Obviously, the implication was that I was up to no good and hence stayed out so late. These comments from the aunty next door would always trigger my mother because her daughter’s morality was being questioned. And therefore, hers too. So yes, everyone growing up in South Asian culture understands only two well beyond the trope.
The sneaky aunty would call your parents to snitch on which boy you were seen with. The bitchy aunty huddled in the corner at a wedding, dishing out all the gossip about who was having an affair with whom. The judging aunty who always made a comment about how thin or half fat or whatever you looked in the new dress. But having thought about the whole aunty troop I’m beginning to think that maybe aunties became aunties as a survival mechanism. In a traditional culture, where women had no power, the only power they could wield was on other women. So when an aunty put someone else down, she was just repeating what had been done to her. It’s not about making excuses for terrible behaviour. But understanding why aunties might act the way they do. And ultimately, breaking that cycle of trauma and pain. So that maybe the aunty trope doesn’t carry on.
Let’s talk about the video on TikTok that went viral. I think for you. I know it happened at a tough time. So you want to just talk about how the circumstances and how that came to be?
Oorbee Roy 9:40
Sure. Well, I’ll start by saying that I started my TikTok account in February of 2021, which in Canada was a very dark period for us. February, there’s like no sunlight. Nobody’s getting vitamin D. Everybody’s depressed but then we also had a lockdown. So everybody was so depressed, that, when you asked them how they were doing, they wouldn’t even say good. They would just say, no, I’m not good. So I started my account to spread joy and positivity because I think the world needed that. I think that’s part of the reason why my account resonated with so many people is because it was so joyful and positive. And unfortunately, sometime in March, my father, who was my biggest fan, self-proclaimed number one fan biggest supporter, he was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer.
Fortunately, my whole family just picked up, got in a car, went down there, and spent the last five weeks of his life with him. And while this was happening, my TikTok account was going viral. And it brought a lot and actually brought a lot of joy to the family. You know, it’s such a crazy thing. I think my father was always impressed with me for trying new things and seeing how it went. And you know, it didn’t work out if it did, it was fun. So it was just a bright light in an otherwise very dark, the darkest time of my life, the juxtaposition of the two, I think both of those things. It helped me so much, get through it.
Sangeeta Pillai 11:14
I can absolutely understand. And I get the point of sort of something dark and something so bright coming together, I think. And the fact that it brought joy to your family at that time. Do you think the fact that you did the skating in a sari had something to do with it?
Oorbee Roy 11:35
I think I made that video on the Bengali New Year. And you know, I really miss wearing saris. I don’t wear a lot of dresses; I don’t get dressed up very often. But I love a good sari and I will wear it any chance I get. And because of COVID there was no chance to wear a sari and it was Bengali New Year. And I hadn’t seen my family in a while. And I just threw the sari on, and I took my kids. I said, let’s go to the skate park, I really didn’t think anything of it. Sure. I’m not going to sit here and say, oh, I didn’t think it would go viral, it’s a cool video.
Sangeeta Pillai 12:16
It is a cool video, I’ve seen it.
Oorbee Roy 12:18
I would like to say to all the people who noticed I matched my helmet to my sari; I was very proud of that. And you know what, it brought a lot of joy to people, myself included, my family included. And the visual representation of that for people in India, for example, to see a 40 something year old woman skateboarding in a sari. These are people who can now say that and see that anything is possible, right. And that’s really important. It was an unintended side effect. But so, so important.
Sangeeta Pillai 12:56
I absolutely get that. I think as a South Asian also lives in a different country, where you almost kind of adopt the dress code of that country. When you’re going to work, you wear western clothes, or you’re going out for drinks, you wear whatever. And then the Indian part of you is something you keep for like Durga Puja, or Diwali, or things like that. And I think what you did, which is you wore the sari to the skatepark, I think is brilliant. Because a) it makes a cool video, like you said, but b) it also makes a point that our Asian identity is very much part of our new life in the new country that we’ve made it. And it doesn’t have to be this hidden thing that comes out once a year, kind of part of ourselves. It can be in the boardroom, it can be in the skate park, why not? Right?
