Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast The Suno India Show
| Titre | Date | Durée | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year in the life of a former death convict | 19 Aug 2024 | 00:25:32 | |
It has been more than a year since the Supreme court released Narayan Chetanram Chaudhary in March 2023. Narayan was convicted along with his co-accused for gruesome murders in Pune and sentenced to death. But after 28 years of jail, the Supreme court released him as per the Juvenile Justice Act after it was proved that he was just 12 years old at the time of offence. How is he coping with life outside jail? In this podcast, Menaka Rao visited him in his village in Bikaner to understand how Narayan is managing life in society.
See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information. | |||
| Punjab Reverse Migration: Reality or Hype? | 17 Jul 2024 | 00:19:53 | |
Punjabis are infamous for their obsession with migrating abroad, especially to Canada. There’s a saying among diaspora Punjabis that goes, “Jitthe assi, utthe Punjab,” meaning “We create Punjab wherever we go.” But, in the recent past, a new narrative of ‘Vatan vaapsi’ or ‘Reverse Migration’ has taken hold in Punjabi media. According to podcasts and some news articles, Punjabis are sick of living abroad and are excited to return to their homeland. In this episode, Kudrat Wadhwa investigates how much truth there is to the claim that Punjabis are returning to India and why people are coming back, if they are. References: Is a waning Canadian dream fuelling reverse migration in Punjab? Back to Motherland | Reverse Migration | Part 6 | EP 68 | Punjabi Podcast Punjabi Students Becoming Homeless In Canada | ਕੈਨੇਡਾ ਵਿਚ ਬੇਘਰੇ ਹੋ ਰਹੇ ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਸਟੂਡੈਂਟਸ Homless 6 punjabi munde te ik kudi dekho kime reh rhe ne See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information. | |||
| Cutting Through the Pain- A Surgeon’s Insights on Endometriosis | 26 Mar 2024 | 00:46:45 | |
In this episode, Suno India's Padma Priya talks to Dr. Abhishek Mangeshikar, a gynecologist specializing in endometriosis. He explains what endometriosis is and why it is difficult to diagnose. See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information. | |||
| Why are we opening Asia’s largest coal mine while promising to phase down coal? | 31 Jul 2022 | 00:38:25 | |
The West Bengal government is working on opening a coal mine in the district of Birbhum. The mine in the Deucha Pachami area will be the largest in Asia and the second largest in the world. It will displace around 21,000 people, majority of whom belong to scheduled castes and tribes. India is one of the governments around the world that have signed the UN Framework Convention of Climate Change. This year, the Union Ministry of Coal set up a Just Transition division for which the World Bank is supposed to provide an aid of $1.15 million. We have committed to net zero carbon emissions by 2070. So why are we increasing coal production while promising to phase it down? To understand these contradictions, our reporter Suryatapa Mukherjee speaks to Pradip Swarnakar in this episode of The Suno India Show. He is a professor and the founder of the Just Transition research centre at IIT Kanpur. See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information. | |||
| Should I be worried about monkeypox? | 30 Jul 2022 | 00:21:42 | |
The World Health Organisation has declared monkeypox a public health emergency of international concern. Nearly 70 countries have reported cases of Monkeypox so far. In July, India had its first known case of monkeypox in Kerala when a 35-year old man who returned from the Middle East was detected with the disease. Since then four cases have been detected, including one in Delhi from a person with no travel history abroad. Suno India’s Menaka Rao speaks to Dr Giridhar Babu on this issue. He is a professor and head of Life Course epidemiology at the Indian Institute of Public Health, which is a constituent of the Public Health Foundation of India. References First case of monkeypox in India reported from Kerala - The Economic Times See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information. | |||
| Seizing mobile phones has become part of routine policing, here is why it needs to change | 29 Jul 2022 | 00:36:44 | |
From Hyderabad police snatching phones on streets to check for ‘ganja’ to Delhi police seizing journalist Mohammed Zubair’s devices for a tweet, such seizures have become a routine part of policing. After all, with modern technology, our personal devices have become repositories of our whole lives. So it gives the police easy access to all our information in one place, making investigations that much easier. But do you want the police to have access to everything about you? Not only is it a concern because of our right to privacy, but also there have been allegations of the police planting evidence on such devices. So where does the law stand on this and what are our rights? To find out, host Suryatapa Mukherjee speaks to tech and legal researcher and human rights activist Usha Ramanathan in this episode of The Suno India Show. This interview happened before the Supreme Court upheld the Enforcement Directorate’s powers relating to arrest, attach property, search and seize under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). References Criminal Procedure Bill: Break a law and the police can store your personal information - Suno India See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information. | |||
| How the India’s booster dose scheme subverted drug approval procedures | 26 Jul 2022 | 00:37:00 | |
In celebration of 75 years of Independence, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced free booster doses at government vaccination centres for 75 days from July 15 to September 30, 2022. A few days after this announcement, the news website The Wire published a shocking story on how the Central Drug Standards Control Organisation - the CDSCO - the country’s drug regulatory agency- never approved of precautionary doses. In this episode, we speak to Banjot Kaur, the reporter who broke this important story this July. Early this year, a Telangana court asked The Wire to take down several articles related to vaccine policy based on a defamation suit by Bharat Biotech, which manufactures Covaxin. One of these stories pulled down was Banjot’s story. She has been writing on science and public health for 12 years, and has worked at Down to Earth Magazine and Times of India. References PM Modi's address to the nation See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information. | |||
| Trust in news decreasing globally and India is one of the exceptions says Reuters Digital | 13 Jul 2022 | 00:19:16 | |
The Reuters Digital Report 2022 which surveyed 46 countries around the world to find out what is the state of news consumption today. It has several interesting findings. For example: Trust in news has decreased globally as people suspect political biases. Young people are especially likely to selectively avoid news because of it being depressing. Can’t really blame them can we? But surprisingly, India is one of the countries where trust has increased compared to the previous year. India is also more mobile-focused than other countries with 72% of Indians surveyed accessing news through their mobile phones.
Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2022 See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information. | |||
| Talking Right - How well did India communicate about COVID-19? | 06 Jul 2022 | 00:37:00 | |
The episode, part of a mini-series sets context about why it is important to communicate well during a pandemic like COVID-19 and features discussions between Suno India editor-in-chief DVL Padma Priya and Prof Anant Bhan, a researcher in Global health, bioethics and health policy who works for a not-for-profit health policy organisation Sangath and also Dr Usha Raman, professor at the Department of Communications at the University of Hyderabad. This mini-series has been made possible by a grant from the Thakur Family Foundation. India readies itself to address the threat of pandemic influenza See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information. | |||
| In our opinion - What marital rape judgement means to women | 30 Jun 2022 | 00:58:10 | |
In May 2022, the Delhi High Court delivered a verdict on several petitions seeking to remove the marital rape exception in the rape law. Section 375 of the Indian Penal Code excludes sexual intercourse between a married couple. The verdict was split with Justice Rajiv Shakder ruling in favour of removing the exception, and Justice C Hari Shankar dismissing the petition. In this episode, we try to discuss our opinion on the judgement, especially the dissenting verdict which seeks to keep the marital law exception in the rape law. Suno India’s Padmapriya DVL and Menaka Rao discuss the judgement threadbare, thinking aloud about the implications of this judgement Delhi High Court marital rape judgement See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information. | |||
| How to curb hate speech while protecting the right to free speech | 20 Jun 2022 | 00:41:00 | |
In light of cases against Nupur Sharma for her comments about Prophet Mohammed on Times Now and against Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair for his comments about Hindu seers, we look at how to define the right to free speech in our current political climate. As hate speech is becoming increasingly common, so are threats to free speech and press freedom. In the 2022 World Press Freedom index, India ranks at 150 out of 180 countries, falling several places over the years. In this episode of TSIS, host Suryatapa Mukherjee speaks to V. Krishna Ananth. A former lawyer and a journalist, he now teaches history at the Sikkim University, Gangtok. Last year, he wrote a book called ‘Between Freedom and Unfreedom: The Press in Independent India’ which chronicles the history of the Indian press. We look at what the law says about free speech and how our understanding of it has changed through history. Kashmir is ground zero of press freedom clampdowns across India - Suno India See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information. | |||
| Supreme Court order on sex workers’ rights – what it means | 14 Jun 2022 | 00:38:00 | |
On May 19, the Supreme Court passed an order observing that sex workers have the right to live with dignity under Article 21 of the Constitution. They came up with several directives to ensure that sex workers who are in the profession by choice can live a life of dignity. In this episode of The Suno India Show, host Suryatapa Mukherjee spoke to Meena Saraswathi Seshu to find out what these directives mean and how they will impact the lives of sex workers on the ground. Seshu is the founder of Sangram, a Sangli-based organisation that works for the rights of sex workers. She also runs a collective of more than 5000 sex workers in Maharashtra and north Karnataka called VAMP or Veshya Anyay Mukti Parishad. Additional reading: Supreme Court May 19 Order on Sex Workers See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information. | |||
| Sex Ed Influencers: A growing community of Indians talking about sex online | 31 May 2022 | 00:45:56 | |
In this episode of The Suno India Show, host Suryatapa Mukherjee speaks to Karishma and Leeza behind the Instagram handles @talkyounevergot and @leezamangaldas. Karishma has almost 50,000 followers and Leeza has over 8,30,000 followers. They are sex educators who use social media to reach people across the country. They are two among a growing number. In this episode, they explore what sex education is, what it is like being sex ed influencers and how they impact people in a country with little access to such information. See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information. | |||
| 'In Ayodhya, you can't identify who is Hindu and who is Muslim' | 22 Mar 2024 | 00:26:41 | |
The inauguration of the Ram Mandir marks a significant chapter in India’s history. The temple's construction replaced the 16th-Century Babri masjid, which was demolished by Hindu mobs in 1992, leading to nationwide riots and the tragic loss of nearly 2,000 lives, after the Supreme court allowed it. In December 2023, reporter Shweta Desai travelled to Ayodhya before the temple’s inauguration on January 22, 2023. In this episode of the Suno India Show, Shweta talks to a community living just behind the newly constructed Ram Mandir and listens to the local communities, Hindus, Muslims, and the Bahujans who have lived around the disputed site for years as friends and experienced the communal fallout of one of the most polarising political campaigns of modern India. See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information. | |||
| The aftermath of a riot and bulldozers in Delhi's Jahangirpuri | 31 May 2022 | 00:29:00 | |
Suno India’s Menaka Rao visits Jahangirpuri area where riots broke out and demolition drive took place last month. On May 16, a procession was taken out on the occasion of Hanuman Jayanti which resulted in stone pelting and violence in Delhi’s Jahangirpuri area. On May 20, Delhi’s civic authorities started a demolition drive in the area, without giving any notice to the property owners. Incidents of communal flare-up during Hanuman Jayanti; mob targets police in Karnataka’s Huballi See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information. | |||
| Indian students from Ukraine: Dealing with trauma of the war with their future on hold | 20 May 2022 | 00:31:38 | |
