Chai Break

About Chai Break

Chai Break Podcast—because nothing pairs better with chai than a good Chai-versation. ☕️💬 From a cross-cultural lens, I, Shwetha Ravishankar, sit down with incredible South Asian women to spill the tea on everything from immigrant stories to sustainability, entrepreneurship to conscious living, and the hustle behind change-makers. Grab your chai and tune in!

Publisher

Shwetha Ravishankar

Category

business · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

15 Aug 2021

Latest episode

18 Dec 2025

Latest episodes

47 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   18 Dec 2025

   Keeping Kalamkari Alive: Nikita Shah on Craft, Culture, and Conscious Creation

   After a brief pause, Chai Break returns with a conversation that feels like a deep exhale. In this episode, Shwetha is joined by Nikita Shah — a multidisciplinary artist, textile designer, educator, and researcher whose work bridges the 3,000-year-old craft of Kalamkari with contemporary storytelling, community, education, and healing. From living and learning alongside weavers in Maheshwar, to studying at NIFT Kannur and FIT, to founding Untitle by Nikita and hosting Fursat, a monthly workshop centered on rest and reflection through textile-making, Nikita’s journey is rooted in patience, presence, and purpose. This episode is a powerful meditation on slow fashion, cultural memory, sustainability, and the quiet resistance of handmade work in a world addicted to speed, trends, and overconsumption. What We Talk About in This Episode Beginnings & Origins Nikita’s early relationship with textiles, craft, and sustainability Living within indigenous craft clusters across India Her formative six-month graduation project in Maheshwar, working directly with weavers How family memory, cotton saris, and lived experience shaped her artistic language Discovering Kalamkari What Kalamkari is — and the pen-based, natural-dye, multi-step process she practices Learning Kalamkari by living with weavers and printers in Andhra Pradesh for several years Navigating language, trust, and lineage in a traditionally gatekept craft Why Kalamkari chose her — and the responsibility that comes with carrying it forward Untitle by Nikita Why she founded Untitle by Nikita and what “Untitle” represents Working with deadstock textiles and memorial fabrics Creating garments in NYC’s garment district as an act of preservation and care How memory, craftsmanship, and sustainability are stitched into every piece Fursat: Community, Rest & Reflection What Fursat means — and why the concept feels radical today Reclaiming the joy of waiting, tailoring, and intentional creation How Fursat creates space for personal storytelling, emotional healing, and collective creativity Craft as a practice of rest in a culture obsessed with productivity Art, Healing & Sustainability The connection between textile-making and healing Teaching handloom language at FIT and independently at universities Why fashion should begin with textiles — not trends The missed opportunity in today’s over-the-top Diwali fashion culture Why handloom is still stigmatized as “not cool” — and how we shift that narrative Relearning how to shop, consume, and dress with intention The Sari as Identity Nikita’s love for saris and whether it was a conscious choice Saris as conversation starters, grounding tools, and cultural anchors Her involvement in the New York Sari Exhibit at the New York Historical Society What it meant to see the sari honored in such an iconic space ☕ Rapid Fire (Chai Break Style) How Nikita practices sustainability in daily life What she’s currently reading Favorite season How she takes her chai Her go-to chai-time snack

2. 

   21 Aug 2025

   Thrifting, Upcycling & the Future of Fashion, Meghana Khanna, Founder of The Bindi Project

   In this episode of the Chai Break Podcast, I sit down with Meghana Sharma—serial entrepreneur, style therapist, and founder of some of India’s most creative ventures, including Levitate, The Preloved Co., and now, The Bindi Project. From her early days curating Bangalore’s iconic boho boutique Levitate to co-founding a social enterprise thrift store, Meghana has always believed in making sustainability stylish and accessible. Her latest venture, The Bindi Project, is more than just about bindis—it’s an ode to the feminine divine. By upcycling leather scraps, fabric remnants, and jewelry waste into handcrafted bindis, Meghana is reclaiming cultural identity, empowering women artisans, and proving that fashion can be circular, conscious, and deeply personal. We chat about: Meghana’s journey from Levitate to The Preloved Co. to The Bindi Project Why she believes in circular fashion and how thrifting can spark community change The roots of sustainability in South Asian culture—and how it went from way of life to taboo Her philosophy of SDA: Sustainable Differential Advantage—and how it applies to every business Style, maximalism, and finding your authentic fashion voice The women and role models who shaped her journey Whether you’re a fashion lover, a sustainability advocate, or someone curious about how culture and creativity intersect, this #chaiversation will leave you inspired. Grab your cup of chai and join us for a deep dive into fashion, feminism, and the future of sustainability—one bindi at a time. chaiversations.org (http://chaiversations.org)

3. 

   30 Jun 2025

   Rethinking Period Products: Sustainable, Compostable Pads with Rashmi Prakash of Aruna Revolution

   Rashmi Prakash of Aruna Revolution discusses developing sustainable, compostable menstrual pads as an alternative to conventional products, focusing on ethical supply chains and addressing challenges in the industry in this interview.

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

8,334

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

18 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

6 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 36 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

15

Social presence

0

YouTube

68

Engagement

77

Contact Chai Break

Guest appearances

Does not typically book guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.