Oorbee Roy 13:45
Why not? 100%.
Sangeeta Pillai 13:47
And I think personally for me, like for you, saris make me feel a) connection to my culture, b) dressed up, and also like there’s this grace and elegance that I think comes to my body when I wear saris. Hundreds of generations of people before me have worn that, and I’m kind of carrying that and I wonder if it’s anything similar for you.
Oorbee Roy 14:12
I feel very powerful in a sari. There’s something about getting the right fall, putting it over your shoulder properly. You know, I’m very proud that I wear a sari without putting any pins in it. I always feel very powerful. I’m a tall person. I’m a tall woman, if I put heels on, I’m 5.10 So I walk into a room and people see me with a sari. And there’s power to that and I love it and I want my daughter to see that too. Plus I have a lot of saris. I don’t know in India if people wear saris as much, I think they wear lingas a lot too and salwar kameez, but I love a sari. It makes me feel comfortable. Obviously I feel comfortable enough in it to skate in a bowl so..
Sangeeta Pillai 15:07
Exactly. To all those women who were sort of listening to this, oh my god, it’s so uncomfortable wearing a sari. Well, somebody who’s skating in one, so it can’t be that difficult.
Oorbee Roy 15:18
Well, I will say that I spent over 10 years doing Bengali folk dancing. So that is a skill set of bitis to be able to move around in a sari. It’s a learned skill.
Sangeeta Pillai 15:32
So don’t do this at home unsupervised.
As a little girl, I’d watch my mother and my aunts wear their saris. It seemed magical to me, seeing the women in my family drape themselves in these yards of bright colourful silks. Crisp cottons and slippery Georgettes, as South Asian women, we’ve been wearing saris for millennia. And we pretty much wear saris the same way now, as we did 1000s of years ago. Whether that sari is a Banarasi silk, woven in the holy city of Varanasi, or a heavy brocaded kanjeevaram wanted weddings, or the crisp, pure white set him under mourn in Kerala. The sari remains the ultimate South Asian garment for me. bright, colourful, traditional, and sensual, all at the same time.
There is something sensual about the feel of smooth silk, tucked deep into your waist. There’s something sexy about the choli or blouse, worn with a sari that’s hugging your breasts. There’s something flirtatious about a sari that goes over your shoulder sashing across your bottom as you walk. I feel sexy in a sari in a way that no other type of clothing makes me feel. You spoke a little bit I think in our call earlier about how skating to you isn’t just skating isn’t just a sport, like it’s a big part of your life. And how it also helped you in your mental health journey. Could you talk a little bit about this?
Oorbee Roy 17:37
Yeah. So the first part of the question is how it’s changed my life. And I think before I started skateboarding, I looked at every mistake I made as some sort of failure, you know, you know, I didn’t get the promotion, or I didn’t get the raise, or I didn’t finish the project or, you know, my business didn’t make the sales it was supposed to make it was just failure, failure. And I think that’s maybe something very common in the South Asian community is that we put so much pressure on ourselves, that everything becomes so extreme, right. And every little bit of failure is such a big deal, right? Some point along the way, I started skateboarding. And remember I told you earlier I said, I immediately fell. Well, I got back up and I tried again. And the beauty of skateboarding is, and this is why I love parenting my kids at the skatepark, is because when you fall, you get back up and you try again. And you try again. And you keep trying. And every time you fall, you learn a little bit more as you go until you land the trick. And in skateboarding, that’s just part of the journey.
That’s kind of part of the excitement is like, oh my god, I’m getting closer, I’ve almost got it. So that really taught me in my life, it translated into my real life, that I can fall, it’s part of the journey. It’s not failing, it’s not the end, it’s just part of the process. My dad used to tell me all the time, like get over that it’s just move on, and I just didn’t know how to do it. And now, somewhere along the line, I learned how to just move on, you know, get back up and try again, right. And then on the other side, the mental health aspect. I think, again, we put so much pressure on ourselves, Sangeeta and we forget to play, I think adults forget to play. We just become adults, and we’re like, got to pay bills, got to go to work, you know, got to do all these things, got to accomplish this by the time I’m 45.