It has been almost two months since medical students flew home to India from the war in Ukraine. While they deal with the trauma of their war experiences, students say the struggle is far from over. According to the regulations of the National Medical Commission, they will be disqualified from working as a doctor in India unless they finish their education in the same college. Now their future hangs in limbo. Most of these students are from small-town, middle-class families and have taken loans to support their Ukraine education. In this episode of The Suno India Show, host Suryatapa Mukherjee speaks to students Mohammed Mahtab Raza from East Champaran, Bihar; Satya from Delhi and Prajjwal Singwal from Rudraprayag, Uttarakhand. Guidelines for registration of Foreign Medical Graduates | NMC See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information. | |||
| Why Dalits, Adivasis and muslims have a shorter life as compared to upper caste Hindus? | 17 May 2022 | 00:28:52 | |
Does our social identity, be it caste, religion, or tribe, affect how long we live? Two papers show that Dalits, Adivasi and Muslims have a disadvantage when it comes to life expectancy as compared to the higher caste Hindus. In this podcast Suno India’s Menaka Rao spoke to demographers Aashish Gupta, Sangita Vyas, both research fellows at the research institute for compassionate economics or r.i.c.e. While Aashish is a David E Bell Fellow at Harvard University. Sangita is soon-to-be assistant professor at Hunter College, in New York. Menaka also spoke to Anjela Taneja, Oxfam India Lead Specialist in Health, Education and Inequality to understand how Dalits and tribals are at a disadvantage in India’s health system. REFERENCES Large and Persistent Life Expectancy Disparities between India’s Social Groups – Gupta – – Population and Development Review – Wiley Online Library See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information. | |||
| How the merger of national film bodies under a for-profit corporation will impact our culture | 13 May 2022 | 00:41:04 | |
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting is merging the Films Division (FD) the National Film Archives of India (NFAI), the Children’s Film Society of India (CFSI), and the Directorate of Film Festivals (DFF) under the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC). The first four are public-funded bodies while the latter is a for-profit company that has been incurring losses. The four bodies are responsible for various functions such as production of documentaries and short films, organisation of film festivals and preservation of film archives. Even as the merger is underway, it is unclear what the end result will look like. In this episode of The Suno India Show, reporter Suryatapa Mukherjee speaks to Shilpi Gulati, a national award-winning documentary filmmaker and academic. Shilpi helped draft the letter from the film fraternity that highlighted the concerns with this merger and urged the government to reconsider. She talks about how this will affect the future of films in our country. References: Cinematograph Bill: Another layer of censorship for filmmakers | TSIS See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information. | |||
| Heat Waves: What can you and the government do to beat the heat? | 07 May 2022 | 00:35:06 | |
Now every summer, we talk about heat waves. And yet, it’s different every year. This year heat waves arrived earlier than usual in March and lasted longer than usual, going on for six weeks. And there are more to follow. In parts of Central and Northwest India, temperatures have already crossed 40-45 celsius. The Indian Meteorological Department has predicted that this summer will be hotter than usual. So how can we protect our health personally? And what can governments at different levels do to minimise deaths of vulnerable people? References: Heat Wave | NDMA, GoI See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information. | |||
| World Press Freedom Day: What are the many meanings of freedom? | 02 May 2022 | 00:58:10 | |
Press freedom is increasingly endangered across the world. At least 28 journalists were killed due to their work in 2021, with India and Mexico topping the list of countries with the most media worker deaths, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. Journalists in many countries are feeling the pressure as they are arbitrarily imprisoned, silenced or killed in some instances, for the work they do. But journalists are continuing to push boundaries and in some cases are transcending borders to report on important causes. Notwithstanding the global climate of curbs on freedom of expression, a handful of intrepid foreign correspondents from India are travelling across the world to tell stories on human rights, culture, politics and resistance. In a special episode on the various meanings of press freedom foreign correspondent Priyanka Borpujari talks to host Urvashi Sarkar about the various meanings of freedom as a journalist and why frontlines need not always imply war and conflict. She explores concepts of not just freedom from oppression but also freedom to practice the profession on her own terms. Priyanka is an award-winning journalist currently based in Ireland. She has previously reported from Japan, India, El Salvador, Indonesia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Argentina. Between 2018 and 2019, she walked 1,200 kms across north and northeast India on the Out of Eden Walk with Pulitzer-winning journalist Paul Salopek, which traces the path of human migration. Her journalism has been published in a wide range of international and Indian news publications. She speaks 7 languages. See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information. | |||
| Criminal Procedure Bill- Data collection can lead to surveillance by different govt bodies | 30 Apr 2022 | 00:32:15 | |
In April, the Criminal Procedure (Identification) Bill was passed in both houses of the Parliament. This new law allows law enforcement agencies to collect a range of private information from people arrested under any offence. The information can be stored for 75 years. In this episode, Suno India’s Menaka Rao and Suryatapa Mukherjee try to understand the government’s objectives in introducing the law and understand the different dangers that are inherent in the law. Suryatapa talks to Nikita Sonawane, co-founder of Criminal Justice and Police Accountability Project, and Praavita Kashyap, a member of Article 21 Trust and Rethink Aadhaar campaign. As of April 18, 2022 the Criminal Procedure (Identification) Bill became a law. Henceforth it will be called Criminal Procedure (Identification) Act, 2022. References Home Minister Shri Amit Shah's reply on The Criminal Procedure (Identification) Bill, 2022 in RS. See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information. | |||
