About: Kanwal

Chintan Pandya, recently won the James Beard Award – for “Best Chef: New York State. It is America’s most prestigious culinary award -The James Beard Foundation recognizes exceptional talent in the food industry.

It was in New York that Chintan joined the Michelin-starred Junoon for a brief stint before he met restaurateur Roni Mazumdar in 2017 and became the chef at the modern and upscale Rahi, followed by Adda Indian Canteen for which Chintan was the winner of the 2019 StarChefs New York Rising Star. Within a year after Adda opened, the restaurant was on the short list to be nominated for a James Beard Foundation award for “Best New Restaurant” Food & Wine Magazine’s “Top Ten Best New Restaurants 2019”, Eater National’s Best New Restaurants 2019” and Bon Appetit’s “Top 50 Best New Restaurants of 2019”. In 2021 the duo opened Dhamaka, for which Chintan won The James Beard Foundation Award for Best Chef, New York State.

On the show today, we talk to Chintan about his journey, in India and from India to the United States – about food – and much about it – one message hits the point – “Do your best in what you do” – So incase you missed it earlier, join in today, yet again, for this must listen conversation, today, 1st July, on our Show, Saat Samundar Paar, on MeraSangeet Gold – at 9:00AM,1:00 PM,5:00 PM and 9:00 PM – EST. You can also catch the interview on MeraSangeet East at 11:00 AM and 6:00 PM – EST

It was today, 25 June 1983, when India lifted its first World Cup title. The 1983 Cricket World Cup (officially the Prudential Cup ’83) was the 3rd edition of the Cricket World Cup tournament. It was held from 9 to 25 June 1983 in England and Wales and was won by India.

Kapil Dev captained the Indian cricket team that won the 1983 Cricket World Cup, and in the process became the first Indian captain to win the Cricket World Cup, and is still the youngest captain (at the age of 24) to win the World Cup for any team. He was a fast-medium bowler and a hard-hitting middle-order batsman, and was named by Wisden as the Indian Cricketer of the Century in 2002.

Kapil Dev retired in 1994, at the time holding the world record for the highest number of wickets taken in Test cricket, a record subsequently broken by Courtney Walsh in 2000. At the time, he was also India’s highest wicket-taker in both major forms of cricket, Tests and ODIs. He is the first player to take 200 ODI wickets. He is the only player in the history of cricket to have taken more than 400 wickets (434 wickets) and scored more than 5,000 runs in Tests, making him one of the greatest all-rounders in the history of cricket. On 11 March 2010, he was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame. In 1982 awarded with the Padma Shri and in 1991 the Padma Bhushan. Courtesy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kapil_Dev

So, lets relive the moments from 1983 with the person who made history – with Kapil Dev. The recording is from a long time back – but it will surely inspire you today as well – listen – in for sure, today, 25th June, on our Hindi Radio Show, From our Archives, on MeraSangeet Gold at 2:00 PM EST and on MeraSangeet USA at 5:00 PM – EST

Gita Gopinath is an Indian-American economist who has served as the first deputy managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). She had previously served as chief economist of the IMF.

Prior to joining the IMF, Gopinath had a two-decade-long in the academic field including at the economics department of Harvard University where she was the John Zwaanstra Professor of International Studies and Economics and earlier an assistant professor at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. She is also a co-director of the international finance and macroeconomics program at the National Bureau of Economic Research and has earlier worked as the honorary economic adviser to the Chief Minister of Kerala. Courtesy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gita_Gopinath

This conversation is from our archives, recorded way back in 2010 – with Gita Gopinath and her parents – this is an inspiring conversation and not to be missed – so, listen – in for sure, today, 21st June, on our Hindi Radio Show, From our Archives, on MeraSangeet Gold at 2:00 PM EST and on MeraSangeet USA at 5:00 PM – EST

Leslee Lewis is an Indian singer and composer known for his work with Hariharan, for Colonial Cousins. They won the MTV Asia Viewer’s Choice Award and then the U.S. Billboard Viewer’s Choice Award for ‘Colonial Cousins’, their debut album. He conceived and created all the music for Coke Studio, MTV India debut season.

Popularly known as ‘Lezz’ in the industry, Leslee Lewis is one of the first Indian composers to have introduced the Indian audiences to Rock and Pop music. His creative side comes as an inherited value from his father, P L Raj, noted choreographer from the film industry. He has been successful in keeping his originality intact with advertisement jingles, film music and other forms of modern music. Courtesy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lesle_Lewis_(composer)

This conversation was recorded many years back – wherein Leslee talked about KK – and the songs – yarron…dosti, Pal rahein na …, of Colonial Cousins and the journey before and after, of the many jingles – yes you would love to hear them – So incase you missed it earlier, tune – in for sure, today, 20th June, on our Hindi Radio Show, From our Archives, on MeraSangeet Gold at 2:00 PM EST and on MeraSangeet USA at 5:00 PM – EST

Mahima Chaudhry is a Indian actress and model who worked in Hindi films. During the 1990s, Chaudhry did a few modelling assignments and appeared in several television commercials before venturing into films.

