Welcome to Clearing The Haze –Making the invisible visible, a podcast show that discusses topics that are usually invisible or just hazy. Hosted by Shachi Irde.

Shachi wears many hats and is passionate about inclusion. She is an industry recognized speaker on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and women in the workplace related topics. She has been recognized by numerous industry forums and has been recipient of “Iconic woman in leadership” award by All Women Economic Forum.

Our topic for this episode is - Changing perceptions - moving towards inclusivity.

To discuss this topic we have with us two eminent personalities Vaijayanti Bose and Ritika Sahni.

Vaijayanti is a life coach, blogger, podcaster, author and always a teacher. She also works with individuals and makes them discover their limited beliefs and identify their strengths. This in turn will help them to set measurable goals for themselves to achieve planned outcomes, that will make them happy in their relationships, at home and excel in their workplace. Graduating with History (Honours) and then B.ed from Loreto College, Calcutta University, she topped it up later with M.A in History from Jadavpur University. Her book, PIVOT IN CONFIDENCE Live Carefree on Kindle and Amazon.com emphasizes that accepting the need to change is vital, to acquire a growth mindset, for enhancing your self-image and relationships at home and in the workplace.

Ritika is a trainer and consultant in Disability Inclusion. She has been a special educator, communication therapist and for the last 30 years has been Teaching, giving Lectures and conducting sensitization workshops for numerous academic institutions in the country. A Gold Medalist with a Masters in Music and equipped with a Bachelor’s Degree in Deaf Education, Ritika Sahni feels fortunate to pursue both her passions, that of a Singer-Performer and a Disability Campaigner.

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Podcast Summary: Changing Perception - Moving Towards Inclusivity

Hosts: Shachi Irde

00:00: Introduction

01:34: [Viji] What are some of the barriers you come across?

05:32 [Ritika] What kind of barriers do you come across?

11:03: [Viji] In your experience who is more difficult to work with? Adolescents or parents?

13:37: [Ritika] Have you come across such difficult situation as in the movie “Black”?

19:27: [Viji] In your role as a coach tell us about a stereotype or a myth that surprised you?

24:37: [Ritika] In your role as a facilitator, what are some of the reasons given by people for not being inclusive of people with disabilities that has shocked your / surprised you?

30:26: [Both] How do you talk to adolescents / teenagers about being compassionate while being competitive?

34:40: [Both] Any words of advice.

39:06: Conclusion.

39:41: Outro.

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- Our guests

Please do subscribe and review the show in various podcasting platforms and in the website afindia.org/podcast. Listen in to the voices that are often invisible but powerful enough to clear the haze.

Disclaimer: The views, experiences and opinions expressed in this podcast are personal views of the participating speakers and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the French Embassy or its cooperation network in India.

Welcome to Clearing The Haze –Making the invisible visible, a podcast show that discusses topics that are usually invisible or just hazy. Hosted by Shachi Irde.

Shachi wears many hats and is passionate about inclusion. She is an industry recognized speaker on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and women in the workplace related topics. She has been recognized by numerous industry forums and has been recipient of “Iconic woman in leadership” award by All Women Economic Forum.

Our topic for this episode is Humor! Hearing something funny or being amused can reduce stress, improve social relations, generate a positive mood, and increase motivation.

Humor seems to produce positive consequences for both the source and the audience.

Today, we will discuss with our guests, Nelly Quemener and Punya Arora, if benefits of humour extend to everyone in the same way.

Nelly is a lecturer in information and communication sciences at Sorbonne Nouvelle University. Her research in the field of cultural studies focuses on the articulation of class, race and gender relations in audiovisual representations - especially humorous ones - and media controversies. She is the author of several books.

Punya is a stand-up comedian, photographer and writer based in Bangalore. Her style of comedy is observational, light-hearted and may involve more than one accent. Punya has been featured on every major stand-up stage across India such as Canvas Laugh Club, That Comedy Club, The Habitat, NCPA etc. She was a co-writer on the show Masaba Masaba which premiered on Netflix in 2020.