| Why India and WHO are divided over how many covid-19 killed | 29 Apr 2022 | 00:20:30 | |
The World Health Organisation is in the midst of coming up with COVID-19 excess mortality estimates for all the 194 countries that are its members. The Indian government has been placing objections on the way this exercise is being done for a few months now. After a few reports came out on the subject, the Indian government responded in a press release saying that they have a quarrel with the methodology of the WHO. To understand this entire controversy, Suno India’s Menaka Rao spoke to Amruta Byatnal who broke the story on this issue on March 30. She is a senior editor with Devex, a website on global development, and is based in New Delhi. References The true death toll of COVID-19: estimating global excess mortality See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information. | |||
| Why most of India's TB patients aren't getting treatment | 25 Apr 2022 | 00:24:43 | |
On March 24, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare released the National Tuberculosis Prevalence Survey in India 2019 – 2021. The last such survey took place in 1955-58 after independence. The survey shows that 312 persons per 100000 people in the country have tuberculosis of all forms. The survey also has information on risk factors related to tuberculosis such as malnutrition, diabetes, alcoholism etc and the kind of expenditure a tuberculosis patient undertakes during his or her treatment. To understand more about this survey and its relevance, Suno India’s Menaka Rao spoke to Dr Sriram S from National Institute of Tuberculosis Research, Chennai who is also the principal investigator of this survey. To know more about tuberculosis in India, you can listen to our series- Gasping for Breath. References National TB Prevalence Survey in India 2019 – 2021 :: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information. | |||
| Criminal Procedure Bill: Break a law and the police can store your personal information | 20 Apr 2022 | 00:24:10 | |
The Criminal Procedure (Identification) Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha on March 28. And by April 6, it was passed in both houses of the Parliament. This new law allows law enforcement agencies to collect a range of private information from people arrested under any offence. The information can be stored for 75 years. In this episode, host Suryatapa Mukherjee talks to Nikita Sonawane, co-founder of Criminal Justice and Police Accountability Project, and Praavita Kashyap, a member of Article 21 Trust and Rethink Aadhaar campaign. We explore who this new law will impact and we tease out its ambiguities. This is part one in a two-part miniseries. As of April 18, 2022 the Criminal Procedure (Identification) Bill became a law. Henceforth it will be called Criminal Procedure (Identification) Act, 2022. Additional reading: Criminal Procedure (Identification) Bill, 2022 See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information. | |||
| Can one nation, one election work for India | 18 Mar 2024 | 00:27:19 | |
The Bharatiya Janata Party government has been pitching for One Nation One Election for years. The High Level Committee on One Nation, One Election submitted a report to President Droupadi Murmu on March 14, 2024. The 21-volume, 18,626-page report has suggestions from representatives of various political parties, economists, officials from the election commissions, businessmen, and other experts. The report unanimously supports one election for Centre, state and local bodies such as panchayats and municipalities. We are republishing an older episode hosted by Suno India’s Rakesh Kamal where he interviewed Chakshu Roy to understand the complexities and challenges of holding simultaneous elections. Chakshu Roy heads the outreach team and leads the legislator and citizen engagement initiatives at PRS legislative research. He has been involved in setting up the state laws project, training civil society and journalist groups about tracking Parliament. For additional reading: ANALYSIS OF SIMULTANEOUS ELECTIONS : THE “WHAT”, “WHY” AND “HOW” Standing Committee Report on the feasibility of holding simultaneous elections.pdf (Dec 2015) Law commission report (1999) on electoral reforms.pdf https://onoe.gov.in/HLC-Report The Suno India Show | Can ‘one nation, one election’ work for India See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information. | |||
| Kashmir is ground zero of press freedom clampdowns across India | 30 Mar 2022 | 00:30:49 | |
India was ranked at 142 out of 180 countries on Reporters Without Borders’ World press freedom index, in both 2020 and 2021. Since 2020, journalists have been arrested while covering the Hathras gangrape, farmers’ protests, caste violence in Uttarakhand, communal violence in Tripura, and now recently for reporting alleged electoral malpractice in UP elections. But the peak of press clampdowns can be seen in Jammu and Kashmir. In this episode of The Suno India Show, host Suryatapa Mukherjee speaks to Anuradha Bhasin. She is the Executive Editor of The Kashmir Times. The Centre had imposed an indefinite communication blockade in the region following the Abrogation of Article 370 in 2019. Bhasin’s petition to the Supreme Court was instrumental in partial restoration of communication services in 2020. Additional reading: Memory hole: Kashmir news archives vanish | Inquirer See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information. | |||
| The ordeal of Delhi's angry Anganwadi workers | 30 Mar 2022 | 00:28:15 | |
On January 31, 2022, around 22000 Anganwadi workers and helpers associated with Delhi State Anganwadi Workers and Helpers Union started their protest. They are seeking recognition as government employees, higher pay, better working conditions, and social security mechanisms like health insurance and pension. While the Anganwadi workers were getting an honorarium of Rs 9678, the helpers were getting Rs 4839. Despite the Delhi government recently raising the honorarium to Rs 11,220 for Anganwadi workers, and Rs 5,610 for helpers, the strike continues. They also complained of long working hours, and the additional work they did during the Covid-19 pandemic with no benefits or protection. On March 9, the government imposed the Haryana Essential Services Maintenance Act deeming the strike “illegal.” So far, 991 Anganwadi workers have been served termination notices. In this podcast, Sweta Dash, a Delhi-based independent journalist and reporter speaks to the protesting women and the Delhi State Workers and Helpers Union that is leading the protest. We will hear what these women feel in these tumultuous times of government backlash and how they plan to continue their fight. See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information. | |||
