In this podcast, Ajoy Ashirwad provides us with clarity on the UP Assembly Elections 2022. Is BJP's support waning? Will the Samajwadi party, through its social justice promises, be able to topple the BJP government? Or will the BJP ride this anti-incumbency wave with their welfare schemes and Hindutva push? Will caste be a determinant, or will it be the only determinant, in terms of voting? Or will it boil down to personality politics? Listen to Ajoy Ashirwad in conversation with Krishanu Kashyap answering these pressing questions.

Ajoy Ashirwad is a Political Affairs editor at The Wire. In the last few months, he has been reporting extensively from the ground in UP.

Photo - Jignesh Mistry

#uttarpradesh #upelections2022 #bjp #samajwadiparty #hindutva #caste 

Dr Sugandha Nagpal has a PhD in International Development. Her research work focuses on issues of migration, gender, education, urbanization and development. In her previous work, she has investigated questions of land acquisition and development, maternal health and mobile technology and sex selection in Indo-Canadian communities.

In one of her more recent projects, she is working with mental health practitioners, educators and community partners across Kenya, UK and India to develop and implement a family-based approach to mental well-being. This interesting new study forms the basis of the podcast conversation.

Image - F1000 blognetwork

#mentalhealth #wellbeing #family #anxiety #depression #counselling #india #uk #kenya

In this episode of Interlinked, we talk about Philanthropy and the Social Impact space in the context of India. From historical perspectives to current technocratic models of giving and philanthropy during the Covid Pandemic, Ashika discusses the sector with our guest speaker, Ingrid Srinath.

Ingrid is currently the founder Director of the Centre for Social Impact and Philanthropy (CSIP) founded in 2016 at Ashoka University. It was the first center of its kind in South Asia with an academic focus on philanthropy and social impact. An IIM , Kolkata graduate it was in 1998 that Ingrid moved from profit to non-profit sector and since then she has gone forward to work with organizations such as CRY (Child Rights and You), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the World Economic Forum (WEF).

Image - https://www.thelifeyoucansave.org/blog/how-to-talk-to-your-kids-about-philanthropy/

#philanthropy #socialimpact #india #charity #technocratic #ashokauniversity

In this episode of Umeed, Swabhimaan strikes a conversation with Dr. Akkai Padmashali, a transwoman and gender activist, with over a decade of experience in the developmental sector, to understand how heteronormativity shapes sex education for the Indian curriculum.

In this episode of Vichaar, Team Azaad Awaaz was in conversation with Mr. Sultan Ahmad, who heads the Media and Governance vertical of Gram Vaani- a platform that uses technology to develop communication platforms where people whose voices are often unheard can share their opinions, hear from each other, and build communities. Sultan speaks about his work and role in the very special community-driven media platform Gram Vaani platform and goes on to expound on various gaps in the system and the need to make consolidated efforts to help migrant workers at the grassroots level

In this episode, we interview Mr Keshav Gupta, founder of The Dias. Winner of the Karmaveer Chakra 2018, by iCONGO in Partnership with the United Nations and Global Green Schools Award at the UNGA Climate Action Week, Mr Gupta is a renowned development expert and entrepreneur. He holds a degree in law and Economics from the University of Delhi. More recently, he was featured on Tedx for his approach to Climate Action.

Broadly, this episode dives into the action towards the United Nations Sustainable Development Agenda 2030. The discussion touched upon the work done by The Dias and how it takes the local communities into account. In doing so, it will examine a bottom-up development approach. Additionally, Mr Gupta drew a picture of how The Dias was explicitly affected by the pandemic. Lastly, it delves into Climate Change and its multiple facets.

Mr. Keshav Gupta in conversation with Harsheen Sahni.

This is the first podcast from a collaboration series between CNES and ICRIER where we will be tackling India's digital and telecom sector and its underpinnings.

With India hosting its first National Internet Governance Forum late last year, there have been conversations around the topic and what it means for India. In conversation with guest speaker Isha Suri, Ashika and Shiva outline the models of internet governance, explore issues of representation and diversity, and discuss the work of international voluntary organizations in the space along with their unique challenges.

Isha is currently working as a Senior Researcher at the Centre for Internet and Society and has a commendable amount of experience in the policy space. Her areas of interest include Telecom Policy, Competition Law, Internet Governance, Intellectual Property Rights, and Privacy and Data Protection. She holds an LL.B. (Hons.) degree with a specialization in Intellectual Property Law from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur. She also has a degree in Electrical Engineering that often comes to her aid when grappling with complexities of the techno-legal domain.

Image - https://vajiramias.com/current-affairs/india-internet-governance-forum-iigf/617382291d5def430f018278/

In this episode of Interlinked we discuss the untapped potential of rural India for women in terms of education and opportunities. Topics like barriers in education for girls, expectations of parents and common misconception of policy makers when it comes to rural education is covered.

Our guest speaker, Ashweetha is an Ashoka Youth Venturer, a Ted Speaker and an Acumen India Fellow. She holds a Bachelors in Business Administration and later went on to become a Young India fellow at Ashoka University. Above all this , Ashweetha is someone who strongly believes in the power that education has to change one’s life as she has founded Bodhi Tree with the mission of bridging the urban rural divide in education.

Image credits -  Bodhi Tree Foundation

In this episode of Interlinked, we discuss the vibrant industry of circuses with Mr. Sujit Dilip, the owner of Rambo Circus. He walks us through his journey working in a circus, the background of the artists and the innovation of the industry. We speak about the stringent legal framework laid down for the industry and the lack of empathy from the government over the years. Lastly, he tells us the hardships the industry faced in a pandemic and the innovative ways he undertook for income generation.

Mr. Sujit Dilip is a second-generation owner of Rambo Circus, which was established by Mr. P.T. Dilip on 26 January 1991. Rambo Circus holds several achievements in its name and houses hundreds of artists and acrobats

In this episode of Inter-Linked, we speak to CNES's researchers on their recent series of fieldwork on assessing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the lives and livelihoods of domestic workers in India. 

We were joined by Richa Sekhani, Senior Research Analyst (CNES), and Research Associate at Indian Council for Research in International Economic Relations (ICRIER); and Advaita Singh and Vanshika Mittal, Senior Research Analysts (CNES) and students at Ashoka University.

The two studies are publicly accessible on the links below:

(1) Mohan, D., Sekhani, R., Singh, A., Mittal, V., Mistry, J., Mishra, S., & Agarwal, S. Gauging the Impact of a Pandemic on the Lives and Livelihoods of Female Domestic Worker Across Indian Cities. https://jgu.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/jslh/Journal+Submission.pdf