Season 5 - Episode 12: Md Jabed Uddin, came in USA at a very early stage and lives in Astoria with his family. He is also General Secretary of MoulviBazar District Society. He is a man from Moulvibazar and actively doing his social work. Now become well known for his social activities in NYC. As a General Secretary, Mr. Jabed Uddin is doing excelle…

Season 5 - Episode 11: I feel like in my upbringing, alongside having to study really hard in school, I feel like there's this sort of nurturing care put into having some sort of artistic ability. Be it painting or singing or playing an instrument. For me, it was playing the violin. I grew up playing the violin since I was five years old. My mom wo…

Season 5 - Episode 10: Even though sex education is such an everyday aspect of our life because it can impact a person from the moment that they're born to their death bed. Because it's such an everyday part of our lives, I thought it was really integral to only have this information in Bangla, because it's meant for aunties, it's meant for uncles,…

Season 5 - Episode 9: I have basically been past five and a half, almost six years in investing in emerging markets or frontier emerging models. And a lot of that time has been spent in the south Asia region. And as part of that obviously spent time in, in Bangladesh. Now, when I spend time with Nash is primarily been with public companies, investi…

Season 5 - Episode 8: The diaspora club is more of a passion project for me. I kind of started it when I was in lockdown because I was on furlough, which meant that I wasn't working. So. I need to find something to do, and I didn't want to be doing fashion-related stuff. So I started drawing ethnically, uh, I think minorities, um, weld, cultured in…

Season 5 - Episode 7: "I think the story of Bangladesh is still an uprising trend. If you look at the country specifically from a startup or a technology lens, if you look at countries like Singapore and other countries surrounding Bangladesh, what you notice is all the countries are on the same trajectory because of the younger population, digitiz…

Season 5 - Episode 6: It was January of this year that I just realized, wow, she's reading on her own. So it just kind of surprised us and I think every child is different when they're gonna learn, how to read, but we were lucky that it was a fun surprise.Even if it's just for 10 minutes, even if you just dedicate time every day, even when the baby…

Season 5 - Episode 5: I have never been in real estate. My background is in engineering, and I had managed very large multinationals industrial companies. A lot of my time was spent on building materials. However, very interestingly, through a friend, I was introduced to our founder-CEO, whose name is Aaron Levy. He lives in Austin, Texas, and he's…

Season 5 - Episode 4: Raad on startups, life, and philosophy. I think there's a common theme in my life where I just don't like being told what to do. And, I'm kind of a little bit of like a free thinker. Maybe that's sort of seeded the plants of like, not really ever being able to hold a steady job. I just, wasn't very good at showing up at one pl…

Season 5 - Episode 3: Aysha Allow is an attorney who specializes in business law. She was inspired to open her own practice during the pandemic when she saw small businesses struggling, and also saw an uptick in new businesses opening. After some reflection she wanted to be of service to the people. She launched her business in January 2021, after …

Season 5 - Episode 2: Muntaha Qureshi is an event decorator in metro Detroit. She opened her business Bridal Insignia in 2014, first in Virginia and then later moving it to Michigan. Muntaha studied fashion design, and later worked in corporate offices in supply chain. Now her business combines both aspects of her professional experiences to serve …

Season 5 - Episode 1: Introducing Sisters Humayra Bobby owner of Boubí Skin, Jahura Hobby owner of JHobby Makeup Studio, Tahura Holly owner of Festive Essentials, and Shakira Khanam Humayra Bobby, Jahura Hobby, and Tahura Holly are sisters who created their own businesses: skincare, professional makeup services and jewelry to provide community-base…

Season 4 - Episode 25: "When I started this service, it was actually the beginning of the pandemic. By the time I actually started work on my startup was around September. That's when I officially launched the app. The reason I started this form of service is that I originally really want to deliver halal groceries to people's houses, especially in…

Season 4 - Episode 24: "It was an unexpected part of my life. At the time, I was working as a freelance journalist, and I was doing a lot of reporting for Vice. I happened to be in Bangladesh just for a couple of months, and I was living with my parents in Dhaka for Eid. Suddenly, the crisis just happened all of a sudden in August 2017. I started t…

Season 4 - Episode 23: Samia Rahman co-founded the business Pantried, an online platform to shop from local businesses in metro Detroit in 2017 with a group of friends. The business features many immigrant-owned mom-and-pop shops, creating equitable access to shopping local. Samia says many local businesses cater to specific items and foods which a…

Season 4 - Episode 22: I got into barbering during the summer of 2018. I was just stressed out at work, and when I came home, I didn't want to do anything. Nothing. I didn't want to commit to anything or go out at all. So I would just be on Instagram or on YouTube often. On Instagram, I'd see these barbers doing these amazing hair cuts and it was v…

