The human spirit is resilient. It is buoyant. It has always triumphed over adversity and pain. But it has
often been the work of so many selfless individuals that have helped scale the relief making it pervasive and available. Neighborhoods and communities impacted by someone’s desire to make a change in their own life and by extension in the world around them - that’s what this podcast is about.
Join Puneet, an actor, writer, and accidental technologist, once a week right here in his conversations
with those who are making change happen and making a difference. Either they are bringing visibly
joyous experiences for people or, just as importantly, mitigating and removing pain or suffering so that
joy can burst forth. They are the souls who are igniting joy making this a better world.
Aarushi Khanna, a determined college student and menstrual equity activist, empowers communities worldwide with her innovative initiatives and inspiring advocacy for social justice and positive mental health.
19 Nov 2024
Preethi Srinivas
She is a creative thinker, a prolific writer, a passionate activist and simply wants us to get along with all
our animal friends, especially cows! Join in me in my conversation with Preethi Srinivas who returns in
this episode of Igniting Joy.
Preethi Srinivas is a techie and an ardent writer who is raising awareness about the profound
connections between humans, animals and nature. She advocates for animal welfare, believing in the
power of stories to foster empathy and positive change. She continues to volunteer in-person, and
assists remotely in different capacities, at multiple cow shelters and sanctuaries across the globe. In her day job, Preethi is a researcher whose work is focused on understanding and designing products or services that involve social impact, with particular focus on equity and inclusive product design. She
holds a PhD in Human-Computer Interaction from Indiana University and a Master’s in Computer
Science from Miami University.
12 Nov 2024
Basab Pradhan
All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their
entrances …” My guest in this episode is consumed by his passion for theatre and he is going to tell us how a confirmed technologist became the force behind a vibrant theatre company! Join me in my
conversation with Basab Pradhan in this episode of Igniting Joy.
Basab Pradhan is a playwright, director, actor & has several full-length plays to his credit. He co-founded the Bay Area Drama Co in 2014 and became the Co-Artistic Director in 2016; he assumed solo responsibility as Artistic Director in 2020. He also serves on the boards of a number of IT companies. Prior to this he had a long and successful career in the technology world with companies such as Infosys.
In 2012 Basab Co-Authored the book -“Offshore: India's Services Juggernaut.” A Mechanical Engineering graduate from IIT Kanpur, India, he also has an MBA from IIM Ahmedabad, India.
4 Nov 2024
Anoop Judge
Recovering litigator? Is that an expression that makes sense? Join in me in my conversation with Anoop Judge on this episode of Igniting Joy as she explains that and tells us how she’s enjoying writing novels that bridge geography and culture!
Born and raised in New Delhi, Anoop Judge is the author of four novels – THE RUMMY CLUB (won the 2015 Beverly Hills Book Award), THE AWAKENING OF MEENA RAWAT (an excerpt of this was nominated for the 2019 Pushcart Prize, NO ORDINARY THURSDAY and MERCY and GRACE. Her essays and short stories have appeared in Green Hills Literary Lantern, Rigorous Journal, Lumiere Review, DoubleBack Review, and the Ornament anthology, among others. She has been a Television Anchor (WomenNow, a San Francisco TV show) and a former practicing litigator.
29 Oct 2024
Anurag Mairal
He is a man on a mission and he’s onto something as he works to bring technology to bear on some of the most vexatious healthcare issues of our times. Join me in a conversation with Anurag Mairal in this episode of Igniting Joy.Dr. Anurag Mairal is an Adjunct Professor of Medicine and the Director, Global Outreach Programs at Stanford Byers Center for Biodesign, Stanford University.
He is also a Faculty Fellow and Lead for Technology Innovation and Impact at Center for Innovation in Global Health. He is a founding co-Director for certain graduate-level courses in Global Health and Global Biodesign offered to engineering, business, and medical students at Stanford University. He serves as the Founding Chair of BME IDEA APAC, a community of medtech innovation programs in Asia Pacific, partnering closely with the industry and academia in the region. He is also an Honorary Professor at University of Cape Town, South Africa.
He is a co-founder and Executive Vice President of Orbees Medical, a SF Bay Area-based strategy consulting firm serving the global healthcare industry, with a focus on medtech, pharmaceutical, and digital health. Dr. Mairal has an extensive background in medical technology development and commercialization, collaborating with partners in the U.S., India, China, and other emerging markets to advance product development, manufacturing, and distribution.
Previously, he held several positions at Johnson & Johnson and at Membrane Technology and Research (MTR). Dr. Mairal earned a PhD in chemical engineering from the University of Colorado at Boulder and an MBA from the Haas School of Business at the University of California at Berkeley.
22 Oct 2024
Ranjita Chakravarty
Never have I ever had so much joy in chatting with an old friend!! J My next guest is the lovable grandma from the Netflix hit show, “Never Have I Ever” – Ranjita Chakravarty. Ranjita Chakravarty is active in the San Francisco Bay area theater and film community, both as an actor and director. She has directed about 6 plays and acted in many plays, short films and a few feature films.