| Fleeing from war? Finding a home may depend on your skin colour | 25 Mar 2022 | 00:18:44 | |
In the news reports from many Western countries, reporters and politicians have repeatedly compared Ukrainian refugees to those from Syria, Iraq or Afghanistan. They have used descriptors such as ‘civilised’ and ‘educated’ to differentiate white Ukrainians from refugees of colour. On the ground, this translates to discrimination against people of colour fleeing from Ukraine. While the West is opening their borders and homes to white Ukrainians, Indian and African students are being attacked and beaten. In this episode of The Suno India Show, host Suryatapa Mukherjee speaks to Shrouk El-Attar, an Egyptian refugee in the UK. They discuss the world’s reaction to Ukraine and how it is different for non-white refugees. Shrouk El-Attar is an engineer, belly dancer and LGBT+ activist who was one of BBC 100 most influential women in the world in 2018, United Nations refugee agency Young Woman of the year 2018, and IET Top 6 young women engineers in the UK in 2019 and in 2020. Additional reading: Indian and African refugees tell of ’19th-century racism’ at Ukrainian border | openDemocracy See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information. | |||
| Analysis: Why did BJP and AAP win in the recent assembly elections? | 16 Mar 2022 | 01:16:20 | |
On March 10, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won in four out of five states in the recently concluded assembly elections across Uttar Pradesh, Goa, Manipur, Uttarakhand and Punjab. The Samajwadi Party gained a crucial role as principal opposition party in Uttar Pradesh and Aam Aadmi Party won a thumping majority in Punjab. The Congress party lost sorely and was left faceless across all the States leaving room for endless discussions on the party’s relevance in the national politics. Despite anti-incumbency, the BJP won and how! So what were some of the factors that led to their win in these four states and what does AAP’s win in Punjab mean? How did the women vote in these states? Why did BSP fail to garner any support in Uttar Pradesh? Suno India Editor-In-Chief, Padma Priya, asked these questions and more to Ajoy Ashirwad, Political Affairs Editor, The Wire who writes extensively on Indian politics. In this deeply insightful conversation he spoke about BJP’s absolute understanding of electoral politics while standing out for its ideological agenda and what the opposition parties need to do better to fight them. See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information. | |||
| Why many go to bed hungry even after two years of the pandemic | 10 Mar 2022 | 00:24:07 | |
The Right To Food Campaign, the Centre for Equity Studies and other organisations conducted a survey of food insecurity across 14 Indian states, called the Hunger Watch survey. This is the second such survey since the onset of the pandemic. It was carried out in the months of December 2021 and January 2022. In this episode of The Suno India Show, host Suryatapa Mukherjee speaks to Anjali Bhardwaj, founder of Satark Nagrik Sangathan and a leading member of the Right To Food Campaign. Anjali explains the stark findings of the survey and what the government can do right now. See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information. | |||
| How the Tea Bill erodes tea plantation workers’ historical fight for rights | 07 Mar 2022 | 00:31:16 | |
The Centre's Department of Commerce has proposed to replace the Tea Act 1953 with Tea (Promotion and Development) Bill 2022. The Department of Commerce is seeking public comments on the draft Bill till March 9th – the date was extended from 21st January. While the government says that the Bill seeks to modernise the Tea laws and remove parts that have become redundant, trade unions say that the new Bill makes tea estate workers more vulnerable than before. On this episode of The Suno India Show, our reporter Suryatapa Mukherjee speaks to Virginius Xaxa, a visiting Professor at the Institute for Human Development, New Delhi. Xaxa grew up on a tea estate himself and has written extensively on labour rights and tribal rights in the country. They discuss the history of tea estates, workers’ rights and Tea Bill 2022. Draft Tea Promotion and Development Bill 2022 Revised.pdf See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information. | |||
| Marital rape - should we criminalise or not? The debate rages on | 28 Feb 2022 | 00:28:28 | |
In India, marital rape is not yet a crime and like anywhere else a sensitive topic to deal with for policymakers, rights activists, lawmakers alike. But the data is staggering. If we were to talk of violence against women in absolute numbers, according to the Indian government’s latest National Family Health Survey, about 30% of Indian women aged 18-49 reported having experienced spousal violence. Let that sink in! In terms of sexual violence, the average Indian woman is 17 times more likely to face sexual violence from her husband than from anyone else, according to the survey of 724,115 women. Marital rape is back in the spotlight as the Delhi High court is listening to a series of petitions demanding that it be criminalised. But what does that actually mean for the feminist movement and women’s rights in the country? For this episode of The Suno India Show, Padma Priya, editor-in-chief of Suno India spoke with Dr Ranjana Kumari, Director of Centre for Social Research India on this issue. See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information. | |||
| #HijabBan - What's being missed in the debate on Karnataka schools? | 25 Feb 2022 | 00:34:15 | |
In the second episode of the series on the hijab issue in Karnataka’s schools, we talk about how it adversely affects education. As per the recent surveys, there has been an uptick in the number of Muslim girls and women seeking education in schools and colleges across the country. But Muslim girls still have to face prejudice of being conservative, of not being interested in education, among others. In this episode, Suno India’s Menaka Rao spoke to Dr Saba Hussain, assistant professor in Education and Social Justice, at the University of Birmingham in the UK. She conducted research on school going Muslim girls in Assam. A book on this research was published in 2019 called Contemporary Muslim Girlhoods in India: A Study of Social Justice, Identity and Agency in Assam. References Social, Economic and Educational Status of the Muslim Community of India See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information. | |||
