Episode Description: When the kettle whistles and the tea is ready, it's time for the DesiQuest after-show—and what a show it is! Omar Najam and I, Sandeep Parikh, are all cozied up inside the teapot, steaming with excitement. After every episode of DesiQuest is launched, we'll release another episode of the Tea Kettle with me and Omar and a very special guest, or guest from either behind or in front of the camera.
We're thrilled to share a candid chat about the unexpected crossroads of our schedules and the whimsical thought of a fundraiser to ensure our whole team can join in the fun. This episode isn't just about our shenanigans; we're joined by two exceptional talents: VoodooVal, the wizard of digital art, and Rekha Shankar, a wordsmith whose narratives captivate. Rekha teases us with tales from her latest project, 'Smarty Pants', while Val's artistic genius not only amplifies our show's aesthetic but also paints our Desi heritage in strokes of vibrant color.
Our conversation meanders through a series of appreciative toasts to the creative muses that are Val and Rekha, whose contributions are as indispensable as they are inspirational. I share a sneak peek into ABCD, the podcast that dissects American-born Desi experiences with the same vigor we tackle a plate of mom's samosas—spiced, satisfying, and leaving you hungry for more. As Omar and I recap the nail-biting, edge-of-your-seat combat from our latest episode, we acknowledge it's the support from our Patreon family that enables these moments to come alive. So, whether you're here for the dark fantasy, the cultural camaraderie, or the pure joy of our collective journey, this episode is a heartfelt 'thank you' wrapped in an invitation to continue this wild ride with us.
Episode Description: When the kettle whistles and the tea is ready, it's time for the DesiQuest after-show—and what a show it is! Omar Najam and I, Sandeep Parikh, are all cozied up inside the teapot, steaming with excitement. After every episode of DesiQuest is launched, we'll release another episode of the Tea Kettle with me and Omar and a very special guest, or guest from either behind or in front of the camera.
We're thrilled to share a candid chat about the unexpected crossroads of our schedules and the whimsical thought of a fundraiser to ensure our whole team can join in the fun. This episode isn't just about our shenanigans; we're joined by two exceptional talents: VoodooVal, the wizard of digital art, and Rekha Shankar, a wordsmith whose narratives captivate. Rekha teases us with tales from her latest project, 'Smarty Pants', while Val's artistic genius not only amplifies our show's aesthetic but also paints our Desi heritage in strokes of vibrant color.
Our conversation meanders through a series of appreciative toasts to the creative muses that are Val and Rekha, whose contributions are as indispensable as they are inspirational. I share a sneak peek into ABCD, the podcast that dissects American-born Desi experiences with the same vigor we tackle a plate of mom's samosas—spiced, satisfying, and leaving you hungry for more. As Omar and I recap the nail-biting, edge-of-your-seat combat from our latest episode, we acknowledge it's the support from our Patreon family that enables these moments to come alive. So, whether you're here for the dark fantasy, the cultural camaraderie, or the pure joy of our collective journey, this episode is a heartfelt 'thank you' wrapped in an invitation to continue this wild ride with us.
Yeah, oh man, it's… It's… oh man, omar, it's going well. Uh… it's going well. I want to see Omar. By the way, val and Rekha, I'm going to see Omar in less than 12 hours. Yep, in person lucky at like six o'clock in the morning.
Omar Najam:
Yeah, at Burbank Airport, right now we're at Guy Fieri's finest. Are you guys going to SketchFest?
Voodoo Val:
Oh no we're not that cool.
Sandeep Parkih:
We're going to Park City, which is still cool, to do this kind of corporate gig. We're going to be filming a bunch of corporate people and we're also going to be playing D&D with them.
Omar Najam:
I'm going to Park City this weekend.
Sandeep Parkih:
Wait what.
Omar Najam:
With my brother.
Sandeep Parkih:
What, what? Just for fun, are you guys going to play D&D with a bunch of corporate people?
Omar Najam:
No.
Sandeep Parkih:
Wait, so we hang out yeah. Jeez, I guess we got to find you. We leave on Saturday morning, so I don't know.
Omar Najam:
I leave on Saturday morning.
Sandeep Parkih:
Oh really.
Voodoo Val:
Yeah.
Sandeep Parkih:
We should hang out, I'm witnessing something beautiful.
Omar Najam:
I feel like it Never started an episode of the Tea Kettle like this. No, no. We realized that three of us are going to be in Park City.
Sandeep Parkih:
Yeah, instead of going to SketchFest. It's very strange. Val, do you want to hop on a plane?
Voodoo Val:
It's crazy that you say that, because I'm not going to Park City, but I will be driving through on my way to San Diego.
Sandeep Parkih:
So maybe, so you're going to drive through Park City on your way to San Diego.
Voodoo Val:
Through? Are you guys like in the?
Sandeep Parkih:
you said Burbank.
Voodoo Val:
So I thought you were like LA Kind of.
Omar Najam:
Yes, going to Utah.
Sandeep Parkih:
We're going to Utah.
Voodoo Val:
Oh, so no, I won't.
