Is India safe for foreign travelers? I believe that in 95% of situations, having the right skills and language will help you get out of sketchy situations.  But how? With most Hindi travel guides out there, the book is going to teach "Namaste, Mera naam Jessica hai. Aap kaise hain? Aapka naam kya hai?" While these are not bad things to learn, but actually not that important if you’re just trying to survive in India. But what are the things you need to know? How to book a taxi and...

Asking questions in Hindi might be the most important thing you can learn. In this episode, Jessica talks about the importance of asking questions and not just making declarative statements in Hindi. In this episode, we talk about "kya - what." "Kya" is the most important word you need to know to be able to ask questions in Hindi. This video is a sample from the larger Hindi Grammar Foundations course by Jessica Kumar. Hindi Grammar Foundations is a 2.5 hour course including 30+...

If this is your first trip to India or eighth, this episode highlights the top 10 pro pointers you need to known to reduce the headaches, inconveniences and ripoffs that are likely to happen while visiting India. Download the new e-booklet "The Traveler's Guide to India" What's Included in the e-booklet? 30+ pages of practical tips, which will put you years ahead in: -Language Learning -Transportation -Money & Payments -Guide to Food-Communication Strategy -Things NOT to Say...

Navigating the Indian medical system can be incredibly confusing, intimidating and even downright frustrating if you didn't grow up in South Asia. Knowing the ins and outs of how the medical field is run in India is crucial to being able to care for yourself and others in routine visits and especially emergencies. If you are visiting India, living in India as a foreigner, or an NRI who is caring for someone, this is the episode for you. A recent injury prompted me to record this episode...

I've been following Indicast with Aditya Mhatre and Abhishek Kumar for 17 years. They are the hosts of India's longest running multi-person podcast. Covering major business tycoon stories, to media personalities, to the latest news, these guys are the dynamic duo of Indian podcasting.  In Part 2, Jessica talks with them about predictions for future digital India and how they think tech has changed the ways people live. Part 1 about their personal lives of being two of India’s first...

Aditya Mhatre and Abhishek Kumar were two of the first people in India to start podcasting, and today more than 15 years later, their show theindicast.com is still running. Interviewing some of the biggest celebrities in India, with humility, intellect and humor, Aditya and Abhishek are a dynamic duo. During this interview, Jessica gets behind the scenes of what it meant for Abhishek and Aditya personally to run the show this long and how the podcast has opened new opportunities for them...

What NOT to say in Hindi as a kid! This is an preview from the Kids' Hindi Kickstarter Course coming out next week on www.learnhindianywhere.com. It is an 18 part course taking you through all the responses you need to know as a kid in your first years of speaking Hindi. Jessica has 17 years experience in helping others learn Hindi and has multiple other courses online including Hindi Hacks, Overcome Pronunciation Pitfalls. This time, she teams up with her 8 year old son to create a whole...

In Episode 80, Jessica Kumar and Mallika Thoppay take on colorism in South Asian communities.   Mallika shares about her activism and how colorism affects everyone and hurts us all. She works with children in helping them to accept others as they are and stand up for themselves if they are being discriminated against.   She authored "Unfair and Lovely" to combat colorism in India. The book tackles colorism and is an effort to nip this social issue in the bud. It chronicles the journey of...

Join me for a wrap of 2022 with snippets of the best episodes from this year. I'm very thankful for your support and encouragement through the past four years! Here are the highlight episodes of 2022! Episode 68 - Eliza Keyton (EliKutty) - Ethics of Language Learning Episode 71 - Devika Cariapa - childrens' author and archaeologist!  Episode 72 - What is it Really Like Being Married to an Indian Man? a conversation with two other women married to Indian men about the things they love...

If you've ever wondered what the differences are between the educational system in Western countries, this episode is for you.  If you're an NRI wondering if you should move back to India, or if you are a Westerner thinking about making the shift to India, this is for you too.  In this episode, Jessica details the major differences between Indian and Western education styles as well a a LIST OF QUESTIONS you need to ask a new school before enrolling your child. Mentioned in this...

How do you build relationships in India? Part 2 of this 2 part episode deals with the relational dynamics of living in India as someone who didn't grow up there. Skip the outdated guide books and listen in to this advice from Jessica, who first started living in India in 2006. Friendships, finding common ground, how to manage house help and language learning tips are all here.  Whether you are visiting or planning on living in India, these tips will help you go beyond surviving to thriving...

What are the crucial elements you need to life life well in India? Part 1 of this 2 part episode deals with the practicalities of living in India as someone who didn't grow up there. Skip the outdated guide books and listen in to this advice from Jessica, who first started living in India in 2006.  Negotiation, dealing with the complications of Indian currency, how to give and receive directions and of course tips on learning the local language(s) of the place you are visiting or living...