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Podcast Summary: Women in Humor

Host: Shachi Irde

00:00: Introduction

01:01: About Nelly.

03:07: About Punya.

05:32:  Is humour when used by men is more accepted than when used by women?

10:41: As a female stand-up comedian do you see differences in the acceptance by the audience?

12:47: What would you advice someone who is doing their first public speaking?

19:24: Can you talk to us about the different kinds of humour?

24:51: Are there stereotypes around who can be funny and who cannot?

30:37: Comic timing is everything in humour to make an impact. How do you practice comic timing?

36:42: Closing comments advice to people who want to get into “humour industry”

39:13: Conclusion.

39:38: Outro.

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For this episode, we would like to thank:

- Our guests

Please do subscribe and review the show in various podcasting platforms and in the website afindia.org/podcast. Listen in to the voices that are often invisible but powerful enough to clear the haze.

Disclaimer: The views, experiences and opinions expressed in this podcast are personal views of the participating speakers and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the French Embassy or its cooperation network in India.

Welcome to Clearing The Haze –Making the invisible visible, a podcast show that discusses topics that are usually invisible or just hazy. Hosted by Shachi Irde.

Shachi wears many hats and is passionate about inclusion. She is an industry-recognized speaker on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and women in workplace-related topics. She has been recognized by numerous industry forums and has been a recipient of the “Iconic woman in leadership” award by the All Women Economic Forum.

This episode will focus on Language and Sexism.

Joining Shachi in this episode are Samanvita Shetty and Abhigyan Dua, who are having a conversation with Preethi Nagaraj.

Preethi is an independent journalist, political analyst deeply interested in theatre and psychology. She has a strong gender perspective and would like to see all genders hold up the skies, and claim their share too.

Samanvita, a double degree holder with a Bachelor of Arts in French and an LL.B. is currently a French teacher at Vidya Niketan School, Bangalore. She is also a lawyer by profession having practised in civil and corporate litigation. Apart from her passion for French, Samanvita is also passionate about the art of acting and has theatre performances, ad films, feature films and voiceover work to her credit.

Based in Bangalore, Abhigyan works at the French Trade Commission and facilitates the India market entry of French companies.

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Podcast Summary: Language and Sexism

00:00: Introduction

02:39: What are your views on the rampant prevalence of sexist and misogynistic undertones in our daily discourse?

08:18: Do you foresee a light at the end of the tunnel here for songs that denigrate women?

14:21:  Do you believe that the extensive use of certain terms in local languages is the root cause for Indian men today to suppress empathy towards others, to be embarrassed by fear or any other vulnerability?

20:29: Do you believe that positive and refreshing changes are a tell-tale sign that gender stereotypes are being broken and that change is here to stay?

28:14: In your opinion, how could language be used as a positive tool to eradicate sexism rather than as a vector that promotes it?

33:06: Can a gender binary language such as Hindi be used to explore non-binary usages or phrases?

35:19: Conclusion. Outro.

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For this episode, we would like to thank:

- Our guests

Please do subscribe and review the show in various podcasting platforms and in the website afindia.org/podcast. Listen in to the voices that are often invisible but powerful enough to clear the haze.

Disclaimer: The views, experiences and opinions expressed in this podcast are personal views of the participating speakers and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the French Embassy or its cooperation network in India.

Welcome to Clearing The Haze –Making the invisible visible, a podcast show that discusses topics that are usually invisible or just hazy. Hosted by Shachi Irde.

Shachi wears many hats and is passionate about inclusion. She is an industry recognized speaker on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and women in the workplace related topics. She has been recognized by numerous industry forums and has been recipient of “Iconic woman in leadership” award by All Women Economic Forum.

This episode will focus on Women in Diplomat Roles. Historically, diplomacy has been the preserve of men. Each time women manage to break one barrier another one awaits them. Prejudices against women in decision-making positions, and stereotypes based on gender roles and men’s and women’s leaderships abilities remain universal.

We have two eminent diplomats Dana Purcarescu, the Deputy Head of Mission at the French Embassy in India and Dr. Heba Salaheldin Elmarassai, the Ambassador of Arab Republic of Egypt to India.