We forget to play, we tell our kids; get off your iPads, go outside and play and then what do we do right after that we get on our iPhones, right? And so just the concept of playing is very good for mental health. And I think in the South Asian community, mental health talking about mental health is still a bit of a stigma. So this is kind of a healthy way, you’re not talking to a therapist, God forbid, but you’re out there, you’re being active, you’re being out in the sun, you’re working. So when I’m skateboarding, I’m not thinking about anything else going on in my life. I’m thinking about landing that trick. And it’s very freeing. It’s very liberating. You know, when my father was sick, I was one of his caregivers. And it was really difficult to watch him slowly die.
If I didn’t have skateboarding, I think it would have broken me. He was such an amazing man. And I wanted to make the last weeks of his life as comfortable as possible. And I’d give him facials every day and foot massages, but I needed the strength to get in there IN that room every day and be able to do that, right. And that’s why it’s skateboarding. And I would go out, and I would skateboard, and I’d come back, and I’d be able to spend time with them. So in that respect, at a very, very deep level, skateboarding really saved me at a very dark part of my life. But on other levels, too. It’s just very liberating.
Sangeeta Pillai 21:00
What does it feel like when you’re on the board? Describe to me what it feels.
Oorbee Roy 21:04
Well, I guess it depends on what I’m doing. If I’m trying a new trick, I don’t know if you’ve seen my videos. But I’ve recently started, I used to edit out the part where I’d be cursing. Because when I’m scared, I curse, and I really curse. Like, everybody knows that we’re going to be trying a new trick if they hear the F word coming from the skatepark, they know. So there’s a lot of fear, right? And then sometimes I wonder, like, why am I facing this field? What am I doing? I’m a 47-year-old woman, why am I standing here trying to face my fear? Like, I don’t have to do this. And then I go ahead and do it. And then I’ve conquered my fear. And it’s amazing, right? But on a day-to-day basis, I would say, getting on a skateboard gives me a chance to take a break, to stop whatever I’m doing in my life and just go you know, as I’m talking to you, I’m looking out at my skate ramp by the way, because after this call that, I’m going to go skate. It’s maybe a chance to check in with yourself or check out but it’s very liberating. If you’re in the bowl, and you’re flying. I feel like I’m flying.
I’m a grown woman. And I feel like I’m flying. What an amazing feeling that is. And I’ll tell you, just getting on a skateboard itself is liberating and exhilarating. You don’t have to be doing all those big tricks, right? When I say it’s never too late to live your best life. I don’t mean go out there and be an Olympic athlete. I mean, go out there and do the thing you always wanted to do because it is so freeing, right? Anyway, I could go on about that.
Sangeeta Pillai 22:47
Oh my god, that’s made me actually think oh, my God, I want to try this.
Oorbee Roy 22:52
Ah, you said it. I was waiting for you to say it on record, I will see you soon. And I’m going to get you on a board.
Sangeeta Pillai 23:03
I said this on a podcast, I’ve got to do it now. So something else I was thinking about when you were talking was about within South Asian culture, you know, we’ve got, you know, we don’t talk about mental health. So this is a healthy way maybe to sort of let off some steam. But also as women, we were really not encouraged to be physically active ever. What sort of reactions do you get from other South Asian women who see your videos?
Oorbee Roy 23:30
Well, I think initially, when I was just starting out as a skateboarder I think everybody was very sceptical, not just South Asian people, but everybody just because of my age and gender. People were like, what are you doing? You’re going to break a leg. What are you trying to do? So everybody was immediately sceptical. But then as I started getting a little bit better, and I started sharing my journey on TikTok, I would have to say that 99% of the feedback I’ve gotten has been incredibly positive. Surprisingly, I expected a little bit of hate.
