Cooking And Coping is a series created by @HungryEditor in early 2020 profiling people on what they are cooking and how they are coping in the world today.
Sangeetha Kowsik is a Parsons School of Design graduate who has garnered decades of experience across fashion, beauty, luxury, streetwear, skateboarding, and gallery artistry working for global brands such as Estée Lauder, Tiffany & Co., Ralph Lauren, and The Metropolitan Museum of Art. She is the founder of Ihsan Ishan, an award-winning multidisciplinary creative studio dedicated to creating peace, understanding, and unity through innovative design. Kowsik also serves as the Hindu chaplain for NYU, where she founded the NYU Hindu Center. She holds the rare distinction of being a Hindu Indian American woman trained in Islamic/Arabic calligraphy, uniquely blending Hindu and Islamic traditions in her art to promote interfaith unity. Kowsik made history as the first woman of color to lead a design team at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in 150 years. She is a passionate advocate for underrepresented communities, including women and LGBTQIA+, using her art to connect diverse cultures and promote inclusivity. Kowsik’s impactful interfaith initiatives and designs have earned her numerous accolades, including “Chaplain of the Year” at NYU presented by Chelsea Clinton and the Mozaik Philanthropy Award for her Black Lives Matter design. Through her lectures and art, Sangeetha champions faith, inclusivity, and the spiritual significance of cultures, striving to create a more compassionate, understanding, and harmonious world.
Benjamin Liong Setiawan: What recipe are you loving right now?
Sangeetha Kowsik: My father’s vedndakai (okra in Tamil language) curry.
Vedndakai (Okra) Curry
Ingredients
- fresh cut Okra
- Salt, to taste
- tempering spices
- 1 teaspoon of neutral Oil
- ½ of teaspoon of Black Mustard
- 1 teaspoon Urad Dhal
- 1 sprig of Curry Leaves
- ⅛ tablespoon of Turmeric
- 2 tablespoons of Sesame Oil
- 1 teaspoon of Sambar Powder (adjust based on desired spice level)
Instructions
- Clean and cut okra in small pieces, set aside
- Heat the oil in a pan. Drop in the tempering spices and mix
- Pan fry the okra with the mixture
- Add sambar powder and salt as desired
- Make sure not to cover dish while cooking or the okra will get soggy
Setiawan: What do you love about this recipe?
Kowsik: My father, with great love and devotion, used to prepare this curry every Thursday and offer it at the Shirdi Sai Baba Temple in Milpitas, California. In Hindu, food prepared for the deity is called Naivedyam—a sacred offering. After the puja (ritual prayer), the offering becomes prasad, comes from the Sanskrit word “prasāda” meaning “favor” or “grace.” It’s not just about taste—it’s about memory, devotion, and the love behind every bite.
Setiawan: Any special memories connected to this recipe?
Kowsik: What makes this even more meaningful is that Shirdi Sai Baba was a Muslim saint deeply revered by Hindus and Muslims. His teachings emphasized compassion, unity, and devotion beyond religious boundaries. Attending aarti with my father, then sharing a communal meal with people of all backgrounds, embodied everything beautiful about spiritual life—love, equality, and harmony. My father always taught that all faiths are equal and lead to the Divine.
Setiawan: Mental health is so important. What are some concerns that occupy your mind?
Kowsik: The world often feels overwhelming—negativity dominates social media and the news cycle. It can be exhausting. But I believe we have a choice: we can dwell in fear and anger, or we can choose joy, peace, and purpose. That’s how I try to live—by choosing gratitude, hope, and beauty in spite of the chaos.
Setiawan: What are some ways you’re coping with all the stresses of those concerns?
Kowsik: I stay close to kind people and meaningful experiences. My Hindu faith grounds me. I also use my creative work as a form of advocacy—to counter stereotypes and spread compassion, connection, and truth through art and design.
Setiawan: What are you doing to keep your peace?
Kowsik: My Hindu beliefs teach me to see divinity in all beings, all paths, all of creation. I’m the founder of the NYU Hindu Center and the Hindu Chaplain at NYU. I find peace in temple rituals—watch the pujas regularly live streamed from the Flushing Ganesha Temple, the first traditional Hindu Temple in the United States, which my father helped build. I also go to the gym regularly (shoutout to TMPL Fitness!)—barre, strength training, alignment classes. Movement and prayer—both keep me grounded.
Setiawan: What are you doing to stay creative?
Kowsik: Ihsan Ishan Design, my award-winning multidisciplinary studio, is rooted in interfaith and intercultural storytelling. I create work that educates, inspires, and connects—like Arabic calligraphy-based depictions of Hindu deities, or collections inspired by the shared cultural and faith stories of Mesoamerica and South Asia. Unique stories that educate and make a difference celebrating our interconnectedness versus divisiveness.