Dana Purcarescu is Deputy Head of Mission at the French Embassy in India since August 2019. Previously she headed the Situation Center of the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs. In Paris, she served in the Office of the Prime minister and the Directorate for Strategic Affairs, Security and disarmament. A career diplomat, she served in Brussels, Berlin and Washington.

Dr. Heba Salaheldin Elmarassai is the Ambassador of Arab Republic of Egypt to India. She has served as the Ambassador of Arab Republic of Egypt to Cyprus, and to Bulgaria. She has also served in the Embassy of Egypt in Brussels. While at the Egypt’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, she has held various positions including that of Assistant Foreign Minister for Cultural Relations, and Director of Institute for Diplomatic Studies.

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Podcast Summary: Women in Diplomat Roles

00:00: Introduction

01:37 - 20:36: Conversation with Dana Purcarescu

20:38 - 37:24: Conversation with Dr. Heba Salaheldin Elmarassai

Covering the following questions:

1/ How did you decide to work for the foreign service or ministry of foreign affairs?

2/ What have been the biggest challenges that you have faced in your career?

3/ What was your career strategy?

4/ What do women bring to the field of diplomacy?

5/ How do you balance between your home country culture and acknowledging of your host country culture?

6/ What advice would you give someone considering working for your ministry of foreign affairs or foreign service?

7/ How do you manage the dilemma of taking up exciting opportunity overseas versus being with family?

8/ In your view how do men lead and how do women lead?

9/ Your impressions about India.

10/ Any last bit of advice.

37:26: Conclusion. Outro.

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For this episode, we would like to thank:

- Our guests

Please do subscribe and review the show in various podcasting platforms and in the website afindia.org/podcast. Listen in to the voices that are often invisible but powerful enough to clear the haze.

Disclaimer: The views, experiences and opinions expressed in this podcast are personal views of the participating speakers and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the French Embassy or its cooperation network in India.

Welcome to Clearing The Haze –Making the invisible visible, a podcast show that discusses topics that are usually invisible or just hazy. Hosted by Shachi Irde. Shachi wears many hats and is passionate about inclusion. She is an industry recognized speaker on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and women in the workplace related topics. She has been recognized by numerous industry forums and has been recipient of “Iconic woman in leadership” award by All Women Economic Forum. This episode will focus on Women in Academia. There are numerous advantages of having female professors – they are credited with increasing class participation, providing diverse perspectives, and being a role model for female students. We have two eminent academicians Dr. Emmanouela Mandalaki from Neoma Business School and Manisha Chachra from Jawaharlal Nehru University to share with us their experience, their career challenges, success and opportunities for women to pursue career in Academia. We would also like to welcome Segolene Bulot, who will engage with our speakers along with Shachi in this conversation. ———————————————————————— Podcast Summary: Women in Academia Hosts: Shachi Irde & Segolene Bulot 00:00: Introduction 01:27: What made you take up a career in academia? 03:46: How do you compare yourself as an academic to your male colleagues? 10:13: What difficulties and challenges have you encountered as you progressed through your career? 14:46: How do you think the culture in academia respond to your need to balance work and life? 17:45: In your opinion are there differences in how women and men approach research? 24:05: Is harassment in the workplace a reality in academia as well? 32:04: “The Matilda effect” - What steps are being taken at your workplace to ensure women get their due credit? 36:55: Conclusion. 37:29: Outro. ———————————————————————— For this episode, we would like to thank: - Our guests - The French Embassy, the French Institute and the Alliance Française Network in India for producing the show and, special thanks to  Hemant Soreng and his team for their advice and technical support. Please do subscribe and review the show in various podcasting platforms and in the website afindia.org/podcast. Listen in to the voices that are often invisible but powerful enough to clear the haze. Disclaimer: The views, experiences and opinions expressed in this podcast are personal views of the participating speakers and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the French Embassy or its cooperation network in India.

Welcome to Clearing The Haze –Making the invisible visible, a podcast show that discusses topics that are usually invisible or just hazy. Hosted by Shachi Irde.

