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Here's a question for you. Why is it that in the West, especially America and Canada, a French or British accent is considered exotic, but an Indian one is met with condescension rather than curiosity and treated like a flaw that needs to be fixed ASAP. While you ponder that, I'd like to show you some snippets of my conversation with Gurasi Singh, the host of one of Canada's top podcasts, my thick accent. When I enter a room, there is no way you can ignore my turbul and beard, right? But I can see those side eyes. I can see those weird tensions between me and those people. people. Maybe that's why I've come 16 months with weekly episodes having never missed a single release on Wednesday.

a single release on Wednesday. If somebody questions your accent, somebody questions your English, you are not alone. There is a way to navigate around it. This is the Ready Set Do And in this episode, my guest podcast. And in this episode, my guest is Gurasi Singh. Gur Aiz takes us through how the Indian accent is perceived in the west. How to adapt to challenges that arise because of one's accent and other critical aspects of immigrant life like just some casual racism that simply isn't talked about enough. Guras also shares fascinating insights gleaned from his experience as a podcast host which are super relevant for anybody that's looking to start a podcast. I didn't say anything for the longest time and when I gave my very first presentation the first thing I said to them was if you guys are not

ado, here's Gurasis. Gur Aiz, welcome. Thank you. Thank you so much for having me. I'm very glad to be here. Want to start off with do you mind walking us through really any experiences that you've had good or bad right that directly pertain to your accent in in the west? Uh we'll just we'll just start off there perhaps.

we'll just start off there perhaps. Yeah, absolutely. You know, such a interesting question this is uh and I think I'm completely really like passionate about this topic. Hence the the podcast I end up doing it. So you know I think the very first thing I can think about is my very first day in Canada when I entered my classroom I introduced myself I spoke for 5 minutes my my name is Guries I'm from India I have this experience etc etc and uh after 5 minutes I saw that everybody's face was blank what year was this 2018 okay got it yeah so I moved in 2018 it was my very first of all it was so hard to find a classroom and I finally found it I was in

in Was this for your master's degree or or what what I came to do this program called media strategies and advertising it was like amalgamation of everything social media advertising marketing law as well so everything that I wanted to do so all that yeah so I think it was my communication sort of a class I don't remember exactly I introduced myself spoke for five minutes you know and I'm from India or whatever everyone's face was blank and I felt like I've said something really culturally inappropriate Right. So that was the funny part. I was like I thought I had good command over the English.

I had good command over the English. What just happened here? You know um and even my professor was like um oh welcome have a seat. Like that's what she said. Nothing else. And I just went back to my seat just questioning that. Okay. What did I just say wrong? So but I think that that makes me so sad to hear you know and the the funny part was also I was the only Indian also in my class you know. It's not even like only Punjabi or like only from the north. It was the only Indian at all. On top of that, I'm wearing a turban and it was like standing out in itself and it was such a weird experience for me to speaking and nobody is responding to me

speaking and nobody is responding to me at the only thing they extracted was one guru which I shortened my name from Guru which again I thought they won't be able to understand my name and the second thing was India that's it nothing else they understood. That was my very first uh experience I had and I think that was the time during the class during those courses and during my time in that college I started in Lassal college here in Montreal. I think throughout that one year were number of experiences I had uh related to my accent. And I remember this another time I was in my law class advertising law and we were talking about I think those trademarks and uh patents and everything and and I asked this question to my teacher that what if

this question to my teacher that what if the guy has registered himself and she's like sorry guru I'm not able to understand what do you mean and I said what if the guy has registered himself and I kept on repeating for the third time fourth time slower each time and then the guy sitting behind me said oh you mean registered and I'm like I literally said the same thing. The the only difference was the pronunciations.

only difference was the pronunciations. You know, I was saying registered and he meant registered registered registered and I think that particular uh nuance I would say was reiterated throughout my immigration journey, you know, immigration journey. I was like I mean the Rs were always something which which were not letting me communicate myself properly. You know for example like you know in India we say work we don't say work we say birth we don't roll the we don't say birth we don't roll the hours hours so that was something that kept on coming throughout my you know school time and I think this one time which really hit me again like following that so many experiences I had I was like okay it's better I should not talk at all you know

better I should not talk at all you know and that's what I did I just stopped talking and even though I'm such a loud and uh enthusiastic and like extra the word person and I'm like I I I did that I completely shut myself down and when I didn't speak I think that happened with most of us you know and we start questioning ourselves a little bit that's what I did I kept quiet I didn't say anything for the longest time and when I gave my very first presentation I remember I went in front of the class and the first thing I said to them was if you guys are not able to understand anything I'm saying please ask me again because if I'm not able to make you guys

because if I'm not able to make you guys understand what I'm saying I don't know how will I be able to make people outside the class understand what I'm trying to say. So yeah, these are the some of the experiences I remember. Yeah, Yeah, that's very incredible. And for you know all sorts of different reasons and obviously the lingering aftertaste in my mouth having heard all of that is just one of you know it's just sad it's unfortunate but like you said it happens right it's not the first time that I'm personally hearing of this or really experiencing it firsthand either and I know it also won't be the last right so so naturally from there uh I am curious um what were some of the things that you did that helped to break out of this

did that helped to break out of this shell, right? Because I don't think it's a nice way to live for anybody to, you know, just to constantly be at loggerheads with their own selves, right? If it's like you're trying to be the person you are, which as you said is more extroverted, likes to talk, but on the other hand, you're just because of fear of judgment, which is obviously understandable, you're not being able to be yourself. So, how did you navigate through that? And did did you kind of cave in or like I guess Yeah. what's your mindset around you know the solution if if you will to to the problem. problem. Yeah. So no I like that what you're saying uh you know this code switching is something I think we all have done right just to be heard just to be

