For Senior Fellow Vandana Kumar (Class XXXIX), storytelling is integral to life. From the stories told to her by her maternal grandmother about protecting their property under the British Raj to her mother’s telling of the non-violent resistance formed in her grandfather’s house, inspiration came early. With the confidence and valuable life lessons sparked by these two women, Vandana came to the U.S. to embark on her own journey of storytelling.

Today, Vandana Kumar is a publishing executive with a 35-year track record in the industry. She leads the India Currents Foundation as President and CEO. As a new immigrant, she co-founded India Currents magazine in 1987 and published an award-winning print magazine from April 1987 to Dec 2017. Fully digital today, India Currents has the largest following among Indians in the United States and recently won the California News Publishers Association award for General Excellence in Digital Publishing.

In this episode of The Dialogue Podcast, Vandana shares a reading of a piece she wrote for Making Waves – AAPI Voices, a project of ALF Silicon Valley’s AAPI Caucus. Through this project, the group looks to share the experiences of Asian Americans & Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) with the ALF network and broader community.

The title of this project, Making Waves – AAPI Voices, is inspired by the book Making Waves, An Anthology of Writings By and About Asian American Women. We thank editor Dr. Elaine Kim and Asian Women United of California for their groundbreaking work and permission to use the title.

Learn more about ALF Silicon Valley's AAPI Caucus and the Making Waves | AAPI Voices project here: alfsv.org/blog/making-waves-aapi-voices