Shachi wears many hats and is passionate about inclusion. She is an industry recognized speaker on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and women in the workplace related topics. She has been recognized by numerous industry forums and has been recipient of “Iconic woman in leadership” award by All Women Economic Forum.

In our episode today we will explore the arena of paid and unpaid work and joining me in this discussion are our two esteemed guests Rushil Palavjjhala and Renu Pokharna.

Rushil is the Co-founder and CEO of Bandhu. Bandhu is an impact-tech start-up that enables low income workers to make data-driven migration decisions and thereby enriches their livelihoods. Rushil holds a Master’s degree Urban/City Planning from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, wherein he focused on Finance and Tech for Urban Development in the Global South. He received a Fulbright Scholarship for the same. Rushil also holds a Bachelors in Architecture and has worked extensively on affordable housing and large urban projects in India and abroad."

Renu runs The Ahmedabad Project – a think tank that works on civic engagement and labour reforms. She has a decade long experience working in public policy and development across India, Africa and the USA. Her stints including serving as a Chief Minister’s Fellow with the Government of Gujarat and working in Uganda, Africa with an educational start up. With a degree in public policy from Columbia University, she has also been published in Wall Street Journal and other national newspapers. Her interests include yoga and travel, she has done solo trips across 5 out of 7 continents so far.

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Podcast Summary: Relationship between Work, Power Structures and Inclusion

Host: Shachi Irde

00:00: Introduction

00:40: About Rushil and his work.

02:52: About Renu and her work.

05:32: How do you define unpaid work?

09:24: Can you throw some light on the impact of emotional labor on the woman?

13:34: Do only women do unpaid work?

17:49: When does care giving and empathy become unpaid work?

21:44: What can we do to ensure both receive similar appreciation, fame and money for similar work done?

27:47: Conclusion.

28:16: Outro.

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For this episode, we would like to thank:

- Our guests

Please do subscribe and review the show in various podcasting platforms and in the website afindia.org/podcast. Listen in to the voices that are often invisible but powerful enough to clear the haze.

Disclaimer: The views, experiences and opinions expressed in this podcast are personal views of the participating speakers and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the French Embassy or its cooperation network in India.

Welcome to Clearing The Haze –Making the invisible visible, a podcast show that discusses topics that are usually invisible or just hazy. Hosted by Shachi Irde.

Shachi wears many hats and is passionate about inclusion. She is an industry-recognized speaker on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and women in workplace-related topics. She has been recognized by numerous industry forums and has been a recipient of the “Iconic woman in leadership” award by the All Women Economic Forum.

Our focus in this episode is Inclusive Public Space. And to talk about the same our guests are Christine Blache and Swati Janu.

Christine is the co-founder of Genre et Ville, an organisation working on territories and urban planning via a gender prism. Genre et Ville is involved in R&D with city councils, government organisations, schools, urban planners, women's rights, LGBT rights and equal rights societies by and large. Chris is also a member of EELV the French Ecologist party. As such she offers expertise on equal rights, urban planning, mobility and societal evolution.

Swati is an architect, artist and writer based in Delhi whose work engages with social justice and participatory planning. She is the Founder of the interdisciplinary practice Social Design Collaborative which was recently awarded the Beazley Design of the Year 2020 in Architecture. Her approach combines community engagement and grassroots activism with policy advocacy, for which she regularly works as a technical consultant with development and research organisations, such as the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA), GIZ GmbH, Agence Francaise de Developpement (AFD) for the Indian Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.

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Podcast Summary: Inclusive Public Space

Host: Shachi Irde

00:00: Introduction

01:41: About Swati and her work.

02:55: About Chris and her work.

04:55: Main features of public space. What goes into planning?

06:44: Gender inclusion in public spaces.

09:27: Which places are well planned, inclusive?

17:05: Recreating spaces for marginalised.

22:34: Designing solutions for gender equity in public space in older cities.

28:12: Inclusive design of smart cities.

32:36: Conclusion.

34:12: Outro.

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Thank you for listening in.

- Our guests

Please do subscribe and review the show on various podcasting platforms and in the website afindia.org/podcast. Listen in to the voices that are often invisible but powerful enough to clear the haze.

