South Asian Today is a media start up with a mission. The online publication aims to amplify the voices of South Asian women and non-binary people through articles, commentary, podcasts and film. To find out more about the site and the community it serves, Telum spoke to South Asian Today's Founder / Editor, Dilpreet Kaur.

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Tell us about South Asian Today, its history and how it fits into the wider community.
South Asian Today is Australia’s first media startup for South Asian women and non-binary folks. Launched in April 2020, we aim to platform, empower and strengthen the South Asian community through mixed media storytelling. We are feminist and anti-caste and believe in shattering patriarchal norms that have long dominated and stunted our growth.

We are aware that many South Asian spaces online can be India-centric and Bindi-Chai centric. South Asian Today wants to break that cycle and push for narratives where South Asia and South Asians are seen beyond hegemony. We are currently working on launching an online store with exclusive prints and accessories made by South Asian women and non-binary artists. Please consider supporting us by contributing here.
 

Aside from news across Australia and India, what other content do you cover in your publication? Any regular sections to be aware of? 
South Asian Today is interested in covering not only news, but what the news represents. We unpack and explore this through commentary and op-eds. We have seven main categories on our site: Identity, Politics & Society, Health, Brown Success, Life, Relationships and Pop Culture. We publish feature stories, interviews, and analyses to amplify narratives that matter to South Asians. We focus particularly on gender, race, caste, and community.
 
What role do you see South Asian Today playing in the Indian Australian community? 
What makes South Asian Today different from traditional media outlets in Australia is that we are not shy of being political. We are an all-women and non-binary led team. Our writers and artists come from various diverse backgrounds across the South Asian diaspora.

There is a huge lack of South Asian stories in the country about brown women and their feminism. The majority of coverage focuses on Bollywood, Chai or Garam Masala. Breaking News: We are more than that, much more, and that’s exactly where South Asian Today steps in.

We aim to produce stories that shift the lens of how brown women are shattering patriarchal notions, how the diaspora needs to challenge itself on its anti-Blackness and Islamophobia, and how we need to hold politicians accountable, even if they are South Asians. 
 
We need to move beyond identity politics.










Answers submitted by Dilpreet Kaur, Founder / Editor at South Asian Today.