Peerbagh

“Zubaani” in Hindustani translates to “through the language” or “by means of language.” It discusses South-Asian parenting tips, books, and storytelling with folk, personal, and regional stories that build our common myths and community as people.

Season 4: Zubaani on Weave

Welcome to Season 4 of the Zubaani podcast. In this season we take a deep dive into the topic of weave with writers Salma Hussain and Upasna Kakroo as cohosts. The podcast episode programming is supported in part by a Elevate Grant of Austin Arts, Culture, Music and Entertainment.

What to expect in each episode:

• Background on the theme of the podcast season
• Dosti, Pyaar, Takraar: things in books or media we like, love, or are conflicted with as it relates to each episode’s theme
• Conversation with the guests
• An ask for you to listen/share, and comment!

All episodes will be LIVE on our podcast page on Spotify on May 1st and shared on social media throughout May.

PARENTING TIPS AND STORYTELLING

ZUBAANI PODCAST

Books

We share book recommendations and research in each episode.

Stories

Our hosts and storytellers talk about personal experiences.

Authors

Authors talk about books they love and review books as writers.

Mini-Drop: South-Asian Diaspora

To celebrate the AAPI heritage month, we have a little mini-drop celebrating the South Asian diaspora.

We spoke with historian, Dr. Shah Mahmoud Hanifi, NSN board chair and storyteller, Rishi Nixon, and YA author, Suja Sukumar. The episodes are produced in part with support from the Global Youth Grant by the Michigan Communities Service Commission and the National Storytelling Network. Stories from Dr. Hanifi are produced for the Bento children’s magazine’s April 2026 issue.

Mini-Drop: Languages x Hindustani

To celebrate the International Mother Tongue month, we have a little mini-drop to celebrate South Asian languages. We are speaking to a few writers of Urdu and Hindi language as a part of a little interview series in early 2026.

We spoke with poet and Urdu teacher, Abhishek Shukla and Urdu poet and voice-over-artist, Aamir Azher Khan on writers who inspire their writing and tips of writing poetry. We also spoke to renowed Hindi poet, Mahesh Chandra Punetha whose work is also translated in Bento’s January 2026 issue.

Season 3: Zubaani on Self-love

Welcome to Season 3 of the Zubaani podcast. In this season we take a deep dive into the topic of self-love with writers Salma Hussain and Upasna Kakroo as cohosts. This season has been produced with support from the Very Asian Foundation. Here is an in depth interview with the co-hosts.

What to expect in each episode:

• Background on the theme of the podcast season
• Discussing children’s and other South Asian books related to the theme
• Interactions with the guests and hosts
• A task for our listeners (you can write to us!)

Episode 5, Season 3: Desi Joys Versus Trauma Porn

White authors aren’t tasked with writing stories addressing colonialism, inequality, racism, etc. Desi writers have that burden placed upon them (internally & externally: our readership demands it and the publishing industry rewards it). How do we not feed into trauma porn? How do we nurture and grow a readership that connects with and cares about our “joys” as much as our trauma? What is self-love other than our focus on stories of our successes, triumphs and joys?

Episode guest: Nadir Shah about his comedy as a desi immigrant dad

Episode 4, Season 3: LGBTQiA Representation

South Asia has had a long history of unique reprepresentation of various genders from the Hijra community to Shikhandi in the Mahabharata, but how are we rep-ing today? This episode deals with the representation of different gender and sexual identities in literature and why they’re critical for building inclusive and loving cultures.

Episode guest author: Adib Khorram

Episode 3, Season 3: Model Minority Myths & Perfectionism

Our (Asian) culture has a fascination with “good” children. Obedience and co-dependency is baked into our idea of what makes a good and bad life or child. In this episode we talk about these model minority myths and how we can subvert these limiting narratives of what success means.

Episode guest author: Annika Sharma talks about her books and podcasting career.

Episode 2, Season 3: Colorism & Desi Beauty Standards

We talk with full time writer and a full time model, Jyoti Rajan Gopal who dazzles the world with grace and gray hair. And importantly, we discuss, how do we break the European beauty standards and notions of what is pretty in our desi communities? What does it take to reclaim our self-worth and build safe spaces of belonging no matter how we look?

Episode guest author: Jyoti Rajan Gopal talks about her career as a model and writer.

