Connect Original Castos https://connect-original.castos.com Connect Originals is Connect Media Network's original Punjabi documentary series, bringing long-form, public-interest storytelling to radio and digital audiences in Canada. Through real voices, lived experiences, field sound and expert perspectives, our documentaries explore the issues, histories and ideas shaping Punjabi life in Canada and beyond - from housing, affordability and migration to language, culture, identity, community and public memory. Produced for listeners first, each Connect Original goes beyond the headline to understand the people and experiences behind the story. Original documentaries from Connect Media Network, heard across Surrey, Edmonton, Calgary and Winnipeg. Wed, 01 Jul 2026 02:00:00 +0000 pa © 2026 CA IN US https://episodes.castos.com/66bd167c9e3a03-50315524/images/podcast/covers/c1a-595o3-479zz54qcg4p-yon509.jpg Connect Original https://connect-original.castos.com Connect Originals is Connect Media Network's original Punjabi documentary series, bringing long-form, public-interest storytelling to radio and digital audiences in Canada. Through real voices, lived experiences, field sound and expert perspectives, our documentaries explore the issues, histories and ideas shaping Punjabi life in Canada and beyond - from housing, affordability and migration to language, culture, identity, community and public memory. Produced for listeners first, each Connect Original goes beyond the headline to understand the people and experiences behind the story. Original documentaries from Connect Media Network, heard across Surrey, Edmonton, Calgary and Winnipeg. Connect Media Network episodic Connect Originals is Connect Media Network's original Punjabi documentary series, bringing long-form, public-interest storytelling to radio and digital audiences in Canada. Through real voices, lived experiences, field sound and expert perspectives, our documentaries explore the issues, histories and ideas shaping Punjabi life in Canada and beyond - from housing, affordability and migration to language, culture, identity, community and public memory. Produced for listeners first, each Connect Original goes beyond the headline to understand the people and experiences behind the story. Original documentaries from Connect Media Network, heard across Surrey, Edmonton, Calgary and Winnipeg. Connect Media Network support@connectfm.ca false https://feeds.castos.com/jn4m6 yes <![CDATA[Meri Mehnat, Mera Ghar - Canada | Canada Day Special]]> Wed, 01 Jul 2026 02:00:00 +0000 Connect Media Network https://permalink.castos.com/podcast/69591/episode/2511078 https://connect-original.castos.com/episodes/meri-mehnat-mera-ghar-canada-canada-day-special Meri Mehnat, Mera Ghar — Canada
A Canada Day special from Connect.

Canada Day is not just about fireworks, flags, or a long weekend. For many Punjabi Canadians, it is also a day to reflect on the hard work through which Canada became home.

In this Connect radio documentary, Punjabi Canadians from Surrey, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, and Kitimat on BC’s North Coast share their real-life stories. For some, the journey began with two suitcases. For others, with a first job holding a mop. For many, the uncertainty of a PR file defined their early days. Some remember walking through snowstorms to reach the gurdwara. Others speak about building a future for their children, finding stability for their families, leaning on community support, and discovering dignity in work.

This is not a story about a perfect Canada. It is about the reality of Canada - rent, work, PR, hospital wait times, grocery runs, family life, opportunity, safety, and the everyday grind.

But this documentary is not only about struggle. It is about the journey where hard work slowly turns into growth, growth becomes stability, and stability begins to feel like home.

]]> false Meri Mehnat, Mera Ghar — Canada
A Canada Day special from Connect.

Canada Day is not just about fireworks, flags, or a long weekend. For many Punjabi Canadians, it is also a day to reflect on the hard work through which Canada became home.

In this Connect radio documentary, Punjabi Canadians from Surrey, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, and Kitimat on BC’s North Coast share their real-life stories. For some, the journey began with two suitcases. For others, with a first job holding a mop. For many, the uncertainty of a PR file defined their early days. Some remember walking through snowstorms to reach the gurdwara. Others speak about building a future for their children, finding stability for their families, leaning on community support, and discovering dignity in work.

This is not a story about a perfect Canada. It is about the reality of Canada - rent, work, PR, hospital wait times, grocery runs, family life, opportunity, safety, and the everyday grind.

But this documentary is not only about struggle. It is about the journey where hard work slowly turns into growth, growth becomes stability, and stability begins to feel like home.