Mahim made her acting debut in the 1997 film Pardes, for which she won the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut. She established a career with several roles in films including Daag (1999), Dhadkan (2000), Kurukshetra (2000), Dil Hai Tumhaara (2002), and received critical recognition for her performances in Dil Kya Kare (1999) and Lajja (2001). Courtesy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahima_Chaudhry

This conversation was recorded many years back – and you would love every word of it – Mahima talks about how she got working with Subhash Ghai ji, who gave her a break in the film Pardes, about her many other movies and roles, about her great equation with Preity Zinta, about her daughter and much much more – in case you missed this earlier, tune – in for sure, on 18th June, on our Hindi Radio Show, on MeraSangeet Gold at 2:00 PM EST and on MeraSangeet USA at 5:00 PM – EST

Kinjal Desai is a mindfulness expert and an advanced meditation teacher with the Art of Living Foundation. Over the past 20 years, he has led numerous personal excellence seminars and self-development workshops for the public, students in universities, and professionals in many corporations.

Kinjal was introduced to yoga & meditation in 1995 through the Art of Living Foundation, founded by global peace ambassador and humanitarian leader, Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. Seeing the immense personal benefit, and being inspired by its vision for creating a stress-free, violence-free society, he started volunteering for the Foundation. Since then, he has led numerous national programs and community service initiatives over the years. He currently serves Board of Directors of the Foundation.

Kinjal holds a graduate degree in Electrical & Computer Engineering from Rutgers University He currently lives in Seattle, Washington, with his wife and remains passionate toward his career in the wireless mobile industry as well as his volunteer work.

On the show today, we talk about the forthcoming event in Seattle, Washington, about meditation techniques – Kinjal also shares some anecdotes from Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s many travels. So, in case you missed it earlier, do join in today, 16th June, on our Show, Saat Samundar Paar, on MeraSangeet Gold – at 9:00AM,1:00 PM,5:00 PM and 9:00 PM – EST. You can also catch the interview on MeraSangeet East at 11:00 AM and 6:00 PM – EST

Sunayana Kachroo has written for various award-winning movies, which have been screened at many prestigious film festivals like Cannes, MAMI and Austin Film Festival.

Sunayana expresses herself through diverse styles of writing in English, Hindi and Kashmiri language. She continues to explore various themes ranging from Love, Home, Loss, Nature, Mythology, Healing, Women’s empowerment, Prejudices and much more.

She has performed across the world through Poetry shows and recitations. Sunayana engages the audience with her unique style of expressing poems as compelling visual images, laced with observations and anecdotes.

On our show today, she takes us back to her childhood days, in the beautiful Kashmir, of the connect with Indian Classical Music, of the city she fell in love with – Pune, of her transition from software to writing, of making US her home, of the concert, Mausiqui, and much more. So, join – in the vey lively conversation with Sunayana, hear her sing in Kashmiri – today, 10th of June, on our Show, Saat Samundar Paar, on MeraSangeet Gold – at 9:00AM,1:00 PM,5:00 PM and 9:00 PM – EST. You can also catch the interview on MeraSangeet East at 11:00 AM and 6:00 PM – EST

Camila Celin is a musician and composer from Colombia. She began playing the guitar at age 9 and has been studying the Indian Sarod for over a decade in Kolkata with Tejendra Majumdar and in the USA with Alam Khan. Her former gurus include maestro Krishna Bhatt and Sougata Roy Chowdhury.

In 2009, Camila was nominated for a Grammy for best world music album in collaboration with the Hindustani slide guitar maestro Debashish Bhattacharya. She performs around the world and has composed music for film, theater, and commercials. She lives between New York City and Kolkata, India

On the show today, Camila shares anecdotes of her childhood days, of getting the guitar as a birthday gift, of knowing that all she ever wanted to do was to be a musician, of travelling to India and much more!! She would be performing at the concert, Mausiqui- and yes we do hear a beautiful rendition on the Guitar!- So, tune-in for sure, today, 9th June, on our Show, Saat Samundar Paar, on MeraSangeet Gold, today – at 9:00AM,1:00 PM,5:00 PM and 9:00 PM – EST. You can also catch the interview on MeraSangeet East at 11:00 AM and 6:00 PM – EST

Abhik Mukherjee is a Kolkata-born sitar player of the Etawah-Imdadkhani gharana. He was initiated to sitar at the age of six by his father, Sri Tarit Mukherjee, and also by Sri Bimal Chatterjee, while simultaneously receiving vocal instruction from Sri Kaylan Bose.

Abhik has taken talim from Pandit Arvind Parikh and Pandit Kashinath Mukherjee, themselves disciples of the legendary Ustad Vilayat Khan. He is a gold medalist in musicology from Rabindra Bharati University, Kolkata, and has also received a scholarship from the Ministry of Culture, India.

Abhik currently lives in New York City and is one of the founding members of Brooklyn Raga Massive, an Indian classical music artists’ collective. He is the director of academic affairs at Chhandayan School of Music in New York City.

Today, we talk to him about his childhood days, of the time he got initiated into this beautiful musical fold, of him finally falling in love with the Sitar and the journey till now. We also talk about Mausiqui – the concert – and yes we do hear a beautiful rendition on the Sitar! So, tune-in for sure, today, 8th June, on our Show, Saat Samundar Paar, on MeraSangeet Gold, today – at 9:00AM,1:00 PM,5:00 PM and 9:00 PM – EST. You can also catch the interview on MeraSangeet East at 11:00 AM and 6:00 PM – EST