Imagined Tomorrow

Imagined Tomorrow is back with a new season. This time with new thought experiments about the future explored from an Indian point of view.

Imagined Tomorrow is a podcast that explores hypothetical futures for India, because our present has already diverged from that of the West. So, our future will also be uniquely ours. And the first step to building that tomorrow, is to imagine it. This podcast will explore futures India may or may not see through the lens of our culture, science, tech, law and ethics.

Listen to pilot season now. Season 2 coming soon.

Show notes:

In Episode 6, we explored if we could travel to space from India. In this bonus episode, we hear what the future of the internet could be like - in our solar system. Will we be able to watch Netflix on Mars, stream Youtube videos, chat with family and friends on Earth and livestream?

Episode features Dr. Abhijeet Borkar, an astrophysicist at the Astronomy Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences

Imagined Tomorrow is created and hosted by Shreya Dasgupta. Intro and outro music is by Abhijit Shylanath. Abhishek Madan is the official feedback-provider of script and sound. Get in touch via Twitter, or email [email protected].

Episode music

Interlude music bits from Pixabay. Includes pieces by nojisuma and ZakharValaha.

Episode artwork

Imagined Tomorrow logo by Abhishek Madan.

If you want to delve further:

How one stupid tweet blew up Justine Sacco’s Life. Read here

First live tweet from space.

NASA extends the World Wide Web out into space. Read here

The internet in space? Slow as dial up. Read here

NASA Laser Communications Innovations: A Timeline. Read here

NASA Beams Mona Lisa to Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter at the Moon. Read here

Nokia selected by NASA to build first ever cellular network on the Moon. Read here

SpaceX will build Starlink-like constellation around Mars, its president says. Read here

Transcript on Imagined Tomorrow 

Show notes:

In this episode, we imagine a future where you can travel to space from India. Whether you want to go around the earth for three days, walk on the Moon, or live on Mars for an artistic experiment - you can book a spaceflight from India and go where your heart (and wallet) takes you. We hear from some kids about how they picture this future. We hear from a space architect who tells us what commercial space travel might look like in the future for people in general and those in India. And a space lawyer tells us how we can travel responsibly.

Also - stay till the end. There’s a surprise!

Imagined Tomorrow is created and hosted by Shreya Dasgupta. Intro and outro music is by Abhijit Shylanath. Abhishek Madan is the official feedback-provider of script and sound. Get in touch via Twitter, or email [email protected]. Transcript on https://www.imaginedtomorrow.com/

Guests (in order of appearance):

Nikshep Raman, 11 year-old space sci-fi enthusiast.

Priyoti, 9-year-old travel enthusiast.

Dr. Susmita Mohanty, space architect and founder of India’s first private space company, Earth2Orbit.

Deepika Jeyakodi, space lawyer.

Brief appearance:

Dr. Abhijeet Borkar, an astrophysicist who will hear from in the bonus episode.

Episode music

Interlude music bits from Pixabay. Includes pieces by GioeleFazzeri, Jacques_Barrette, Lesfm and Skilsel

Episode artwork

From Pixabay by 愚木混株CDD20.

If you want to delve further:

Will space missions include more average people? Read here

SpaceX takes 4 passengers to orbit—a glimpse at private spaceflight’s future. Read here

Why We Need Astronauts With Disabilities. Read here

Video: Watch Elon Musk Reveal SpaceX's Most Detailed Plans To Colonize Mars

NASA eyeing inflatable space lodges for moon, Mars and beyond. Read here

India’s private space sector is rising, but wait for Bezos-like ‘joy rides’ will be longer. Read here

From allowing private players, to regulating satellite use, why India needs a space law. Read here

Mission ISRO with Harsha Bhogle. Listen here

Show notes:

**This is a deep dive bonus content for episode 4. This episode gets very geeky, so if you haven’t already, please listen to episode 4 before moving ahead with this one :)**

Antibiotic resistance is a problem of many countries and many bugs. So we hear from someone who has a bird’s eye view of this issue. Dr. Hanan Balkhy of the World Health Organisation.