right just to be heard just to be understood just to feel belonged and just to not have that feeling of being otherred in the room. We try to switch ourselves a little bit right and I think it's good and essential to do in the beginning but the problem with that is when you keep on doing that you adopt that certain masks and certain garbs which is something you are not you try to getting into that certain character which is not exactly you and the thing with that is since that character is not you you won't be able to hold that for the longest time right and that's exactly what I did like I said initially I did that I tried try to change my accent a little bit. I try to maybe uh somehow you know try to even adopt the

somehow you know try to even adopt the sort of the the local culture of the coffee for example very very basic example I never had coffee in India before hot and I kid you not because that was just not something you know appreciated in my family it was always chai always coffee always like tea right right and until I came here and people started asking me certain things about that I said okay I have no idea about this double double coffee like the class I don't know if you know also know Tim Hortons have this classic double double coffee It's like two myth to sugar basically. You didn't know that? Know that? Yeah. The book. Oh, really? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It's like obviously I've heard of Tim Hortons, but yeah. Never been to Canada. And I think it's one of those right of passages that you have to be

right of passages that you have to be there I think to to hear of it because it's not something I've heard in the US at least unless maybe I'm I've just been living under a rock. But but sorry, please go ahead. Yeah. No. Yeah. You know, so this thing is definitely something I wasn't aware of. You know, I remember hearing this a lot from my classmates also. Oh, I'll just have the double double coffee or this that. I'm like, okay, I have no idea about it. And on top of that, it was also the culture cultural aspect of I remember we were asked to present whatever we wanted to to the class about ourselves. And I remember everybody was presenting about their favorite bands, favorite singers and this and that. And I had no idea about that culture to be

I had no idea about that culture to be very honest with you. And I was I was a true Bollywood fan. I am a true Bollywood fan. I'm like literally that's the kind of music I listen to along with obviously my regional music which is Punjabi right so I think it was initially that's what the what I'm getting into the reason I'm sharing all this is that we try to change ourselves to adjust and learn cultures and everything right but the problem with that is after 3 years or four years now when you look yourself look at yourself in the mirror you realize that this is not the gurishes I came for I came with right this is not the personality I came with why I'm trying to become I'm

with why I'm trying to become I'm somebody who I'm not. So that was the thing that really hit me that I am no more wearing these garbs. I'm no more wearing these masks and I have to be myself. myself. So that was the I would say the key thing for me is being myself being a little bit comfortable with my own identity. That's Indian identity, my culture because when I enter the room n there is no way you can ignore my turbulent beard, right? But I can see those side eyes. I can see those weird tensions between me and those people.

tensions between me and those people. Right? So what I also try to do is bring people at a comfort level where they have the ability to ask me those questions and the curiosity that they have towards me. Right? And what I do is I I make that first effort. I be the forthcoming and ask them the questions about them and then they become at a come at a comfortable space. I'm like okay tell me about the colors of your turban. I remember my professor used to highlight every morning when I entered the class. Oh, today it's red. Oh, today you're wearing a pink one. Oh, you're wearing a orange one. So, always was a conversation, right? So, I think I found that common grounds or the the things

that common grounds or the the things that they were highlighting, you know, catching on to that, latching on to that and then starting conversation from that and which were the let me be a little bit more comfortable with myself and my identity. Yeah. So at which point were you at in almost you know at the crossroads of like you said right there is an element of improvement to this I guess if you can use that word where you're just kind of you're in a new place so obviously you're going to change like that's why we went and that's why so many immigrant students especially especially as one should yeah yeah go halfway across the world you didn't do all that to just be the same exact person that you are so that is one side of it and then

so that is one side of it and then obviously the other side is also what you were mentioning where you start doing these things that almost betray you who you are, you know, at its core or at your core. So yeah, I guess what I'm curious to explore is um yeah, how how do you proceed from that and and how do you kind of balance that tension between those two aspects?

that tension between those two aspects? Yeah. So I'll tell you something which uh the moment which really reiterated the fact that something that which was telling me that maybe my accent is incorrect. Maybe my my understanding of uh English is not correct. That was the time when I started working in a call center and that was one year after my after my graduation. My program was just 14 months long. I finished my program and I couldn't get a job in my in my certain uh advertising field I was studying in and I got this call center job and in that job nan I feel like that job came my way to to tell me that hey Guriss you really have to look within yourself is

really have to look within yourself is this something really the kind of accent you want to continue living with because on the phone you know people are brutal people are so brutal yeah yeah it and it stings it's so hardly stings and the thing is you are in a certain situation you are in a certain position you can't react you can't say anything to them right so that was the point when I also understood which I mentioned earlier the hours of it right because I'm I'm pronouncing certain words they are saying what are you saying hanging up the call not able to perform there properly right so I think that was also the time when I first had this experience of uh the first idea of the starting in this

first idea of the starting in this podcast named my thick accent because I was working in a that company I was interviewing somebody over the phone and this man in between the conversation said oh my god you have such a thick Indian accent and it was just one of those days I was just done listening to that thing I was so tired I was on the calls from I don't know from past 4 hours I haven't had food since morning and I'm worried about oh my god I don't have food at in the night also I don't have groceries at home. I'm just thinking so many things in my mind and I just reacted to him. I said, "Sir, you also have a thick Canadian accent." So

also have a thick Canadian accent." So it just hit him but and he just hung up the call, never continued the call. And fortunately, none of my managers was monitoring those calls. Right. So, but that experience, that name, that idea just just stayed with me. I'm not sure exactly if I answered your question like that was actually the moment which really hit me that okay somebody has to talk about it you know somebody has to really give it back to them sometimes you know so that was a rebel in me sort of like taking birth like okay you have to do something about it you know because these guys need help you know who are being at the receiving end of it and so do I so that was the reason you know