Episode 75 contains a teaser of Jessica's upcoming course Overcome Hindi Pronunciation Pitfalls! Abhishek joins Jessica to work through some of the most common pronunciation errors that learners of Hindi make. In this episode, we take a small slice and discuss the vowel sounds of Hindi which are often mispronounced.  Hear the subtle differences between short A and long A, and why you may have been saying "Namaste" incorrectly all these years! Keep an eye out of the upcoming course later in...

Jessica dives deeper about having Indian in-laws as a foreigner. In this 2 part episode, Jessica discusses listener questions about having Indian in-laws when you didn’t grow up in Indian culture. We talk about how to address conflict, what happens when you're in a multi-generational home and how to address the different view of boundaries in East vs West. Be sure to listen to Part 1 to hear about meeting the inlaws for the first time and other popular questions about marrying an...

Jessica tells all about having Indian in-laws as a foreigner. In this 2 part episode, Jessica discusses listener questions about having Indian in-laws when you didn’t grow up in Indian culture. You probably know Indian families are close knit. That is why having a good relationship with our in-laws is so important. We discuss questions like what to expect when meeting the in-laws for the first time, gender biases, handling boundaries, managing questions about children and more. Listen in...

Hearing others' perspectives always brings out new perspectives. I interviewed two other women who are married to Indians who bring various cultural and linguistic background to their stories. Sheida is from Iran living in Canada. Parneet is French, living in Belgium. I asked the various questions to bring out these women's thoughts and experiences: 1) Things you enjoy about being married to an Indian. 2) Your favorite thing about Indian culture. 3) One challenge of being cross culturally...

Devika Cariapa is an award-winning children’s author who uses her background in history and archaeology to creatively communicate with a young audience. Her first book, India Through Archaeology: Excavating History (Tulika Books) encourages children to explore Indian history through the lens of archaeology. It was awarded the Hindu Young World-Goodbooks Award 2018 and the Sahitya Akademi’s Bal Sahitya Puraskar 2019. She is also the author of India Through People : 25 Game Changers (Tulika...

What are the top five verbs you need to now in Hindi to start most simple conversations? Jessica breaks down the basic verbs to listen for in Hindi conversation and how these verbs can be used for beginners and intermediate speakers of Hindi.  This episode is a sneak preview of Jessica's upcoming Hindi course "Hindi Hacks You Didn't Know You Needed to Know." This course if different from other courses on the market.  If you've ever felt perfectionism stop you from trying to speak Hindi,...

Eliza Keyton (Eli Kutty) and Jessica Kumar are both language learners of Indian languages. In the years since learning Malayalam and Hindi, Eliza and Jessica have become increasingly convinced that there needs to be greater representation of Indians and proper credit given to those who have taught their indigenous languages to foreigners. In this episode, Eliza and Jessica talk through the challenges of navigating leftover colonialism which makes learning a language responsibly tricky in...

Eliza Keyton (Eli Kutty) is an American Malayalam learner and dedicated to sharing her learnings with other learners. Jessica and Eliza dive into the complexities of learning Hindi vs Malayalam and the challenges of learning an Indian language. Jessica and Eliza both share their clear intentions of uplifting Desi voices and pointing the attention back to native speakers of their target languages. They both speak about their unique experiences as white Americans and how one needs to be aware...

2021 was the year where I (Jessica) hosted only South Asian guests! Hear 2-4 min blurbs from 8 of our best episodes with powerful, empathetic and informational interviews!  In this episode we highlight:  Episode 48 - The Carolina Desis - Rashmili Vemula and Gurtej Singh - language and how that fits into their identity as Indian Americans Episode 50  - Kunal Dutt- historian and activist, We dive into Bihar's rich history and why its in danger. @SaveHistoricPatnaCollectorate Episode 53 -...

Jessica takes a moment to reflect on some of the learnings about Indian culture she has observed in the last 15 years.  The most common questions she gets asked as a foreigner married to an Indian living in India: How do you celebrate festivals as a cross cultural couple? Is it safe to eat street food in India? How many languages have you learned? AND MORE... Two Ethical Businesses Supporting Local Artisans: Ziyada Handicrafts - beautiful hand made fabrics for the Holidays. Enjoy a 10%...

This is Part 2 of Jessica's conversation with Jesal Parikh, the co-host of the provocative podcast “Yoga is Dead.” She and her co-host Tejal Patel, highlight injustices of the digestion of yoga by modern Western culture. In this episode, Jessica and Jesal explore the process of historical Indian yoga and how that has morphed into a different animal in Western society. Jesal names names trends of the colonization of yoga and how South Asians are taking it back. Enjoy this highly nuanced...

Get ready to have your mind blown. Jesal Parikh is the co-host of the provocative podcast "Yoga is Dead." She and her co-host Tejal Patel, highlight injustices of the digestion of yoga by modern Western culture. In this episode, Jessica and Jesal explore the process of historical Indian yoga and how that has morphed into a different animal in Western society. Jesal names names trends of the colonization of yoga and how South Asians are taking it back. Enjoy this highly nuanced conversation...