NRI Affairs, Pause with Nandini

Zia Ahmad OAM on Pause with Nandini speaks of being awarded Australia's highest civilian honour.

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2076368/fan_mail/new] We speak to Zia Ahmad OAM on his wonderful achievement and recognition as the first Muslim to receive the Medal of the Order of Australia for services to journalism  and the second member of his family to receive the nation’s highest civilian honour. Zia Ahmad is the editor-in-chief of the Australasian Muslim Times, AMUST, the country’s leading independent Muslim newspaper and news portal, founded with his father in 1991.  He is a valued member of The Humanism Project, a progressive South-Asian collective that advocates for social justice in Australia.  In this freewheeling interview, he traces his remarkable journey as a child from Kashmir, in India, to Sydney in Australia, the life lessons from his father as they built a new life here, and the guiding principles that have shaped his worldview, passions and humanity.  Watch, listen, subscribe. Thank you for listening! Watch all episodes of Pause with Nandini on https://youtube.com/c/NRIAffairs [https://youtube.com/c/NRIAffairs]

Supreme Court Sr. Advocate Dr. Aditya Sondhi, Ambedkarite and author, on Pause with Nandini

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2076368/fan_mail/new] Dr. Aditya Sondhi is a Senior Advocate at the Supreme Court of India, a scholar, and an Ambedkarite. He frequently lectures on the application of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar’s constitutional philosophy in modern jurisprudence.  He joins us for a special Dalit History Month episode in association with Hindus for Human Rights Australia, and takes us in chamber for a free wheeling conversation. Highlights:  - Constitutional morality as envisioned by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar - The Manusmriti and the place of religious texts within courthouses.  - In India, is it fair to say ‘Caste is the Law'? - The role of unions in the era of an Uberised workplace - Protections for domestic worker rights within an Ambedkarite vision for an equitable society - His personal connection to Dr. Ambedkar’s legacy, and his relevance in our deeply divided world today.  Dr. Sondhi also hosts 'The PodCaste' available on Spotify which features conversations around caste, seeking to unravel the visible and invisible presence of caste in urban settings, academia and practice.  He is the author of Poles Apart: The Military and Democracy in India and Pakistan (Penguin, 2024). As always, like, share and subscribe. Thank you for listening! Watch all episodes of Pause with Nandini on https://youtube.com/c/NRIAffairs [https://youtube.com/c/NRIAffairs]

Mohamed Alharbi, Zohran Mamdani's campaign manager on his historic win.

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2076368/fan_mail/new] Mohamed Alharbi, a part of the core campaign leadership that brought Zohran Mamdani's bid for Mayor of New York to a historic win, unpacks how people centred politics triumphed. An exclusive Pause with Nandini catch up on the sidelines of Australian Progress 2026.  We speak of strategy and tactics but more about working with heart. He also reflects on what this win means for people of colour, the way the conservatives were won over and of course, Aunties for Zohran, who evidently have no chill.  Thank you for listening! Watch all episodes of Pause with Nandini on https://youtube.com/c/NRIAffairs [https://youtube.com/c/NRIAffairs]

Gayatri Nair Lobo, of Educate Girls, the 2025 Ramon Magsaysay Award winner on Pause with Nandini

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2076368/fan_mail/new] To provide 10 million girls access to education in the next 10 years -  no easy feat but also not beyond the realm of possibility for an exceptional organisation, Educate Girls, which has made history as the the first Indian organisation to win the prestigious 2025 Ramon Magsaysay award.  With Gayatri Nair Lobo at the helm, Educate Girls is working at the grassroots, bringing millions of girls into education. The organisation solves for issues at the local and societal level to enable continued engagement and emancipation for girls through education.   Gayatri speaks to us about the work, the challenges, and the dream.  Watch, listen, reflect. This has been an honour.  To learn more about Educate Girls or to donate, visit:  https://educategirls.us/ Thank you for listening! Watch all episodes of Pause with Nandini on https://youtube.com/c/NRIAffairs [https://youtube.com/c/NRIAffairs]

The Reserved Compartment ( Part 2) on Pause with Nandini

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2076368/fan_mail/new] Part 2 of a conversation with four of the five founding members of The Reserved Compartment - Aleena, Gautam, Daniel and Abhijit.  The Reserved Compartment is a pioneering, community-driven initiative to amplify Dalit, Ambedkarite, gender-inclusive voices through spoken word poetry, storytelling, music, and performance.  By reclaiming the term "Reserved Compartment," which historically refers to segregation, they are creating a platform for subaltern narratives to challenge caste, gender, and other intersecting oppressions.  Rooted in the legacy of the Bhakti movement, the Ambedkarite jalsa-shahiri tradition, and the Dalit Panthers, they aim to move beyond tokenism, ensuring the art and lived experiences of marginalized artists are honoured with dignity. Share, like, subscribe as always. Thank you for listening! Watch all episodes of Pause with Nandini on https://youtube.com/c/NRIAffairs [https://youtube.com/c/NRIAffairs]