Disclaimer: The views, experiences and opinions expressed in this podcast are personal views of the participating speakers and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the French Embassy or its cooperation network in India.

Welcome to Clearing The Haze –Making the invisible visible, a podcast show that discusses topics that are usually invisible or just hazy. Hosted by Shachi Irde.

Shachi wears many hats and is passionate about inclusion. She is an industry recognized speaker on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and women in the workplace related topics. She has been recognized by numerous industry forums and has been recipient of “Iconic woman in leadership” award by All Women Economic Forum.

Our focus in this episode is Transman - A Journey to Oneself.

In our segment today we will be talking about a Transman’s Journey to oneself, a topic that has often not received the attention it should. For many it is a topic that has been hazy. Let’s get to clear the haze and get clarity from our first speaker in this episode.

Kirithik Shiva, a visually-impaired trans man, is a senior undergraduate in chemical engineering. His passions are music, coding, reading books and writing poems. He hopes for more awareness, conversations in the society and legal recognition for LGBTQ+ folks in the future and contributes by participating in sensitisation events in his free time.

Nandini Krishnan is the author of two books of non-fiction, Invisible Men: Inside India's Transmasculine Networks (Penguin Random House, 2018) and Hitched: The Modern Woman and Arranged Marriage (Random House, 2013). She has translated two of Perumal Murugan's books from Tamil, published in English as Estuary (Westland Books, 2020) and Four Strokes of Luck (Juggernaut, 2021). She lives in Madras with ten dogs, sixteen cats and several thousand books.

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Podcast Summary: Transman - A Journey to Oneself

Host: Shachi Irde

00:00: Introduction

Kirithik:

00:49: [Kirithik] About yourself. How do you define Transman? What are the societal expectations?

03:32: [Kirithik] Are you easily accepted in a “men’s club” after your transition?

08:45: What would your advice be to someone who is struggling with their gender dysphoria?

Nandini:

11:46: Tell us a bit about how you go about selecting topics to write. What were some of your idea when you started this project?

13:55: What is your opinion on a cisgender women’s legitimacy to write about trans men?

16:25: Have you received testimonials from readers of your book who found answers that helped them make the transition?

18:22: What can be done to increase awareness and educate people about trans people in general and transmen in specific?

27:55: What has been your experience being an ally?

32:19: Conclusion. Outro.

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For this episode, we would like to thank:

- Our guests

-  The French Embassy, the French Institute and the Alliance Française Network in India for producing the show

Please do subscribe and review the show in various podcasting platforms and in the website afindia.org/podcast. Listen in to the voices that are often invisible but powerful enough to clear the haze.

Disclaimer: The views, experiences and opinions expressed in this podcast are personal views of the participating speakers and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the French Embassy or its cooperation network in India.

Welcome to Clearing The Haze –Making the invisible visible, a podcast show that discusses topics that are usually invisible or just hazy. Hosted by Shachi Irde.

Shachi wears many hats and is passionate about inclusion. She is an industry recognized speaker on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and women in the workplace related topics. She has been recognized by numerous industry forums and has been recipient of “Iconic woman in leadership” award by All Women Economic Forum.

Our podcast in this episode will focus on the Role of an Educator in inspiring Young Minds with our guest Dr. Neeta Bali.

Dr Neeta Bali is a seasoned educator with over 38 years of experience in the field of education. Currently, she is the director-Principal, G D Goenka World School, Gurgaon- Sohna Road, Haryana , India. She is an eloquent speaker, Trainer and has been frequently invited to speak at various prominent educational conferences all over the country. She has spearheaded partnerships with some leading schools in Scotland – Oban High School and Wasatch Academy- Utah – USA. She has worked intensively with the British Council as a BCSA- British Council School Ambassador in promoting the spirit of international mindedness. She is the recipient of ‘Jean Lawrie International Grant ‘and award conferred on her by IASL in the year 2015 and ‘Inspiring Educator’s Award’ conferred by Rocksport and received from Dr Kiran Bedi as well as ‘Exemplary Educator’s Award ‘by Productivity Council of India in addition to the ‘Uttarakhand Rattan Award ‘conferred on her in 2015 by PPSA- Dehradun and 'Future 50 leader shaping success' conferred by Univariety and Fortune India Magazine.

