What we do.
Storytelling is the vessel through which our traditions are passed on from generation to generation. On Chai Chats, we hope to revive the unheard, forgotten or lost stories of our ancestry and heritage and bring them to life on our platform. We are do this through our 3 main pillars:
Storytelling. Cultural Learning. Collaborations.
Our content includes long-form video interviews with Chai Chat guests in discussion on their identity, childhood upbringing and connection with their Dharmic heritage. Our work focuses heavily on cultural learning of the Indic and Dharmic cultures through informational graphics on a variety of topics like Yoga, Ayurveda, food, handicrafts, performing arts and language etc. Beyond this work, we believe in the importance of creating a supportive grassroots Dharmic community through collaboration. Chai Chats has partnered with local and global Dharmic organizations to spearhead several virtual and in-person community events. Most notably, our recent "Roots of Yoga: Yoga Beyond the Asanas" event in partnership with Hindu Yuva UBC and UBC Yoga Club at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada.
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We are also pleased to announce our Chai Chat Ambassador Program wherein our ambassadors engage with our Chai Chats community through their own storytelling and insight into a topic of their interest. Please click here to meet our current Chai Chat Ambassadors as well as more information on how to apply! ​
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Storytelling at our core.
A view of Ancient Storytelling
From the Northern Himalayas to the Southern Tropics of Kerala or even across waters far and wide, the uniqueness of every tradition and story is what unites our communities together, centered around Dharma. Dharma is what allows us to sustain nature and creation which is expressed through Prakriti (the rhythmic and pulsating energy of the universe). It is this energy that is manifested through the arts, dance, song, theater, and story. Creativity itself is a form of Prakriti which is experienced infinitively. And hence, every story told on Chai Chats is representative of Prakriti, each unique yet universal.
Storytelling is both implicit and explicit. Through the oral tradition and performing arts, storytelling can be expressed through the ancient dance forms like Kathakali and Bharatanatyam, retelling the tales found in Itihasa, or through Sanskrit Shloka Chanting. Storytelling can also be expressed through guru-disciple conversation, through observation of our grandparents and their traditions, through cuisine, handicrafts and architecture. On Chai Chats, storytelling is expressed with a cup of chai.
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