Sandeep Parkih:
Don't drive through Utah. I mean actually do, sorry, do drive through Utah and hang out with us, maybe, maybe, maybe, maybe.
Omar Najam:
I don't know.
Sandeep Parkih:
We'll see how this podcast goes.
Voodoo Val:
Maybe we will just the entire cast and crew will just eventually you're here, yeah.
Sandeep Parkih:
Actually, that's what this podcast is about. We're here to fundraise to get VoodooVal out to Park City.
Voodoo Val:
Come on, guys, let's hit this tier, come on.
Sandeep Parkih:
Let's hit this goal Just a few more thousand dollars.
Omar Najam:
Begging you At this point, I'm begging you.
Sandeep Parkih:
Well, how about I introduce the show? What do you think? Maybe? Ok, hey, welcome to the Tea Kettle the Desi Quest After Show podcast, exclusive to our Patreon backers. Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you. This whole endeavor cannot be possible without you, dear listeners. So thank you so much. I'm your host, sandeep, I'm the executive producer and cast member who plays Ash and, as always, my co-pilot is none other than the Halcyon Omar Najam, who plays Murkha.
Omar Najam:
Hello everyone, How's it going?
Sandeep Parkih:
It's very Halcyon, don't you think? I think it's pretty Halcyon, you guys, I think for sure, yeah, yeah, touches of it's giving Halcyon. Yeah, for sure. So I lost my page. Here it is. I found it again, Guys it just says banter Did we do. Banter Is that it.
Voodoo Val:
I think we did banter, I think we planned a trip Really.
Sandeep Parkih:
The page just says this Omar.
Omar Najam:
What am I doing? Make a pizza, yeah.
Sandeep Parkih:
Hey, after every episode of Desi Quest's launch, we release another episode of this the tea kettle with me and Omar and some very special guests and from this, from the show this week we have you. We kind of already introduced them, but we have Voodoo Val. She is a digital artist and creative educator based in Northern California. And, just so everyone knows, it is not on, utah is not on the way. No, from where she is to okay no, To ssan diego, just so we're clear. Yeah, I don't want to, I don't want to dox you.
Voodoo Val:
but that is just the truth about your map. If you look in Utah, you won't find me. You won't find me. I mean let them think, let them think.
Sandeep Parkih:
Yeah, Let them believe whatever they want to believe. Yeah, but speaking of Utah, you do specialize in dark fantasy illustration.
Voodoo Val:
it says here creating mystical worlds Because Utah screams dark fantasy. Illustration to me Mystical worlds and portraits with sinister vibes.
Sandeep Parkih:
I mean those Mormon temples are pretty intense. Yeah, yeah.
Voodoo Val:
Very, very unique. Yeah, I'm, I'm, I'm all the spooks, that's, that's my thing. So anything spooky, creepy, sci-fi fantasy is my jam.
Sandeep Parkih:
Yeah, yeah. And now Desi as well, I think you can add to your jam Another type of spooky yeah. Yeah, yep, we it's okay, cause we're saying it, that's the case.
Omar Najam:
Yeah, yeah.
Sandeep Parkih:
And then the one, the person just making that great joke, is Rekha Shankar. She is an executive story editor for Grand Crew on NBC recently Not there anymore, but now you are on another show.
Omar Najam:
It's recently not there anymore. It's recently not there anymore.
Sandeep Parkih:
But it was there and it was great, but now you're working on Andy Sandberg's and Neil Campbell's. Digman yeah, Comedy Central. Is it Digman or Digman Digman? Okay, I'm sorry, we'll take it again. I'm not going to edit this. You should be pissed. Also a staff writer for Animaniacs and a head writer for College Humor and Frequently Featured all over Dropout.
Omar Najam:
You're just dropping out so much I got to, you, got to drop out.
Sandeep Parkih:
Is there anything you can say about your new show on Dropout, or is that not a? We're not talking about that.
Omar Najam:
All I can say is that it's called Smarty Pants. That's it.
Sandeep Parkih:
And.
Omar Najam:
I'll let you everybody take a big guess at what the themes are. What it's about? I'll confirm literally nothing Got it, but I think it could be fun. What do you think it's about? Is it about food? Is it about dogs? Is it about Smarts?
Voodoo Val:
and pants. That was going to say Is it clothes a?
Omar Najam:
brand. Is it about smarties? Is it a show where I get to operate on somebody? Is it a show?
Sandeep Parkih:
It's just real life operation. It's the game or game operation. Yeah, but it's real life, is it a show?
Omar Najam:
where I get to operate on somebody.
Voodoo Val:
I don't know, Take a guess.
Sandeep Parkih:
Uh. Not another tennis elbow. All right, well, before you guys before, so lovely to have you. Thanks for being on this. Uh, this episode. Before we dive into episode six, uh, we're going to ask you, you, dear listener, to go ahead and do that thing where you comment and you like and you do all that stuff, and then maybe tell a friend, tell a friend about Desi Quest, let us know what we got cooking here. Maybe tell them about this Patreon and how fun these, these after shows are. And if you haven't already, head on over to DesiQuest. com, hop on to that mailing list. Huh, get some, get. You get a discount Drops into your inbox once you join and you get some sweet, sweet merch.