Imagined Tomorrow is created and hosted by Shreya Dasgupta. The episode was co-edited by Abhishek Madan. Intro and outro music is by Abhijit Shylanath. Get in touch via Twitter, or email [email protected].

Guests:

Subject experts

Dr. Hanan Balkhy, a professor of pediatric infection diseases and Assistant Director-General for Antimicrobial Resistance at the World Health Organization

Episode music

Interlude music by Oleksii Kaplunskyi on Pixabay.

Episode artwork

Imagined Tomorrow logo by Abhishek Madan.

For further reading:

Superbug: The Fatal Menace of MRSA (Available on Amazon)

Scoping Report on Antimicrobial Resistance in India. Read here.

Science journalist Priyanka Pulla has written some excellent stories on antimicrobial resistance:

· The superbugs of Hyderabad. Read here.

· Living in a world of emerging microbial resistance. Read here.

· India’s Hospitals Have an Infection Problem. Could Accreditation Be the Way to Go? Read here.

· The growing peril of drug-resistant superbugs. Read here.

· Explainer: Why Is Multi-Drug Resistance a Problem? Read here.

· How India got blindsided by a deadly mucormycosis outbreak. Read here.

WHO’s Aware tool

WHO’s priority bacteria list.

Show notes:

In this episode, we imagine a post-antibiotic future for India - where bacteria have learned to fight our entire arsenal of antibiotics. This future is rather dystopian, but don’t worry, we have experts who will tell us how we can avoid getting to this future. We hear of solutions for the social problems we need to crack, and we have an expert whose small company in Bangalore is developing a whole new class of antibiotics. 

Bonus episode coming soon!

Imagined Tomorrow is created and hosted by Shreya Dasgupta. The episode was co-edited by Abhishek Madan. Intro and outro music is by Abhijit Shylanath. Get in touch via Twitter, or email [email protected].

Guests:

Subject experts

Dr. Jyoti Joshi, a medical doctor and the South Asia head of the Center For Disease Dynamics, Economics & Policy or CDDEP.

Dr. Prashanth N. Srinivas, a medical doctor and public health researcher at the Institute of Public Health, Bangalore.

Dr. Anand Anandkumar, CEO and MD of Bugworks, a Bangalore-based company that is developing a new class of antibiotics.

Others

Dumma (Maya Sengupta): My incredibly talented maternal grandmother, who tells me stories of her childhood, when she hadn’t even heard of antibiotics.

Episode music

Interlude music pieces by Alfred Castro, Oleksii Kaplunskyi, Zakar Walaha on Pixabay.

Episode artwork

Image of a carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae by NIAID, used under CC By 2.0 license.

For further reading:

Scoping Report on Antimicrobial Resistance in India. Read here.

More on Bugworks’ research

Explainer: Why Is Multi-Drug Resistance a Problem? Read here.

Thumbs-up to pneumococcal vaccine rollout across India. Read here.

Too much too often: Antibiotics in Indian crops can make them ineffective. Read here.

Show notes:

In this episode, we imagine a future where some Indian cities expand underground. Population in our cities is at an all time high and there’s limited space to grow outwards. So city administrators decide to move downwards, below the land the city already has. Is it technically possible for Indian cities to expand underground? What can we move below our land surface? And would people even want to live or work there?

Imagined Tomorrow is created and hosted by Shreya Dasgupta. The episode was co-edited by Abhishek Madan. Intro and outro music is by Abhijit Shylanath. Get in touch via Twitter, or email [email protected].

Guests:

Subject experts

Dr. R. K. Goel, an expert in Tunnel & Underground Space Design and a former professor at the Central Institute of Mining and Fuel research in Dhanbad.

Dr. Sanjukkta Bhaduri, a professor of urban planning, in the School of Planning and architecture in New Delhi.

Dr. Adam Charles Roberts, a human factors psychologist at Singapore-ETH centre. Disclaimer: Dr. Roberts’ research is supported by MND and NRF, Singapore. Findings and opinions expressed are those of the author’s alone.