| #HijabBan - Hijab as a bone of contention will lead to more discrimination | 23 Feb 2022 | 00:25:30 | |
The hijab controversy has engulfed Karnataka, Many schoolgirls and teachers are not being allowed to enter classrooms with their hijabs on. The Karnataka High Court who is hearing the petitions filed by some Muslim students is asking the question- whether hijab is an essential garment for Muslims. We have a two-part series on this issue. This is the first episode. In this episode, Suno India’s Menaka Rao spoke to Heba Ahmed, a PhD student from Jawaharlal Nehru University who strongly defends her right to wear a hijab. She also spoke to Dr Zeenat Shaukat Ali, a reputed scholar of Islamic Studies who retired from St Xavier's College, Mumbai. She is also the founder of the World Institute of Islamic Studies for Dialogue, Organisation of Mediation and Gender Justice or Wisdom Foundation. While Dr Zeenat regrets the way the issue has been politicised, as a scholar of Islamic studies, she is of the opinion that wearing hijab is not mandatory in the religion. See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information. | |||
| Budget 2022: Social welfare schemes not Centre’s focus, neither is taxing the rich | 15 Feb 2022 | 00:21:00 | |
Union Budget 2022-23 comes at a time of rising inflation while we continue to grapple with the pandemic. Total government expenditure has increased by only Rs 1.75 lakh crore, from Rs 37.70 lakh crore in 2021-22 (Revised Estimate) to Rs 39.45 lakh crore in 2022-23. The budget has focused on capital expenditure rather than safety nets for the needy. Rs 7.5 lakh crores has been allocated to capital expenditure, with a 35% increase from last year’s allocation of Rs. 5.5 lakh crores. On the other hand, Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act programme for example, is pegged at Rs 73,000 crore, lower than Rs 98,000 crore in 2021-22 (Revised Estimate) and Rs 1,11,000 crore in 2020-21. In this episode of The Suno India Show, our reporter Suryatapa Mukherjee spoke to Avani Kapur, a fellow at the Centre for Policy Research where she leads the Accountability Initiative. She explains how the budget has accommodated social welfare in terms of health, education, jobs and food security. Show notes: Economic Survey See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information. | |||
| Centre Notifies Implementation of Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) Rules What Changes Now | 15 Mar 2024 | 00:27:07 | |
On March 11, 2024 a few months before the Lok Sabha Elections the central government notified the Citizenship (Amendment) Rules. This has come approximately four years after the Parliament passed the Citizenship (Amendment) Act in 2019. As per the amendment, the government can grant citizenship to Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Parsis, Jains, or Christians from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan on or before December 31,2014.. conspicuously leaving out Muslims. It was passed amid nation-wide protests as linking citizenship to religion goes against the secular nature of the constitution. The bigger fear is about a nationwide National Register of Citizens or NRC. Assam is the only place with NRC. At the time of passing the Act, the Home Minister, Amit Shah told Parliament that a nationwide NRC is on the cards. However, in a blogpost, press information bureau at the time clarified repeatedly that no announcement has been made to begin NRC exercise. Now with the rules being released, nationwide implementation of the Act will begin. In 2019, the United Nations Human Rights Office issued a statement condemning the “fundamentally discriminatory” Citizenship Amendment Act. At the time in 2019, Suno India’s Padmapriya had spoken to Pia Oberoi, senior advisor on migration, UN Human Rights Office to understand their concerns around the Citizenship Amendment Act. We are republishing it as it continues to be relevant today. See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information. | |||
| How the pandemic is opening our eyes to bad work culture | 11 Feb 2022 | 00:27:19 | |
Ever since the pandemic started, a lot of employees are realising that their bosses don’t care enough about their health and safety. People are forced to come to work even when cases are peaking, until they catch the virus themselves or the government forces offices to close. But such experiences reveal something deeper about how employee rights in private companies have been eroded. In fact, it was during the pandemic that the government introduced new labour codes. These four codes are set to replace 29 labour laws. In this episode of The Suno India Show, our reporter Suryatapa Mukherjee spoke to Sucheta De, the National Vice President of All India Central Council of Trade Unions, and Anjali and Abhishek who share their experiences from work. The latter two are anonymous and these names are aliases. Anjali’s voice has also been changed to protect her identity. See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information. | |||
| Why forcing people to take vaccines doesn't work | 24 Jan 2022 | 00:18:30 | |
Only about 65% of the eligible Indian population above the age of 18 has completed both doses of the COVID-19 vaccination. With the third wave setting in, many governments announced different kinds of punitive measures for not having completed vaccines. In Kerala, the state will not provide free treatment for those not vaccinated fully. Some states such as Delhi and Maharashtra have made it compulsory for government employees to be vaccinated. In Haryana entry into banks, malls, and other public places is not allowed if you are not fully vaccinated. In the past, we have had local governments announce stopping of ration, or other social security measures. Do such measures work? The question becomes even more important as the government announced vaccination for teenagers between the age of 15-18 and an additional protective dose for health workers and senior citizens. Suno India’s Menaka Rao spoke to Dr Sunita Sheel Bandewar and Dr Prabir Chatterjee. Sunita is one of the working editors of the Indian Journal of Medical Ethics and an independent researcher in the area of bioethics and global health. Dr Chatterjee is a senior public health professional and was director of State Health Resource Centre, a technical support institute for the state’s health ministry. Show notes Press briefing on the actions taken, preparedness and updates on COVID-19, Dated: 05.01.2022 See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information. | |||