Setiawan: What are you doing to stay connected?
Kowsik: I meditate, work out, spend time with loved ones, travel, soak in sunshine, and visit museums. Nature, culture, and community keep me grounded and inspired.
Setiawan: What have you been learning recently?
Kowsik: I just returned from a research trip to Oxford, England. I focused on lost Hindu deities and scriptures of love—why their worship was erased, and why love is the most powerful force of all. This learning has been both healing and exhilarating.
Setiawan: What changes do you hope to see in the future?
Kowsik: I dream of a more educated, compassionate, inclusive world. I was the first woman of color, Hindu, and South Asian, to lead a design team at The Met in its 150 year history. I advocate for deeper representation of global cultures—especially from Asia, Africa, and South America—in museums. It’s critical to correct the harmful misrepresentations of faith and culture that still exist in many institutional spaces. I want to see an end to racism, sexism, homophobia, Islamophobia—and all forms of prejudice and discrimination. These phobias stem from ignorance and fear, and we must confront them through education and compassion.
I would also like the world to understand that not all Indians speak Hindi. Tamil, not Hindi or even Sanskrit, is the oldest living language in the world. South Indian cultures are often overshadowed by dominant North Indian narratives and Bollywood representations in the West. This imbalance exists in part because there are more North Indians in Western diasporas, and because darker-skinned South Indians frequently face more racism and receive less visibility in global media and culture.
I hope to see South India—its languages, aesthetics, spirituality, and philosophies—more fully represented in museums, fashion, film, and broader cultural discourse. Instead of perpetuating narratives of Hindu-Muslim division—largely rooted in the trauma of the 1947 Partition that affected North India—we should amplify the harmony, interconnectedness, and inclusive spirit of the South, which has a different historical experience.
Setiawan: What rhythms are you trying to implement in your life?
Kowsik: Surrender. Trusting the Divine to lead me where I’m meant to go. Even when life feels chaotic, I’m committed to staying grounded in love, trust, and grace.
Setiawan: What projects are you working on?
Kowsik: I am currently expanding my Allah Swami exhibition to larger audiences and demographics—an ongoing series that celebrates the shared spiritual, cultural, and artistic traditions of Hinduism and Islam through the mediums of Arabic, Persian, and Urdu calligraphy. These works are displayed by the mosque at NYU, where they have surprised and delighted the Muslim community, who are often moved to learn that a Hindu artist created them.
This project is produced through my studio, Ihsan Ishan Design. I received formal training in Arabic calligraphy while working at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and I use the form to unite Hindus and Muslims. In a time of escalating tension between India and Pakistan and within the broader Hindu-Muslim dynamic, this work is more important than ever. It focuses on what unites us—love, beauty, and shared heritage—rather than what divides us.
As an interfaith and Hindu chaplain, I also give frequent lectures and workshops on Hinduism, religious literacy, and designing with cultural sensitivity. In collaboration with my friend, the scholar behind Persian Poetics, I am developing pop-up events featuring Ihsan Ishan’s Persian Collection inspired by the interconnected cultures of Iran and South Asia.
I also create branding, identity, logos, experiences, products, for a variety of clients and work for greater representation of cultures within museums.
Setiawan: What has been the most surprising to you lately?
Kowsik: How negative social media and the news can be. But even in the darkness, there is always light—always something to smile about, to believe in.
Setiawan: What has been inspiring to you lately?
Kowsik: The Met’s Superfine exhibition celebrating Black style and designers. The V&A’s Mughal exhibition. The British Museum’s show on South Asian faiths. The reopening of the Met’s galleries on Africa, the Pacific, and Latin America. Representation is growing—but we still have so far to go. There is still a significant lack of people of color—and of individuals who actively practice non-Abrahamic faiths—working in major museums. As a result, there is widespread misinformation, misrepresentation, and deeply flawed interpretations being presented in exhibitions and tours. This urgently needs to change.
Setiawan: What do you see is the best way for change to happen?
Kowsik: Through art, design, music, education, and compassion. These are the true connectors. We must move beyond politics of fear and center creativity, truth, and kindness. Museums must employ more people of color and those who actually practice the faiths being displayed, to ensure honest, respectful representation.
I believe advocacy and education—especially through art and design—are key to building a more just and compassionate future.
Setiawan: What gives you hope for the future?
Kowsik: The Divine. Diversity. Love. Creativity. Joy. You can feel hope everywhere—in smiles, in art, music, poetry, in people trying to leave the world better than they found it.
You can follow Sangeetha Kowsik’s work at @ihsan_ishan_design and Ihsan Ishan.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Find Benjamin Liong Setiawan on Instagram: @hungryeditor.