And I’m getting very little, and I think that oh, man, I’m lucky. I am super lucky. But also I think that if I can inspire somebody out there to take a chance on themselves, believe in themselves, follow their dreams. Maybe I’m that inner voice in somebody’s head that says, oh, look, you know, aunty could skate in a sorry that you can go and tell your parents you don’t want to be a doctor, right? And actually, that’s happened.
I’ve had people contact me and say, I didn’t go pursue my dreams when I was younger. And I’m going to go back to school and do it now or somebody else who said, you know what, I don’t want to go to school for engineering. And because of you, I had the strength to go tell my parents that I don’t want to do engineering, and I get these kinds of messages from people all the time, which is just fantastic. I mean, maybe there’s some parents out there who were pretty pissed at me, but not my parents. They’re super proud of all the decisions that I made. And I think that when I saw those young South Asian women complaining about the toxic aunty, and I said, I’m going to be the one that builds them up, maybe it’s working, and that makes me feel really good.
Sangeeta Pillai 25:17
I definitely think it’s working. And I think just the messages that you give out on kind of getting out there doing the thing you want, like enjoying being in your body, that’s the other message we get to South Asian women, we’re like, taught to really disconnect from our bodies, right. And by getting on that board, like you have to be in your body, there’s no other way you’re going to do this. So that in itself, I think, is a huge shift for people, I think.
Oorbee Roy 25:44
I am so incredibly grateful to be at this place in my life. Because there have been times in my life where I’ve been very lonely or lost, or body conscious, or in a bad relationship, or not sure what’s going on. And I think I’ve been there, you know, I can relate to all the people that are going through a thing because I’ve been through the things. And that’s why there’s so much joy, genuine joy and gratitude. Because I’m at a place in my life where I just don’t care what anyone thinks, you know, and I’m out there doing these things. I’m living my best life. And I’m glad that people can see that. And I think that that’s something that I share as much as possible that even if you’re not in the right place, right now, you will get there, right. And that’s important, I want to make sure I say that here. That’s important. It may not be today, it could be tomorrow,
Sangeeta Pillai 26:41
Growing older, within South Asian culture, while there’s like this whole reverence for older people, our grandparents, etc, we’re taught that once you get to a certain age, you just sort of wait around to die. You know, like, that’s pretty much it. Just talking from my own experience, you know, like just thinking of my parents, their parents, we’re taught to sort of pass on the baton to younger people and just kind of retire. And what you’re doing is the opposite of that. You’re like, okay, young people skate, I’m going to get on that skateboard. And I’m going to do these crazy things. So I think it’s wonderful for older South Asian women like me, and other you know, people who are listening who will be listening to this to say, Wow, that’s pretty cool. If she can do it, maybe I could do these things as well. And it’s not just life’s not over just because you’re told this myth, I think that when you get to your 40s you get to your 50s, that’s it. Job done. You know, sit quietly now.
Oorbee Roy 27:38
Yes, I think we’ve been told that our job is to raise our kids. And then once the kids are off, you know, well, we’ve done our job, right. And that just never made sense for me, you know, people are living a long time these days. And, yeah, sure, raising my kids is an important part of what I do, obviously. But I tell them all the time, like, I come first, my happiness comes first. And then yours for me, in my mind. Because if I’m not happy, nobody else is happy. Let me just tell you, like, if mean mama comes out, nobody’s happy. It’s the saying about putting your own oxygen mask on first before you put on your child. So I always make sure that I’m mentally or physically or whatever it is in a good place. And that way I can have fun. And the side effect of that is that going out there and living a good life and being active. I mean, just practically speaking, you’ve got endorphins flowing serotonin, like all the feel-good vibes. It’s addictive, right? Why not want more of that? Why just sit there and wait for grandkids? I’m not going to live my life through my kids. I’m not going to stand there on the side-lines watching my kids have fun. That’s going to go on for as long as possible.