| All you need to know about Omicron Symptoms, Treatment, Precaution | 19 Jan 2022 | 00:18:44 | |
On this episode of The Suno India Show, our reporter Suryatapa Mukherjee speaks to Dr Dileep Mavalankar, the Director of the Indian Institute of Public Health, Gandhinagar, and Member Secretary of Gujarat State Task Force for COVID. They discuss how omicron is different from earlier variants of the coronavirus, from symptoms, treatment to precaution. And how this varies depending on comorbidities and vaccination. Tune in to hear how you can take care of yourself in this wave. Show notes: Early third wave data from Mumbai: Severity low, oxygen needs low, but puzzling hospitalisation rate See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information. | |||
| Lived experiences shaping mental health care - the story of Jacklin & Amali | 12 Jan 2022 | 00:21:40 | |
Jacklin and Amali, two sisters who battled mental illnesses, are at the heart of an initiative to provide housing to women like them — those who suffer from mental ailments, grief, and homelessness. Their lived experiences breathe love and empathy into this initiative, which recently found a mention in a World Health Organisation report! The host of this episode, Hariprasad Radhakrishnan, travels to Tiruchi to understand the challenges in access to mental health care in rural areas and why the housing model is unique. He also spoke with Dr Pallab Kumar Maulik, Deputy Director and Director of Research, the George Institute of Global Health, Javits J. Rajendran, Associate Director, Partnerships and Communication at The Banyan and Rashi, Director (Communication and Strategy) at The Alternative Story to understand the range of sociological factors that make women more vulnerable to mental health illnesses and how the ‘Home Again’ model developed. Show notes: See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information. | |||
| From Sulli Deals to Bulli Bai, how the police traces anonymous criminals online | 08 Jan 2022 | 00:17:23 | |
As Mumbai police and now Delhi police catch alleged masterminds of the apps that virtually auctioned Muslim women, what took so long? Is it simply public pressure that led to the breakthroughs this time around? Or is the delay due to the difficulty of catching anonymous perpetrators online? For an answer to these questions, our reporter Suryatapa Mukherjee spoke to Karan Saini, a security researcher and a public interest technologist for this episode of The Suno India Show. Karan takes us through his own research of Sulli Deals and Bulli Bai, and what the police can do in this case involving US-based internet platforms. See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information. | |||
| Amravati's Gully Boys are rapping about caste | 31 Dec 2021 | 00:40:05 | |
On this episode of Suno India, reporter Prashant Rathod profiles a rap band from Amravati. The band, Raptoli, includes Vipin Tatad, Tausif Khan, Mangesh Ingole and Gaurav Ingole. All four have grown up in Amravati's slums living the hard life as daily wage labourers. The group sings about living in a slum, casteism, communalism, living in poverty, and even touches on national issues such as the farmers’ protest, lockdown woes of labourers and other issues. See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information. | |||
| Custodial Torture: Why we don’t take police violence seriously | 23 Dec 2021 | 00:23:30 | |
Indian films with hero cops often glorify police violence. At times, encounter killings are celebrated by the public at large. According to NHRC data, there are five custodial deaths in India every day. The minister of state for home affairs, Nityanand Rai has said that there have been 151 custodial deaths in 2021. On this episode of the Suno India Show, reporter Suryatapa Mukherjee speaks to Ameya Bokil, a legal researcher and co-founder of Criminal Justice and Police Accountability Project. They discuss how custodial violence started in India, why it is so common and what some of the legal remedies are. Tune in. Show notes: Death Due To Custodial Torture: State Government To Pay 5 Lakhs To Family Of Minor Victim; Madras High Court Adjourns The Matter | Live Law See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information. | |||
| Why is India spending less on healthcare? | 21 Dec 2021 | 00:33:20 | |
In November this year, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare released the National Health Accounts estimates for 2017-18. These estimates reveal that the total government health expenditure has decreased from 3.8% in 2016-17 to 3.3% in 2017-18 and that the share of government health expenditure in the Gross Domestic Product or GDP of the country has increased to 1.35% in 2017-18 from 1.15% in 2013-14. According to these estimates, the out of pocket expenditure or money spent by households on healthcare decreased from 58.7% in 2016-17 to 48.8% in 2017-18. To make sense of the national health accounts estimates 2017-18 and to get a health economist’s perspective, host Kunika Balhotra spoke with Dr Indranil Mukhopadhyay. Dr Mukhopadhyay is an Associate Professor at OP Jindal Global University, Sonipat. He has a PhD in public health and health economics from the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in New Delhi. He has led several research studies supported by the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India; WHO, International Labour Organisation (ILO) and has several international and national publications. Show Notes See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information. | |||
| Beyond Bollywood, how India's NDPS Act punishes the vulnerable | 03 Dec 2021 | 00:38:29 | |
Over 10% of undertrials in Indian jails were booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act. The Supreme Court has said that the bail provision under UAPA is “comparatively less stringent” than that under the NDPS Act. Majority of people booked under this law are not traffickers. In this episode of The Suno India Show, we will see how the NDPS Act affects not just the few celebrity names that pop up on news headlines, but thousands of common people who languish in Indian jails. Our reporter Suryatapa Mukherjee speaks to Dr Atul Ambekar, a psychiatrist and a Professor at the National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre, AIIMS, New Delhi. They discuss how the criminalisation of drug use discourages those who need help from seeking it. Show notes: As Modi govt plans NDPS Act changes, 27,072 drug case undertrials in India rot in jails | The Print See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information. | |||
