When Chai Met Toast Met Spice

Tamil-Swiss musician Priya Ragu believes she had time on her side when pursuing her music career. From working an 8-to-5 job into her thirties before surrendering herself to her sound, the genre-blending artist has an acclaimed mixtape and two studio albums that are products of her persistence. Ahead of her Australian tour, she spoke to Suhayla Sharif about "raguwavy", cultural rhythms and keeping it real. Listen now, only on SBS Spice.SBS Spice is your go-to for South Asian Australian culture, exploring what makes us tick—or ick. Catch us on your favourite podcast platforms: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube and the SBS Audio app. Or tap the audio player to listen to the full episode. Follow SBS Spice on Instagram @SBSSpice and never miss an update. #SBSAudioPodcast

When journalist and comedian Sami Shah discovered a photo of a sharply dressed ancestor with a cheeky smile, he felt a connection that transcended time. However, it was the caption paired with the photo that catalysed a journey of discovery across five countries and history. Sami shares with Suhayla Sharif how SBS's 'The Forgotten Soldiers' podcast series documents this expedition and uncovers the contribution of over a million service personnel from pre-partition India in World War I. Listen now, only on SBS Spice.SBS Spice is your go-to for South Asian Australian culture, exploring what makes us tick—or ick. Catch us on your favourite podcast platforms: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube and the SBS Audio app. Or tap the audio player to listen to the full episode. Follow SBS Spice on Instagram @SBSSpice and never miss an update. #SBSAudioPodcast

While chai and toast serve as a simple breakfast for many, multilingual indie-folk band When Chai Met Toast have captured that comfort in their sound. From heavy metal beginnings to lyrically tugging heartstrings, the quartet has garnered over 60 million views on YouTube alone for their sonic storytelling. Suhayla Sharif chats to guitarist Achyuth Jaigopal and drummer Sailesh Pai about joy, home and riding sound waves ahead of their Australian tour. Listen now, only on SBS Spice.SBS Spice is your go-to for South Asian Australian culture, exploring what makes us tick—or ick. Catch us on your favourite podcast platforms: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube and the SBS Audio app. Or tap the audio player to listen to the full episode. Follow SBS Spice on Instagram @SBSSpice and never miss an update. #SBSAudioPodcast

The story of Diwali in Fiji is intertwined with the history of Indian indentured labourers who arrived on the islands more than a century ago, bringing with them their languages, beliefs, and traditions. Generations later, two Indo-Fijians with very different upbringings come together to discover what they share. Suhayla Sharif and Tavishek Sharma reflect on their Girmit ancestry, family expectations, and the joys and stresses of celebrating Diwali, from food and festivities to grief, identity, and belonging in Australia. Watch on YouTube.SBS Spice is your go-to for South Asian Australian culture, exploring what makes us tick or ick. Catch us on your favourite podcast platforms: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube and the SBS Audio app. Or tap the audio player to listen to the full episode.Follow SBS Spice on Instagram @SBSSpice and never miss an update.#sbsaudiopodcast

As thousands in India protest against controversial voter roll cuts, their anger has reached the streets of Sydney. SBS Spice's Dilpreet Taggar went to the protest to ask Indian Australians why they're speaking out from thousands of kilometres away. What she found was a clash of opinions on democracy, patriotism, and whether standing up for India means questioning its government. Watch the episode on YouTube.SBS Spice is your go-to for South Asian Australian culture, exploring what makes us tick or ick. Catch us on your favourite podcast platforms: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube and the SBS Audio app. Or tap the audio player to listen to the full episode. Follow SBS Spice on Instagram @SBSSpice and never miss an update.#sbsaudiopodcast

Can South Asian identity become a trap for South Asian artists? Two-time Archibald finalist Kirthana Selvaraj is challenging the pressure to make cultural identity recognisable and palatable. In her new exhibition, 'In the Half Light', at Sydney's 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art, she responds to the legacy of queer Asian Australian artist Andy Ewing, whose provocative work confronted fetishisation, marginalisation, and the politics of the body.As the inaugural recipient of the Andy Ewing Fellowship, Kirthana Selvaraj found an unexpected connection with the late queer Asian Australian artist through their experiences of chronic illness, queerness, and the politics of the body. His legacy inspired her to confront her own pain through art, while making room for tenderness, humour, and joy.Her new exhibition, 'In the Half Light', is showing at 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art in Haymarket until 13 December 2026.SBS Spice is your go-to for South Asian Australian culture, exploring what makes us tick or ick. Catch us on your favourite podcast platforms: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube and the SBS Audio app. Or tap the audio player to listen to the full episode. Don't forget to rate and follow the show and find SBS Spice on Instagram @SBSSpice and never miss an update.#sbsaudiopodcast

More than 2,000 detained as thousands protest the reported removal of 130 million names from electoral rolls in the world's largest democracy. India's Election Commission says the exercise is intended to remove duplicate and ineligible voters, while protesters allege it is disenfranchising legitimate voters to benefit Prime Minister Narendra Modi's BJP. SBS Australia's Asia Correspondent Aaron Fernandes unpacks the youth-led protests, police crackdown, and growing scrutiny of India's election watchdog.SBS Spice is your go-to for South Asian Australian culture, exploring what makes us tick or ick. Catch us on your favourite podcast platforms: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube and the SBS Audio app. Or tap the audio player to listen to the full episode.Follow SBS Spice on Instagram @SBSSpice and never miss an update.#sbsaudiopodcast

What can a pot of chicken curry tell us about where we come from? For theatre-maker Joshua Hinton, it holds generations of family history, from his grandmother’s extraordinary journey across continents to his own experience of growing up brown in Wollongong. In this episode of SBS Spice, Joshua tells Suhayla Sharif how he turned his family’s stories into 'A Place in the Sultan’s Kitchen', a theatre production where he cooks his grandmother’s chicken curry live on stage.SBS Spice is your go-to for South Asian Australian culture, exploring what makes us tick—or ick. Catch us on your favourite podcast platforms: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube and the SBS Audio app. Or tap the audio player to listen to the full episode. Follow SBS Spice on Instagram @SBSSpice and never miss an update. #SBSAudioPodcast

Munesh went into SBS series 'The Jury' fascinated by how juries work. He came out questioning whether they are the right way to decide guilt at all. As one of 12 Australians reconsidering a real murder case, he saw how quickly the same evidence can produce completely different interpretations of truth, reasonable doubt, and justice. He speaks to Suhayla Sharif about how his Indo-Fijian upbringing shaped his thinking and why the experience changed the way he thinks about Australia’s justice system.SBS Spice is your go-to for South Asian Australian culture, exploring what makes us tick or ick. Catch us on your favourite podcast platforms: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube and the SBS Audio app. Follow SBS Spice on Instagram @SBSSpice and never miss an update.#sbsaudiopodcast

A naan lands on the table, fragrant with saltbush and lemon myrtle. It’s unmistakably Indian, but its flavours draw from Aboriginal food traditions that have existed for thousands of years. Sydney's Indian restaurant Lavendra brings this rare fusion in its new seasonal menu, Cooking with Country. SBS Spice speaks with owner Inderpreet Singh and Wiradjuri man Nathan "mudyi" Sentance, whose poetry closes the dining experience. Our returning question is: Can Indian food start looking to Country more?SBS Spice is your go-to for South Asian Australian culture, exploring what makes us tick or ick. Catch us on your favourite podcast platforms: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube and the SBS Audio app. Follow SBS Spice on Instagram @SBSSpice and never miss an update.#sbsaudiopodcast