Dealing with this pandemic hasn't been easy. Everybody is struggling in an attempt to find their new normal. Work schedules and mental health is all over the place. It's been fairly hard to stay inspired or feel motivated to even conduct menial jobs. Hence, we thought, what better than suggesting a few podcasts to provoke thought in the right direction, as we have some extra time on our hands. Now is the time to rethink our practices and reorganise in a manner that is beneficial for all. A change as drastic as this requires a plethora of information to guide us towards a more conscious future. We’ve curated a list of podcasts to listen to that may just be of help during these times:
Bad Brown Aunties
Hosted by two queer brown immigrants, Rage Kidvai, a queer Muslim immigrant and a public defender, and Thanu Yakupitiyage, a Brooklyn-based media professional, cultural organizer, and DJ -- this one is about art, culture, politics, and legacy through the lens of the amazing and creative people of colour in the diasporic community. In each episode, they pick artists, activists, writers, or cultural workers to talk about their lives and who shaped them, with a special nod to the aunties and elders that have shaped them. The guests featured include the likes of Alok Vaid Menon, Lupita Nyong’o and Fariha Roisin, amongst others.
Where: https://www.badbrownaunties.com/episodes
Maed in India
Hosted by Mae Mariyam Thomas, the show is India's first indie music podcast that showcases the best independent musicians across the country. Each episode brings an artist/band along with an exclusive stripped down session of their original music. Apart from being their flagship show, it is also a podcast production company and consultancy that provides solutions for all audio creation needs. They have featured artists like Kanchan Daniel, Saltwater and bands like the Pune based Triple Shuffle, amongst many others.
Where: https://www.maedinindia.in/maed-in-india
Big Closets Small Planets
Hosted by industry expert Michael Schragger, who has been working at the intersection between sustainability, business, society and research for more than 25 years, the podcast explores what it will take to transform the fashion and apparel industry so that it contributes positively to the health of the planet. He examines the problems faced by the industry and the strategies and solutions that are required to change them. He talks to experts and colleagues like H&M group’s Kim Hällström and Lenzing’s CEO Stefan Doboczky -- inspiring people who are racing against the clock to develop and implement more sustainable solutions.
Where: https://www.sustainablefashionacademy.org/podcasts/big-closets-small-planet
The Filter Koffee Podcast
Host Karthik Nagarajan describes the podcast not as a window into the minds of the most interesting people he has met -- a peek into their craft, passions and convictions. Mostly, it is a conversation - the kind that leaves you richer. Karthik Nagarajan likes his coffee strong, just like his conversations. He is a cryptographer turned researcher turned screen-writer turned marketer, who sits down with creators, activists, business leaders, and the occasional neighbour for an unstructured chat. Guests featured on the podcast belong to diverse fields, some of the most recent ones include author Taslima Nasreen, translator Arunava Sinha, Muskan Sethi, the country’s first professional poker player and comedian Abhish Mathew, amongst others.
Where: https://ivmpodcasts.com/the-filter-koffee
Amplify by Apparent Club
Hosted by Sanchi Singh, this podcast attempts to define what sustainability means in the global south. Much of the conversation on what it means to be sustainable is dominated by a specific demographic: white and upper-middle class. Global supply chains of various industries such as technology, food, fashion, etc., are composed of people working in the global south. Yet the conversations in gentrified spaces in the global north, excludes the very people it claims to empower. This podcast is an attempt to rectify that. They amplify the voices of people across industries, working at the grassroot level to understand sustainability in practice. They’ve featured guests including co-founders of Eco Femme, a social enterprise working to redefine menstrual practices, Varun Deshpande, the MD at The Good Food Institute in India, amongst others.
Where: https://anchor.fm/amplifypodcast/episodes/Meat-the-future-The-Good-Food-Institute-India-ee38fo#_=_