Season 4 - Episode 21: So back in 2014, when we wanted to start the brand, it started as a poster company. So me and my friend Rafeh, started a poster company where we sold posters online, and we wanted to have a unique name. We were trying to figure something out and then Rafeh suggested "Gorur Ghash", which was his Instagram handle at the time. I…

Season 4 - Episode 20: We need more people from Baruch, from NYU, from CUNY, from every level and depth of universities, backgrounds, and experiences to join government. Whether you are South Asian or first-generation, whatever your experiences may be, they are so important and hold great value. Now on the internet, anybody can search out to get a …

Season 4 - Episode 19: Tania Begum was inspired to become a pharmacist, following in her father's footsteps to serve the community in healthcare. In 2013 she and co-owner Mahbubur Motlib opened Community Rx Pharmacy in Warren, Michigan, to serve the growing Bangladeshi community and other diverse communities. "We don't have a Bengali-speaking pharm…

Season 4 - Episode 18: I work in the aerospace industry and have a background in mechanical engineering. I believe that no one should be intimidated by engineering; from my experience, it is not as scary as others make it out to be. I have jobs where my manager did not even go to college, and they were doing just fine. I'm not saying one should pur…

Season 4 - Episode 17: Introducing Mafruza Begum, owner of Mersiha Homecare Services LLC Mafruza Begum is the owner of Mersiha Homecare Services LLC in Hamtramck, Michigan. She opened the business in 2014. She was inspired to open a homecare service after her father suffered from a stroke and was unable to find culturally sensitive and Bangla langu…

Season 4 - Episode 16: Tamanna Choudhury is the business owner of Bengali Nastha Michigan. Tamanna creates homemade treats such as frozen samosas, rolls, kabobs, to order chicken roast, and specializes in making wedding taals. Tamanna says she wanted to generate income at home while she cared for her young children. Although she began making snacks…

Season 4 - Episode 15: So we know that it is not possible to reach 100% of the students and provide 100. So, therefore, we are essentially trying to reach out to as many students as possible. From the very recent data extracted last week, I know that 3,200 students among 4,000 are within our reach. So what we are doing is taking the software email …

Season 4 - Episode 14: Begum Rafique is an owner of Ummah Fashion and Ummah Outfitter, family-owned businesses. She was selling Bangladeshi and Islamic clothing for 17 years out of her home before opening her storefront. Begum opened Ummah Fashion in 2018 in Hamtramck, Michigan. Begum says she is honored to serve unique designs to her community, ma…

Season 4 - Episode 13: Shamsun Nehar began her business Cakes by Lucky in 2014 after baking for her friends and family. She took up cake decorating as a creative outlet from her day job as a senior software engineer for the engineering company Continental Automotive. Now she's baked and decorated over 500 cakes for weddings, birthdays, and other sp…

Season 4 - Episode 12: Introducing Fariha Ahmed, owner of Farihennart Fariha Ahmed began experimenting with henna since middle school. Over the years she felt drawn to creating. During high school she began pursuing her hobby as a professional henna service. She launched her business Farihennart in 2016 via Instagram. Fariha is one of metro Detroit…

Season 4 - Episode 11: Introducing Nargis Hakim Rahman, who will be hosting a series of Bangladeshi Women Entrepreneurs in the Greater Detroit area. Project: Bangladeshi Women Entrepreneurs series. In collaboration with the South Asian American Digital Archive (saada.org) Description: Documenting Detroit's Bangladeshi Women Entrepreneurs who have f…

Season 4 - Episode 10: Before the war on terror, America used to support the radicalization of Islam because it used to be seen as "communism taking away your religion." America supported these madrassas, and the Mujahideen because they were seen as anti-communist. Same as what they did in Afghanistan. So for a long time, that was the alignment bet…

Season 4 - Episode 9: Our mission for Jore Magazine not only revolves around amplifying and uniting the voices of the South Asian diaspora, but it’s also to be an all-encompassing platform. We make sure to shine the spotlight on everything, from culture and tradition to fashion and language. The purpose of this is to expand and create as much conte…

Season 4 - Episode 8: A lot of us, when we were kids didn't struggle the same way. But a lot of us have dealt with isolation one way or the other. At one point in our life, we've all dealt with that isolation. I think this film is a homage to that isolation. I made sure that the characters in the film really felt authentic. I made sure it was reall…

Season 4 - Episode 7: "It was unfortunately after George Floyd's brutal murder in June of 2020, me and three of my friends who were all part of the South Asian organization, based in the US, got together and realized that our community was completely quiet to all of the racial injustices that were going on in US. We wanted to make sure that we were…

Season 4 - Episode 6: When an individual suffers from depression, waves of anxiety, or any other mental condition, and even emotions that are difficult to manage, we have a sad tendency as a society to dismiss them. That is one of the primary reasons I went into psychology and am working to become a psychologist because I believe everybody deserves…