Others

Saraswati and Chintan - People who work in the basement office of a housing complex, in order of appearance.

Episode music

Interlude music by Abhishek Madan, astrofreq, and lesfm from Pixabay.

Episode artwork

Image by allinonemovie from Pixabay.

For further reading:

The underground mining town of Coober Pedy in Australia. Read this or this.

Indranil Banerjie's article on the opening of Kolkata's first underground metro stretch. Read here.

Singapore's plans of expanding underground. Read here.

Helsinki's underground master plan. Read here.

Gjøvik, Norway's olympic cavern hall. Read here.

Show notes: 

In this episode, we imagine a future where India has completely shifted to electric vehicles. Just charge your vehicle's battery and you're all set to go. Imagine never having to worry about rising petrol prices; and never having to inhale the toxic smoke that petrol and diesel cars, bikes and buses spew into the air. By emitting less carbon dioxide, you’re also helping the planet and securing your future. After all, electric vehicles are said to be the green transport of our future. What would it take for a country like India to get to this all-electric-vehicle future? And can this future be truly, truly green? 

Guests: 

Subject experts:

Naveen Munjal, the managing director of Hero Electric.

Dr. Jai Asundi, the executive director of the Centre for Study of science, technology and policy (CSTEP), a think tank based in Bangalore. 

Swagata Dey, a trained materials chemist and an environmental researcher, based in Delhi. 

People who drive or own electric vehicles, in order of appearance: 

Gauranga Biswas, an experienced driver who now drives a Tata Nexon EV. 

Abiramasundari, a chemistry researcher based in Ahmedabad. Has owned an e-scooter by Yo-Bikes since 2005. 

Sandhya Ramesh, science editor at the Print India. Owns and drives an e-scooter by Ather Energy since 2018. 

Rohit Gupta, co-founder of Buddhimed, a healthcare startup in Bangalore. He owns and drives a Tata Nexon EV. 

Imagined Tomorrow is created and hosted by Shreya Dasgupta. The episode was co-edited by Abhishek Madan. Intro and outro music is by Abhijit Shylanath. Get in touch via Twitter, or email [email protected]. 

Episode music:

Interlude music by George-Sundancer, TattooedPreacher and Zen_Man from Pixabay. 

Episode artwork: 

Image by Pixaline from Pixabay 

Further reading and transcript: 

Head over to the website: https://imaginedtomorrow.com/

In this episode, we imagine a future where medical decisions in India are personalised for our DNA; where treatments are tailor-made for our individual genetic makeup. 

Why? Because not everyone responds in the same way to any given medical treatment. A painkiller that seems to work for your friend, might not work for you. An anti-diabetic medication that works for your father, might not work for your mother. As researchers are finding out, our genes could hold the answer. Our individual genetic makeup can have a role to play in what diseases we develop; how our bodies metabolise medicines; and what treatments work or don't work for us. If we know how and which genes influence our health, can we develop treatments to target those genes? Do we even know enough about genetic variations within Indian populations and how these variations relate to different diseases or disorders? And can we harness this knowledge to find personalised treatments in the near future?

Read the episode transcript here.

Imagined Tomorrow is created and hosted by Shreya Dasgupta. The episode was co-edited by Abhishek Madan. Intro and outdo music is by Abhijit Shylanath. Get in touch via Twitter, or email [email protected].

Guests:

Shambhavi Ravishankar is a lawyer who lives with a rare genetic disease called Alagille Syndrome. She's an associate at Ikigai Law.

Berty Ashley is a molecular geneticist at Dystrophy Annihilation Research Trust (DART) who loves music and science. 

Anu Acharya is the founder and CEO of Ocimum Bio Solutions, and Mapmygenome, a personal genomics company.

Dr. Bhawna Sirohi is a cancer specialist with expertise in breast and gastrointestinal cancers at the Apollo Proton Cancer Centre in Chennai

Episode music: Interlude music by 1tamara2, enrique27naveda and Zen_Man from Pixabay

Episode artwork: Image by Gordon Johnson from Pixabay