Episode 1, Season 3: Love Languages & Desi Dating Culture

In DDLJ, the father says “ja, Simran, ja.” Was that not every desi father telling his daughter, ‘go follow your heart?’ We swoon. We die. We believe Shah Rukh Khan is a global treasure. Almost every South Asian writer is writing about love in one way or another. How does it show up in our homes? How does it work along lines of gender, caste, class, and age?

Episode guest author: Uzma Jalaludin talks about her book, Detective Aunty

---

Season 2 was supported by Michigan Humanities and City of Austin’s Economic Development Department’s Elevate Grant.

---

Season 2, Zubaani

Welcome to Season 2 of the Zubaani podcast. In this season we take a deep dive into the topic of intergenerational storytelling with writers Salma Hussain and Upasna Kakroo as cohosts.

Episode 5, Season 2: Stories of Conflict

In this podcast episode, we talk about stories of internalized or external conflict that are often hidden in families. Books we discuss may work as tools and resources to help navigate through these complex journeys in our families.

Episode 4, Season 2: Festivals & Folklore

In this podcast episode, we talk about festivals and folklore from South Asia in today’s times. Festivals present an easy entry point into sharing culture and the region’s diversity. We also talk about folk and our cultural pasts that are all in fact changing and adapting with newer context. Books we discuss present these ideas with imaginative and inclusive new voices.

Episode 3, Season 2: Rewriting narratives

In this episode, we discuss retellings in books and also talk about some in film and TV. We discuss the colonial cultural hierarchies in art and writing and how desi writers have subverted these. We also talk about authentic representation and books that inspire us! Dog snores included 🙂

Episode 2, Season 2: Food Memories

In this podcast episode, we discuss the role of food in storytelling and building cultural identities. We also feature children’s books that bring this aspect of South Asian culture for kids and families. Mangoes are included 🙂

Episode 1, Season 2: The Stories We Carry

In this podcast episode, we explore family stories, heirlooms and traditions that are passed down from generations. We talk about what it means to pass on stories, languages, and culture to kids when we’re raising kids outside of the “village.” We recommend books that adapt these for modern parenting contexts.

Season 1 of Zubaani Podcast

Season 1 of Zubaani was launched in 2024 and was supported by City of Austin’s Economic Development Department and Texas Humanities.

Episode 5, S1: Hindustani

In this episode of Zubaani, we speak to Urdu educator and influencer, Tamania Naqi. The episode is in Hindustani and English. We talked about contextualizing and modernizing language and stories for children in a new generation and those in the diaspora. Naqi talks about raising multilingual children that helps wire their brains to be more creative. She also shared the colonial impact on South Asians that has historically created a need to be English-speaking over giving importance to regional and local languages. We talk about tips and ideas for parents who are willing to make the effort and raise kids who can celebrate their culture and languages.

Episode 4, S1: Born Confused?

In this episode we talk about the experiences of families in the diaspora that straddle two worlds between the subcontinent and the immigrant culture they’re a part of. Researchers believe that the community-oriented culture of South Asians often clashes with the individualistic experiences in the West with elders and youth having different preferences toward their host culture. We spoke to author and influencer Jyoti Chand popularly known as Mamajotes about her experiences of being a part of an Indian-Burmese family with multiple languages and a very blended cultural setup. Chand provided tips for parents navigating this journey and shared her own experiences growing up often as the only Indian in her school.

Episode 3, S1: Passing the Torch

This episode of Zubaani talks about the tools and resources parents can use to encourage storytelling and creative imagination in kids. We spoke to educator and children’s book author, Natasha Badhiar who shared how children imitate their family members and how family storytelling can develop a love of stories and reading. We also discussed the role of diverse stories for South-Asian diaspora families including stories from a host culture along with stories from their heritage culture to learn from.

Episode 2, S1: Roots of Wisdom

This episode of Zubaani by Peerbagh delves into intergenerational storytelling and how memory-sharing helps parents or elders pass on wisdom to the next generation. Researchers argue that intergenerational storytelling is a developmental resource and is often inequitably available. This injustice impacts everyone but marginalized communities that need them the most.

Episode 1, S1: Far from the tree

This episode delves into the complicated experiences of South-Asian immigrant parents or those who grow up away from their heritage cultures. We talk about the challenges parents face in teaching their children mother tongues when the world as we know it is becoming more and more homogeneous. The episode also discusses why this is a critical need for kids – both to preserve language and culture and to get a sense of roots. The host and guests share some tips for parents navigating this journey.