eShe

From a poverty-stricken childhood in Mumbai to the Academy Awards red carpet in LA, Saraswathi Balgam's rags-to-riches tale is dotted with grief, gumption and meditation. This podcast is narrated by Maya Lalchandani, who wrote the original article in eShe.

Despite India's history of compassion towards all living creatures, the human-animal conflict is getting worse with more urban development and human activity in areas otherwise occupied by wildlife.

Roopa Pai, the Bengaluru-based author of the award-winning book 'The Gita for Children', which is on Amazon's list of ‘100 Indian books to read in a lifetime’, talks about her unlikely journey from computer engineering to writing for kids, and her latest book 'Yoga Sutras for Children'.

Shailja Kejriwal is chief creative officer, special projects, at Indian media and entertainment giant ZEE group. She pioneered path-breaking content that united India and Pakistan on a single platform for the first time in over 60 years through the television channel Zindagi and the production project of 12 films, Zeal for Unity. She has produced nationally acclaimed films and conceptualised Zee Theatre, which has presented over 80 thought-provoking teleplays since 2015. A storyteller at heart, she launched India’s first-ever television movies with Star Bestsellers, and is one of the rare few who brings together creativity, commerce, and cause.

Here she speaks to eShe editor Aekta Kapoor about gender representation in Indian television serials and cinema.

Saloni Chopra is an actor, writer, and a filmmaker based out of Australia and India. She played the lead role in 'Girls on Top', a joint production by BBC and MTV India. She also featured in 'Maya', a short film which was part of the Official Cannes Selection 2013. Saloni is the author of the memoir 'Rescued by a Feminist', and a vocal advocate for women’s rights and personal agency. Her first film as a director, writer, producer and protagonist is 'Coconut', an Australian feature film made with a diverse cast and crew.

Here, she speaks to eShe editor Aekta Kapoor about gender representation in South Asian cinema.

Muktasree Chakma is an award-winning journalist, feminist, rights activist and researcher. With a background in law, Muktasree founded Supporting People and Rebuilding Communities - SPaRC, an indigenous women-led organisation based in Chittagong Hill Tracts, Bangladesh. She is a core group member of Sangat, A Feminist Network; a bureau member of South Asians for Human Rights (SAHR); a general board member of Action Aid Bangladesh; and a member of the Civil Society Advisory Group of UN Women Bangladesh. She was Bangladesh’s first indigenous woman to win the UNICEF Meena Media Award, and the first indigenous woman to be selected as Senior Indigenous Fellow and a fellow of the UN OHCHR Fellowship Programme, Acumen Fellowship Bangladesh Programme and Swedish Institute, Sweden.

Here she speaks to eShe editor Aekta Kapoor about the representation of indigenous people in Bangladeshi cinema.

Aisha Gazdar is a filmmaker and founder of Films d’Art, an independent film production company based in Karachi. Her award-winning films include 'The Honour Deception', a short documentary on honour killings and the complications arising out of the Qisas and Diyat Law (Law of Retribution). Aisha Gazdar’s 'Silent Voices: Women Home-based Workers' in Pakistan won the best documentary award at the Canadian Labour International Film Festival in 2010. Other films include 'The Last Day: A True Story of a Hibakusha', which won Special Jury Mention at Kara Film Festival. Her work concerns human rights and social issues, especially women’s rights.

Here she speaks to eShe editor Aekta Kapoor about gender representation in Pakistani television serials.

Anna M.M. Vetticad is an award-winning Indian journalist, feminist and cultural commentator. She is the author of the book 'The Adventures of an Intrepid Film Critic', an overview of the contemporary Hindi film industry. Anna is known for her political critiques of Indian cinema and the country's many film industries. As an independent journalist now, she writes for various Indian and international publications. She is an advocate for women's empowerment and the representation of marginalised communities in popular entertainment. Anna is a recipient of the prestigious Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Award.

Here, she speaks to eShe editor Aekta Kapoor about gender representation in Indian cinema.

It was a once-in-a-lifetime visit to the Taj Mahal in India for US-based Nidhi Kirpal Jayadevan and her family, and it all went off smoothly! She shares 9 tips from the trip. This episode is also available as a blog post: http://eshe.in/2023/04/22/taj-mahal-agra-family-holiday-tips/