Most famously she played the role of Nirmala/Pati in the Netflix show Never Have I Ever. You will see her in Season 2, 3, and 4. Ranjita received her MBA from Arizona State University, and before that MA in International Relations from Jawaharlal Nehru University. Her undergraduate degree was in Political Science.
Ranjita has been working at Stanford University’s Internal Audit department, since April 1998. In her current role as Director, she manages system audits, and provides consulting services to various Stanford departments.
15 Oct 2024
Anuvab Pal
My guest in this episode invokes joy with everything he says and does! Join me in my chat with Anuvab Pal as we talk about his unique way of igniting joy even if it means getting hauled to court over an argument about things inane, mundane and patently laughable! Anuvab Pal has been described by The New York Times as India's Most Intelligent Comedian. The Guardian calls him 'very brilliant, very funny'.
His stand up comedy special “The Nation Wants To Know,” has had over 1000 shows starting in Mumbai and has been playing from Sydney to San Francisco to Singapore to sold out houses across 30 cities. Anuvab is the only Indian comedian invited to perform at Harvard University and for the Prime Ministers of India and Great Britain. In the UK, his BBC stand up show titled “The Empire” has been seen by 6 million people worldwide as part of the BBC World Service New Year's Eve Comedy Special and is featured at The V&A Museum in London, and on Amazon Prime UK.
He has also written a sitcom starring British comedy legend Stephen Fry for BBC Radio 2. He is a playwright and also writes for films and series.
8 Oct 2024
Anjali Rimi
Finding a way to combat adversity and turning it into a potent force for positive change is what our next guest excels at. Join me in my conversation with Anjali Rimi.
Anjali Rimi is the president of Parivar, Bay Area. Parivar Bay Area is America's only transgender-led, transgender-centering South Asian organization. She is also the star of a biographical film, “Belonging” telling her story! She was invited to the White House in 2023 to represent her community.
During the pandemic years, Anjali led the global disaster relief program of Parivar Bay Area helping save over 90,000 transgender lives across the San Francisco Bay Area, Texas, India, Bangladesh and Guyana. Anjali has helped build the world’s largest transgender entrepreneurship program with over 26 small businesses owned and led by Transgender Hijrah people across India known as SITALparivar. Anjali serves on the boards of LGBT Asylum Project and San Francisco Pride & on the Transgender Advisory Committee with the Office of Transgender Initiatives, San Francisco Mayor’s office.
Anjali has held almost 500 equity workshops and seminars to educate and build awareness for gender and racial equity at workplaces and faculties across Fortune 500 companies, nonprofit and community organizations, over the past decade.
1 Oct 2024
Pallavi Sharma
In this episode of IGNITING JOY meet Pallavi Sharma an artist par excellence. Her rather unique
approach to art is truly remarkable.
Pallavi Sharma is an artist who has exhibited her works in many solo and group shows in national and
international exhibitions since 2000. Her interdisciplinary art practice addresses migration and the
notions of memory, marginalization, patriarchy, and misogyny. Her published works include two poetry
collections in Hindi, "Kachcha Rang" (2018) and "Koltar ke Paer" (2022). She is the founder and director of the nonprofit arts organization, Inner Eye. She has served on the Board of the Asian American Womxn Artists Association (AAWAA) from 2009- 2021 and is presently part of their advisory committee.
In addition, Pallavi has been part of the Art Advisory Committee of the City of San Ramon, California, for several terms and held leadership positions on the committee. She presently teaches at California
College of the Arts, San Francisco, in their critical Ethnic Studies program.
27 Sept 2024
Major D.P. Singh
In this episode we bring you a conversation with Major D. P. Singh, a man who literally inspires
thousands with his grit and optimism and joyously stares down adversity with a smile!
Major Devender Pal Singh (D.P. Singh) is an Indian Army war veteran. Injured in active ops in 1999, he was brought dead to the hospital. Although his recovery was nothing short of a miracle, he was
impacted by a mountain of disabilities. His ability to convert his shortcomings into strengths has been
the key to his becoming a role model for so many. The list of his accomplishments and accolades won is very extensive which includes being named Brand Ambassador for the Indian Army (2018) and receiving a National Award from the Govt of India (2018)
26 Sept 2024
Anshu Gupta
We commence a whole new season of IGNITING JOY on a high note, speaking to a man whose vision and untiring efforts have literally improved the lives of hundreds of thousands of people around the world. In this conversation with Anshu Gupta we find out his approach to life and Igniting Joy.
Anshu Gupta has pioneered the building of a trash-based economy converting urban waste into a
resource that has led to poverty alleviation, community dignity and climate change mitigation. Under his leadership, Goonj has taken the alarming growth of urban waste and instrumentalized it to trigger large-scale rural communities-led development work, creatively and flexibly matching and seamlessly weaving urban surplus into the changing priorities and realities of rural marginalized communities. In 2015, he was awarded the Ramon Magsaysay Award, popularly called the Nobel Prize of Asia. Anshu is a frequent speaker at various forums around the globe, including the World Economic Forum at Davos.
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