Season 4 - Episode 5: Kotha is a feminist organization based in Bangladesh, and we are working with root causes of gender based violence. We're fighting root causes of gender based violence through primary intervention, so we're taking a more preventative approach to the culture of gender based violence that exists in this country. One of our main …

Season 4 - Episode 4: I sincerely believe that we need far more South Asian representation across the world in each arena of media, whether it be journalism or news production. In particular, I feel that representation needs to be significantly increased in the United States. I think, sometimes, too many of our news organizations feel as though the…

Season 4 - Episode 3: "I think this is the year where people are going to have to lean into activities that they do on their own, which can still bring them some level of fulfillment. Or if you're sort of building skill and just trying to really hone in on it and get better at it, this is the year to do that. I think you can absolutely talk about t…

Season 4 - Episode 2: "While working on the startup, this is where I started with the finance. Basically I started learning about other startups because you're within the founder community, and that's what I learned about Wealthfront, which is a robo-advisor that does investing for you. So I was really intrigued and I started learning about it. No …

Season 4 - Episode 1: Being in the music industry is not as easy as many of these artists showcase it as being. In reality, for a great handful of people getting started, it truly requires a lot of hard work and dedication. It is not just about the talent, but instead, one has to be able to uphold the work ethic and mindset to even have their craft…

Season 3 - Episode 25: I started learning piano when I was 4 years old. I then I went through different instruments. Some of them were self-taught, some of them I went and learned from other people. Ultimately, it all culminated when I was in college. I was a part of a competitive dance team and acapella team (both of which were South Asian fusion)…

Season 3 - Episode 24: I found I work with a very specific type of health insurance policy, which is a medically underwritten policy, which is typically not what's offered to you guys through employers or on the marketplace. So it is harder to get access to. So I work with a very limited population. But I've learned to marry my clinical background …

Season 3 - Episode 23: "I've been back in Bangladesh full-time since 2014 I've worked in different elements. I worked in social entrepreneurship. I worked in running an accelerator for social entrepreneurs, grassroots entrepreneurs around the country. I think one of the realizations I had is that there's a significant talent in the country. And if …

Season 3 - Episode 22: "But you didn't get a bachelor's though"-Mom If you're emotionally invested in something, make sure you have passion for it, make sure that you have a continuous drive to keep going. As long as that passion remains in whatever form you're taking on and the effort is there behind it, I think you'll be successful. I'm not talki…

Season 3 - Episode 21: I always make the point that local politics matters even more because the number one thing that city council people do is manage a budget. We’ve forgotten to reinvest in community centers, education or transportation. Transportation is not accessible. Housing is expensive and unaffordable, and affordable housing basically doe…

Season 3 - Episode 20: The name of our app is Shuni Bangla, your book library. So when we started it, the focus was (and still is the main focus), is that we want to build a digital library. It just started because couple of years ago I got injured in a car accident and I got disabled and one of the disabilities is that I cannot read very well. So,…

Season 3 - Episode 19: I remember one of the very first books that my mother bought me. It was a Bengali kid's book written in a diary entry format from the perspective of an incredibly curious six-year-old kid. The little boy would ask his mom and dad a number of questions, and one that stood out to me the most was, “What are planets?” My five-yea…

Season 3 - Episode 18: TBD --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/bengalisofnework/support

Season 3 - Episode 17: I take students to Bangladesh to learn about development, and we see all the NGOs, we go to the rural areas, and I'm always itching to do something. I mean, you do read about these things in textbooks, you do a lot of research, but there's something to be said about actually getting your hands dirty and getting things done. A…

Season 3 - Episode 16: Bangladesh is a growing country and we're going towards a trillion dollar economy. We're a vibrant economy. We're an entrepreneurial society. We need the brains to come back. This is the time if we're going to build for the next 10 years. This is the time if you look at India, and how the NRIs (Non-Resident Indians) went back…

Season 3 - Episode 15: From my own experiences, when I've had grief moments, the Bangladeshi perspective is “oh, be strong, and just pray” but we don't really talk about our emotions or feelings. That's something that I really struggle with because, yeah, I can go and pray, but I need to have an open conversation about what's happening. I worked in…

Season 3 - Episode 14: I wanted to look stronger, feel stronger. I wanted to feel more confident. I wanted to feel like I could do what guys can do because I've been told as a kid; “no, you can't do this because you're not a guy” in both American society and Bangladeshi society. “Women are fragile. Women are supposed to need men.” So then when I go…

Season 3 - Episode 13: I grew up in Bangladesh and moved to Perth, Australia in my late teens. When I moved to Australia, I was sure that Bangladesh was my home. My friends, my family - everything's there. But somewhere over the last 10 years I have slowly felt like I don't know where home is anymore. I believe a lot of people in the whole diaspora…