bonded

MY | lifeBy Mary Meldrum

Photography by Steve RaglandPhotography Assistant, Robert Olinski

Fashion Editor Jessica Kocik

in matrimony and mission

bonded

Several years ago, Partha and Kali Nandi fell deeply in love with each other, and they are still falling. This is a love story that started with two people and now stretches across the country and to 80 other nations. The Nandis now share three children, a medical practice, a popular TV show that airs across the globe, a deep spiritual connection, Ask Dr. Nandi Charities, and as much time together as they can possibly manage. Where others might falter in the constant presence of their partner, Partha and Kali feed on each other’s boundless spiritual energy. While there was the usual romance and physical attraction, it is that spiritual connection that provided the spark for this love story, and it is the flame that burns the brightest for them today.

This is a love story that has propelled them to great heights in their personal and professional lives, where they take on a shared purpose and vision for a better life and a better world. It is an energy that feeds and sustains them, and they have scaled it to become force multipliers. You rarely experience a couple so thoroughly bonded in matrimony and in mission. Partha and Kali have built their relationship on an enviable platform of mutual love and profound respect, where discourse and action embody their deep connection and calling. They speak from the heart and they live from the heart. And just as their marriage is a platform for access to their combined love, passion, and family, the Ask Dr. Nandi Charities and Ask Dr. Nandi Show are the expansion of that platform to include everyone. By everyone, I mean people throughout Africa, India, and Indonesia tuning in to access information about wellness, health, exercise, mindfulness, and spirituality. Topics include things that impact people’s lives every day, like diabetes, nutrition, near-death experience, discrimination, massage therapy, HIV, organ donation, medical marijuana, even how to cultivate happiness.

While Partha has a full time medical practice where he works as a gastroenterologist and internist, Kali has her hands full with the children and works full time as the show’s producer. They are in constant communication and intimately collaborate to pull everything off, giving a lot of credit to their small, nimble team for seamless accomplishment of it all.

“When we thought about how we could make a difference in the world, we thought a nice extension would be taking what I do in the office and expanding it to help others,” explains Partha. “What if we could reach ten people, ten thousand people, or a million people to help them live better lives? That was the birth of our show, Ask Dr. Nandi.”

The Ask Dr. Nandi Show is an hour-long show that is devoted to one topic. The show airs in 85 million homes in the U.S. as well as 80 countries. It is the only independent production doing this. Most TV shows you see have a studio that backs

the production and distribution of that show, and they own that content. The Nandis have their own production company with their own distributors. They gush about their talented team and the instrumental roles that each of them play in orchestrating the show, their charity work, and events.

This is not an infomercial type of platform. The aim of the show is not to sell you anything. This is an authentic offering of valuable health and lifestyle information to empower people to take control of their health and life. Dr. Nandi’s mission is to encourage others to be their own “Health Hero,” and to diminish preventable disease around the world.

“The best part of our show is that I get to work with Kali,” reveals Partha. “Together we are clearly better than the sum of our parts because we have synergy, and the key to that is respect.”

We all have a certain level of access to health care. Ask Dr. Nandi helps to remove the final barriers to health care with knowledge that can carry someone from good health to great vitality. Understanding that the ultimate goal for us all is to live happy and healthy lives, the Nandis wake up every day with the intention to help at least one other person achieve that. The Ask Dr. Nandi Show delivers solutions that empower people with knowledge. While Americans might have more access to health care and knowledge, the same information is sometimes a revelation for certain communities, villages, and people in less fortunate areas of the world, where access to clinicians and medical information is very limited. Ask Dr. Nandi Charities are a big part of the Nandis’ work and include the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan, Nationwide Children’s Hospital and their Miracle Kids, The American Lung Association, Habitat for Humanity, the Jamaican Ministry of Health, The Detroit Achievement Academy, Covenant House of Michigan, The Coalition on Temporary Shelter (COTS), and Alternatives for Girls.

“There are not enough hours in the day for all the ideas we share around visions and mission. All I want to do is be with Partha and talk about the things that we dream about doing,” describes Kali. “It’s family, it’s the charity, which is a huge part of what we do, certainly the show, and of course the talks and the tour. It would be a lot easier to simply have him go to work every day and I stay home and manage the house and the kids,” shares Kali. “What we do is a ton of work. We have

DR. PARTHA & KALI NANDI

a united vision, mission, and passion.” Partha adds, “It wouldn’t be fulfilling without all that. We live and work together and it’s all part of the same mission.”

It is clear to see how they respect and value each other above all else, and how this has calibrated their relationship and translated into their value proposition in everything they touch. It provides rich context for how this enterprising duo stays united and connected to each other in their busy days. Dr. Nandi also sponsors a program that he calls Be Your Own

Health Hero, where he talks about how to use your awareness, your body’s sense of movement, sense of purpose, fitness, and nutrition to live not only a longer life, but a more meaningful and revitalized life. He has traveled abroad to Australia, Jamaica, and India to share his “Health Hero” program, and plans to travel to France and Africa as well.

Dr. Nandi brings the message that health, longevity, and purpose are intricately tied together. He doesn’t just talk about it, he and Kali live it every day. That purpose adds

Stop Staring floral dress, $162 Rings $55, $28, Butterfly

necklace, $60, Peacock Room Detroit, 313.559.5500

Earrings, $58, Frida Detroit, 313.559.5500

years to one’s life. Spirituality and mindfulness are the drivers behind all the work this couple does. “Success is a consequence of our actions, it is not what is driving us,” clarifies Partha. Referring to the Be Your Own Health Hero Tour, Kali adds, “Partha does the speaking tour, reaching out to people to talk with them about how to be their own advocate and live their best life.” She says, “This is about being in the driver’s seat of your life. Seek your own answers, information and better health.”

The Nandis want to empower patients to understand how the body works. They are educating people about the underlying reasons their bodies respond to stress, medications, nutrition, cigarettes, and other things that impact everybody. Raised in Calcutta, India, Partha Nandi grew up in a place where children would come to his door begging for food. In speaking with him on a personal level,

it is clear that his perspective on humanity was formed from those early years and the hundreds of heartbreaks every time he answered the door to find another hungry young child.

“We tell our kids how lucky they are to have running water and food every day. We want them to understand how very little the vast majority of the world has. It’s difficult to convey if you have been born here and never really seen or experienced that level of poverty,” Partha expresses. “The reason this is so important is because empathy is an amazing power.”

Fortunate to be gifted with the opportunity to elevate their own circumstances, the Nandis understand and are grateful for their opportunities and never forget those less fortunate. Every day they go forward with the devout intention to help others and give back.

Reneec made in USA Cream blouse, $64, Bee necklace, $70Butterfly necklace, $60, Tassel necklace, $100, Earrings, $70

Brooches (in hair), $50, $100, Peacock Room, Detroit 313.559.5500

Hair and Makeup by Megan Foley Skytique Boutique & Beauty Bar, Grosse Pointe Park