Sandeep Parkih:
We did have a handful of sponsors too on, took a big put, took big swings on us to make this show possible, and so we want to shout them out. That's not even part of their deal, we're just doing it because they, they loved on us before we had nothing, and so we want to look back to them. And so this week we want to shout out die hard dice who jumped in and helped us out, um, uh, with some finishing funds, because they believe in us and I believe in those dice, you guys. They're juicy, they uh uh.
Sandeep Parkih:
Iconic metal enchanting polymer dice as well. They got party saving trays and game upgrades and they have actually really great service. Like they have a great service department. They really pride themselves on service. If you have any issues with anything, they like they get on the phone with you. They talk to you. Um so, uh yeah, take your gaming to new heights while telling your story your own unique way with diehard dice. And, by the way, you can get a discount on their stuff and help our show by going to DesiQuest. com/ DHD for diehard dice and that will shoot you to our link and then if you buy stuff from there, it helps out. Helps us out too. So there you go.
Omar Najam:
There you go and if you like if you like the banter that you heard earlier about things like Halcyon or like possibly what Rekha's show could be about might I recommend for you that you check out ABCD, a podcast that's Sandeep, and I host on EffinFunny, we chat about all things about being American born, chatty, creatives and concerned Desis lots of that concern going around these days, so confused about some culture, identity, stuff that we're working on. We usually play a ridiculous game and then we pick the Desi of the week. You can find over 30 episodes of the show on EffinFunny on the YouTube or wherever podcasts can be found.
Sandeep Parkih:
Yes, yes, and someday, Rekha, you two can be the Desi of the week, I mean just, I was about to ask. Yeah, just keep hosting shows, and that's keeping up hosting, operating shows.
Omar Najam:
Yeah, ok, looking for my plaque in the mail right now.
Sandeep Parkih:
Yeah, we'll see, we'll see, but we put a pause on that show. We're starting back up, hopefully in March of this year, but we put a pause on that show so we can do this show. So, without further ado, I, you get to hear it, you guys hear it. Oh, the tea kettle is whistling, so let's spill some chai. About episode number one oh six, this was a juicy episode. This was a combat. This was, this was, this was spiders climbing mountains. Yeah, almost eating my character. Yeah, you know big cliffhanger, endie.
Sandeep Parkih:
Going on there Lots of juicy stuff, but we're going to dive into all, yeah, lots of great combat, if you are right. I think Omar, you said this before like, if you're like a big combat nerd, this is like the episode for you, right?
Omar Najam:
Yes, I did that last week. It was our last episode. It's like if you're in for some 5E, you're in for some 5E right now.
Sandeep Parkih:
Yeah that's for sure. Before we jump on that, let's ask Val, you know Val did. What I like to say is really it's like the icing on the cake really is what you created for us in. Like, what's a cake without icing?
Voodoo Val:
It's it's like a muffin. Basically, it's just a sweet bread, it's like a muffin without, without icing.
Omar Najam:
Which? Which?
Sandeep Parkih:
also sucks. Yeah, you know, you visually interpreted all the characters, creating your illustrations and all these incredible graphics for the show. What? What drew you to this project? Besides? Was it just Jasmine forcing you to do it, or what I wouldn't say? She forced me to do it.
Voodoo Val:
And you guys know her. I think any opportunity to work with her is going to be a great time. But I think that just the, the subject matter and and the project as a whole was definitely near and dear to my heart as well, because I've been a fantasy nerd all of my life and I grew up in a neighborhood that was predominantly like multi-generational Indian families and like we like I feel like I've spent a lot of time with Desi people, but I have never been able to work on a project like and play to my strength to kind of pay tribute to all of the wonderful people that I've met. So this was like an opportunity for me, for me to do that, to really like kind of contribute artistically to something that I felt was like really going hard to raise up and make visible people in that community. So it was an honor to be a part of that and I was like, absolutely I will do this, I would love to do this, I would love to be able to to be a part of it.
Omar Najam:
So it was it was.
Voodoo Val:
It was that as well. It was special to me personally and because a lot of my friends were a part of it.
Sandeep Parkih:
This is another one of those instances of this, like the universe conspiring to get us to make the show as magical as I think it is, because, like now, I can't imagine the show without your stamp on it.
Voodoo Val:
Like it doesn't.
Sandeep Parkih:
You know what I mean. It doesn't compute like it wouldn't make sense because you had such an influence over the visual feel of the show in such a profound way. I think with those with with all of it, like the, the gold and just like I just all the transitions and all the stuff that that really kind of gel the show together.
Voodoo Val:
Thank you.
Sandeep Parkih:
So I've been blessed to have you on this project, truly.
Voodoo Val:
Blessed to be here.
Sandeep Parkih:
I think blessed hashtag blessed you guys. We're just so, so blessed and hey, so sorry to interrupt, but the rest of this episode is for our Patreon subscribers only. So if you'd like to hear the rest of this juicy conversation, let me tell you it gets juicy. There's another 50 minutes, 50, five zero of this conversation over at patreon. com/DesiQuest. Thank you so much for supporting the show.