I’m not putting that pressure on my kids either, right? That’s not fair to them. So I encourage everybody to go out there and do the thing you always wanted to do. It doesn’t have to be skateboarding. For me, if I started skateboarding at 43, and I skate until I’m 63. That’s 20 years of skateboarding I got. If you always wanted to knit or play piano, if you wanted to play piano, you could play piano into your 80s. Why stop that? You’ve got a long way to go.
Sangeeta Pillai 29:33
Absolutely. I love that. I love that. And it’s completely the opposite of the message we get growing up that everything stops when you reach a certain age. And actually, look at me, you know, I’m about to be 50 this year and I’m only just getting started.
Oorbee Roy 29:51
Yes, you look great, by the way. Wow.
Sangeeta Pillai 29:53
Thank you very much.
Oorbee Roy 29:57
I’m excited about what I’m going to do in my 50s. I’m like, oh, what? What am I going to start in my 50s, like that’s going to be fun? The kids will be older, I’ll be able to do something crazy. We’ll see.
Sangeeta Pillai 30:10
I love the sound of that.
Oorbee Roy 30:11
Maybe roller skating.
Sangeeta Pillai 30:14
Which brings me very neatly to my next question. What is next for Aunty Skates? What plans are you concocting?
Oorbee Roy 30:20
Yeah, well, I’ve got some really exciting things coming up. I am starting to put together an online course for everyone out there who wants to start skateboarding, and just the basics like adult to adult, you know, I think there’s a different way to learn as an adult. So I’m starting to put like about six or seven absolute beginner courses together, and they’ll be available online, and the world is opening up again so I’m going to start some trips. Like, I’ve made a lot of friends all over the world. And so a lot of the things that I hear is that people are afraid to go to the skate park, they’re afraid to start, they don’t know where to start. So I’m going to start organizing some skate trips, maybe in California, the UK or Banff. We’ll see. So you follow me on Instagram @Auntyskates or TikTok @Auntykates and you can stay updated on that.
Sangeeta Pillai 31:05
Brilliant. And I think what you just said there, a lot of people are scared to go to the skate park because it’s full of trendy young people, right? Like, I wouldn’t even look at that and think I’m going to go do that because it just looks terrifying. But I think what you’re doing, which is taking people to those places, and to say look, actually, it’s not that scary and it can be fun, and we can do it together is absolutely wonderful,
Oorbee Roy 31:32
Right? I mean, I want there to be a recipe of success. I want people to succeed at this thing that they’re trying. It’s very scary to be an adult getting on a skateboard. I’m not going to take that away from anybody. But there’s some secrets to make it a little bit easier. And I’ve got those secrets and I want to share them with people and I’m looking forward to it.
Sangeeta Pillai 31:50
I’m sure loads of people listening to this will be very excited to share that journey with you. Thank you so much Oorbee for being a masala podcast and for sharing all your wisdom and all the fun things that you’ve done and also kind of like I love how it’s almost like skating is a metaphor for life, I think. It’s almost saying get on there, fall but that’s not a big deal. You get up and do it again and again and again. And don’t get hung up.
Oorbee Roy 32:17
And aunty’s got your back.
Sangeeta Pillai 32:19
And aunty’s got your back. I love that. I absolutely love that. Thank you so much for being on the Masala podcast.
Oorbee Roy 32:28
Thank you.
Sangeeta Pillai 32:32
Thank you for listening to the Masala Podcast, a Spotify original. Masala Podcast is part of my platform, Soul Sutras. What’s that all about? Soul Sutras is a network for South Asian women. A safe space to tell our story, to hear inspiring South Asian women challenging patriarchy, a space to be exactly the people we want to be and still feel like we belong in our culture, and our community. And ultimately, a space where we feel less alone. I’d love to hear from you. So do get in touch via email at soulsutras.co.uk or go to my website, soulsutras.co.uk. I’m also on Twitter, and Instagram. Just look for Soul Sutras. Masala podcast was created and presented by me Sangeeta Pillai, produced by Anoushka Tate, opening music by Sonny Robertson.