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Podcast Summary: Role of an Educator in Inspiring Young Minds

Host: Shachi Irde

00:00: Introduction

01:48: What was your dream profession? Did you envisage the career path you have traversed?

04:56: Did you have access to a mentor sponsor as you navigated your career?

07:03: Many women experience gender bias in their career. How did it affect you professionally?

09:46: Has there been a change in attitudes and biases?

11:10: What is the most difficult lesson you have learned in your professional life? In what unexpected ways did you grow from it?

14:13: “Fake it till you make it” and “Imposter syndrome”, in recent times both these mantra’s have been used. What are your thoughts on these methods?

19:55: What are some of the reasons we don’t see men taking up profession as teaching young children in India?

22:32: You have been conferred numerous awards for being an exemplar educator share with us about your experience as an educator?

25:49: What was one advice you received that has stayed with you?

27:11: Would you like to share any message for our listeners?

28:02: Conclusion. Outro.

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For this episode, we would like to thank:

- Our guest Dr. Neeta Bali

-  The French Embassy, the French Institute and the Alliance Française Network in India for producing the show

Please do subscribe and review the show in various podcasting platforms and in the website afindia.org/podcast. Listen in to the voices that are often invisible but powerful enough to clear the haze.

Disclaimer: The views, experiences and opinions expressed in this podcast are personal views of the participating speakers and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the French Embassy or its cooperation network in India.

Welcome to Clearing The Haze – Making the invisible visible, a podcast show that discusses topics that are usually invisible or just hazy. Hosted by Shachi Irde.

Shachi wears many hats and is passionate about inclusion. She is an industry recognized speaker on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and women in the workplace related topics. She has been recognized by numerous industry forums and has been recipient of “Iconic woman in leadership” award by All Women Economic Forum.

Our topic for today - Child Rights and Protection.

Our guests for this discussion are - Anson P D Alexander and Shoba Koshy.

Anson is the director and co-founder of Kanal Innovations, an NGO in Kerala, India that works exclusively for the empowerment of children. Their mission is to help children to inspire hope; ignite imagination and aspire dreams.

Shoba was the Chief Postmaster general, Kerala Postal Circle from 2009, till retirement in 2013. Post retirement, she was appointed Chairperson, the Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child Rights from March 2015 to March 2018. She was awarded the first Rani Laxmibai Award for excellence in Public Administration instituted by the Kerala Government in 2014.

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Podcast Summary: Child Rights and Protection

Host: Shachi Irde

00:00: Introduction

01:29: Anson, can you share with us the areas of work your organisation is involved in?

03:06: Shoba - Share with us your experience as a woman leader when policies and society outlook was not as forward looking as it is today.

08:07: What are the primary objectives of the Child rights Commission?

10:26: With strides in technology, education and awareness about prevention of child marriages have you seen change happening at the grass root levels?

13:22: What role does the child rights commission play in prevention of child marriages?

22:39: How do you go about designing awareness programs?

23:50: Can you share your approach to build awareness around child abuse / inappropriate touch?

28:30: Access to online classes is not available to most of them in the villages or socio economically poor. Will it lead to dropouts and increase the illiteracy rate thus creating cycle of poverty and wiping away years of efforts?

31:01: What would your advice be to children and parents in an unfortunate incident where the child is victim of cyber bullying?

37:47: Would you like to share any message for our listeners?

38:43: Conclusion. Outro.

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For this episode, we would like to thank:

- Our guests : Anson P D Alexander & Shoba Koshy

-  The French Embassy, the French Institute and the Alliance Française Network in India for producing the show

Please do subscribe and review the show in various podcasting platforms and in the website afindia.org/podcast. Listen in to the voices that are often invisible but powerful enough to clear the haze.

Disclaimer: The views, experiences and opinions expressed in this podcast are personal views of the participating speakers and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the French Embassy or its cooperation network in India.