| Beyond elections, what’s in store for the future of farmers? | 29 Nov 2021 | 00:23:56 | |
The Cabinet has approved a bill to repeal the three farm laws in the upcoming winter session. In this episode of The Suno India Show, we will get an expert view on why the laws are being repealed and what’s in store for the future of farmers. Our reporter Suryatapa Mukherjee speaks to Surinder S Jodhka, an author and a Sociology professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University. They explore how the repeal will help BJP in upcoming state elections, how Sikhs played a crucial role in the protests and what are the reforms needed in agriculture now. Show Notes: Woman farm leader reacts to laws repealed, fight for MSP guarantee to continue | TSIS Why are the farmers of Punjab protesting? Surinder S Jodhka Daasi - Nooran Sisters (Full Video) Guru Ravidass Bhajan See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information. | |||
| ट्रांसजेंडर कम्युनिटी में अपनेपन की खोज | 12 Mar 2024 | 00:27:48 | |
मुस्कान भोपाल की रहने वाली एक दलित ट्रांसजेंडर महिला हैं जो सामाजिक हाशिये पर रहने के बीच स्वीकार्यता और अपनेपन की खोज का सफर साझा करती है। खून के रिश्तो से परे जाकर मुस्कान अपने चुनिंदा परिवार की कहानी बताती हैं जिसके साथ वह दुःख, प्यार और ट्रांसजेंडर होने की चुनौतियों व पहचान की जटिलता के बारे में जानती हैं. अपने जन्म वाले परिवार के द्वारा अस्वीकारे जाने से लेकर LGBTQ+ समुदाय और सहयोगियों जैसे सुरय्या दादी में सांत्वना और सहारा पाने तक- मुस्कान की कहानी स्वीकार्यता और समझ की ओर अपना खुद का रास्ता बनाने के लिए आवश्यक सहनशीलता और साहस को उजागर करती है। यह चुने हुए परिवारों की शक्ति और हर किसी को उसके सच्चे रूप में महसूस करने वाले और प्यार करने वाले स्थानों की रचना की महत्वकांक्षा का एक साक्षी है। मुस्कान एकतारा कलेक्टिव द्वारा निर्मित फिल्म “एक जगह अपनी” में काम कर चुकी हैं. सेजल पटेल इस स्टोरी के लिए मुस्कान से मिलने भोपाल गए। यह एपिसोड Queerbeat के साथ कोलैबोरेशन में निर्मित किया गया है। See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information. | |||
| Back to school - How the gap in schooling has caused an education emergency in India | 27 Nov 2021 | 00:30:15 | |
The school closures in India due to the COVID-19 Pandemic have been among the longest in the world. For close to 18 months, 265 million students have not been to school. The report, “A FUTURE AT STAKE -Organizing the Education Recovery for the Most Vulnerable” states that India is facing an education emergency like none other since independence. The report was released by The National Coalition on the Education Emergency (NCEE), a network of like-minded organisations that have come together to address the problems created by school closure for the past nearly two years. And as the schools are gradually re-opening, a new concern has crept up in the minds of educators and parents alike, how will children cope up with the vast gap that has developed in their academics? This is the second episode in the two-part series on schools reopening all over the country. In this episode of The Suno India Show, host Kunika Balhotra speaks with Dr Sajitha Bashir, the author of the report, to understand what steps schools and governments should take to address this education emergency. Dr Bashir is a former Adviser in the Office of the Global Director of the Education Practice in the World Bank, where she led the work on Digital Skills. She co-authored the regional publication The Converging Technology Revolution and Human Capital: Potential and Implications for South Asia. Prior to joining the World Bank, she was head of the national research and evaluation unit within the Government of India’s national District Primary Education Program. She is a core member of the National Coalition on the Education Emergency in India. Show Notes A FUTURE AT STAKE -Organizing the Education Recovery for the Most Vulnerable Annual Status of Education Report (Rural) 2021 Locked Out: Emergency Report on School Education See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information. | |||
| Back to school - What you should need to consider before sending your children to school | 27 Nov 2021 | 00:28:00 | |
For about 18 months, children in India have not gone to school. The school closures have been among the longest in the world. This month, many state and local governments opened physical schools for children. Yet, private schools have not fully reopened as parents are reluctant to send their children to school and want to continue online education. We at Suno India want to address the various questions that parents, school staff and administrators have in mind when it comes to school reopening. How do we ensure that children, school staff and people at home are safe. What should be a cause of worry and what should not be To answer these questions, Suno India’s Menaka Rao spoke to Dr Chandrakant Lahariya, a medical doctor who works in the field of public health policy and health systems. He has co-authored the book Till We Win: India's Fight Against The COVID-19 pandemic, with Dr Randeep Guleria, the director of AIIMS, New Delhi and Dr Gagandeep Kang, professor of Microbiology at the Christian Medical College, Vellore. He has recently been writing and tweeting extensively advocating for schools to reopen. Show Notes: Delhi’s private schools take cautious steps towards reopening Online Education: कोरोना काल में कैसे पिछड़े स्कूल जाने वाले बच्चे Delhi’s private schools take cautious steps towards reopening Kids and COVID: why young immune systems are still on top Over 70% patients above 40 yrs in both waves: ICMR 6th Delhi sero survey shows 97% prevalence of antibodies
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| Woman farm leader reacts to laws repealed, fight for MSP guarantee to continue | 21 Nov 2021 | 00:20:48 | |
November 19, 2021, on Guru Nanak Jayanti, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the three controversial farm laws will be repealed in the upcoming winter session of the Parliament. In this episode of The Suno India Show, our reporter Suryatapa Mukherjee speaks to Jasbir Kaur Nat, a state committee member of Punjab Kissan Union. Jasbir was on a bus to Chandigarh to organise more women protestors when she heard the announcement. She says that it is a partial victory as farmers have also been demanding Minimum Support Price (MSP) guarantee. Tune in. Show notes: Samyukt Kisan Morcha welcomes repealing of farm laws See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information. | |||