]]> 00:26:24 <![CDATA[The Story of Vaisakhi : From Fields to Festivals]]> Mon, 13 Apr 2026 19:17:47 +0000 Connect Media Network https://permalink.castos.com/podcast/69591/episode/2421489 https://connect-original.castos.com/episodes/the-story-of-vaisakhi-from-fields-to-festivals In this special Connect feature, we explore Vaisakhi through its cultural heart - from Punjab’s golden wheat fields and the joy of harvest, to the shared labour, folk traditions, and vibrant village melas that have shaped its place in Punjabi life. This episode reflects on Vaisakhi not simply as a date on the calendar, but as a living celebration of hard work, memory, community, and festivity.

Through the rhythms of the land, the voices of folk imagination, and the atmosphere of old Punjab, The Story of Vaisakhi: From Fields to Festivals traces how this beloved festival continues to live in collective memory across generations.

Baljeet Kaur, Digital Media Producer - Connect Media Network

]]> full 3 1 false In this special Connect feature, we explore Vaisakhi through its cultural heart - from Punjab’s golden wheat fields and the joy of harvest, to the shared labour, folk traditions, and vibrant village melas that have shaped its place in Punjabi life. This episode reflects on Vaisakhi not simply as a date on the calendar, but as a living celebration of hard work, memory, community, and festivity.

Through the rhythms of the land, the voices of folk imagination, and the atmosphere of old Punjab, The Story of Vaisakhi: From Fields to Festivals traces how this beloved festival continues to live in collective memory across generations.

Baljeet Kaur, Digital Media Producer - Connect Media Network

]]> 00:10:28 <![CDATA[Punjabi di Keemat | Canada: Schools, Work, Belonging | Part 2]]> Thu, 05 Mar 2026 23:31:32 +0000 Connect Media Network https://permalink.castos.com/podcast/69591/episode/2384015 https://connect-original.castos.com/episodes/2 In Canada, the “pressure” isn’t always direct - it can arrive through labels, accents, and the need to fit in. But Punjabi can also become a work language: a bridge in school districts, services, health care, and community life. Featuring Gurpreet Kaur (teacher), Raman Sangha (youth + cultural entrepreneur), and Harjit (parent). Ahead of Canada’s 2026 census cycle, the question returns: where does Punjabi live?

]]> full 2 1 false In Canada, the “pressure” isn’t always direct - it can arrive through labels, accents, and the need to fit in. But Punjabi can also become a work language: a bridge in school districts, services, health care, and community life. Featuring Gurpreet Kaur (teacher), Raman Sangha (youth + cultural entrepreneur), and Harjit (parent). Ahead of Canada’s 2026 census cycle, the question returns: where does Punjabi live?

]]> 00:20:52 <![CDATA[Punjabi di Keemat | Punjab & UP: School, Status, Rozi-Roti | Part 1]]> Thu, 05 Mar 2026 23:22:15 +0000 Connect Media Network https://permalink.castos.com/podcast/69591/episode/2384014 https://connect-original.castos.com/episodes/1 Punjabi language documentary (Part 1): In Punjab, Punjabi isn’t just a language question — it’s a place question. Baljeet leads a scene‑driven radio documentary with interview voices that ask one central question:
Punjabi in crisis… or Punjabi changing?

From school corridors to status, to the rozi-roti calculations, Baljeet follows voices from Jalandhar and beyond. Featuring Rajwant Kaur, Dr. Ominder Johal, a retired Army officer, and Malti (who came from UP to Punjab).

Episode 2 carries the same question into Canada - Surrey schools, labels, accents, and the roti‑rozī reality of Punjabi in public life.

]]> full 1 1 false Punjabi language documentary (Part 1): In Punjab, Punjabi isn’t just a language question — it’s a place question. Baljeet leads a scene‑driven radio documentary with interview voices that ask one central question:
Punjabi in crisis… or Punjabi changing?

From school corridors to status, to the rozi-roti calculations, Baljeet follows voices from Jalandhar and beyond. Featuring Rajwant Kaur, Dr. Ominder Johal, a retired Army officer, and Malti (who came from UP to Punjab).

Episode 2 carries the same question into Canada - Surrey schools, labels, accents, and the roti‑rozī reality of Punjabi in public life.

]]> 00:21:56