Love Matters With Leeza Mangaldas

Dear Listeners, Love Matters is going on a short break and the next episode featuring the incredible Amrita Nandy will be available on the 6th of January.
We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Love Matters with Leeza Mangaldas is a cooperation between The Indian Express and DW, Germany’s international broadcaster.
Learn more about DW:
https://www.facebook.com/dwasia
https://www.dw.com

What determines who we love and desire? Is it just down to personal preference? Or isn’t it rather ingrained in our minds through what we learn and see growing up and through pop culture all around us? And when it comes to love and relationships in India: aren’t societal forces shaping the way we love much more than we’d like to think?

In this episode of Love Matters, host Leeza Mangaldas explores these questions and many more with the help of Christina Dhanuja, Writer, Researcher and Convenor of the Global Campaign for Dalit Women. They also tackle questions like - how does endogamy shape the way we see what is deemed desirable and how do power imbalances based on caste affect the real-life experiences of interpersonal relationships and can they be addressed? And much much more.

Leeza Mangaldas’ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leezamangaldas/
Christina Dhanuja’s Website: https://christinadhanuja.com/

Credits:
Produced by: Patricia Szilagyi (DW), Charulata Biswas (IE)
Research & guest acquisition: Sana Rizvi (DW)
Project Manager: Sonja Kaun-Trenkler (DW)
Editorial Support: Shashank Bhargava (IE), Khyati Rajvanshi (IE)
Executive Producer: Melanie von Marschalck (DW Life & Style), Anant Nath Sharma (IE)
Sound Editor: Suresh Pawar (IE)

Love Matters with Leeza Mangaldas is a cooperation between The Indian Express and DW, Germany’s international broadcaster.

Learn more about DW:
https://www.facebook.com/dwasia
https://www.dw.com

Public discourse around sexual consent is often rigidly configured around “Yes” and “No”. But how can we go beyond just this basic binary framework to make room for the more complex and nuanced emotions we may experience in our sexual lives? Can we create an environment of such radical kindness that we can make room for maybe, so we can explore our desires as they unfold instead of having to always preempt them for fear of our safety?
Join Leeza Mangaldas and Paromita Vohra, Filmmaker, Writer and Founder of Agents of Ishq, in this episode of Love Matters, as they explore these questions and more in a candid conversation about attraction, pleasure, and rejection. How do these factors shape our relationships, and can we redefine the way we perceive them in a consensual world?

Leeza Mangaldas’ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leezamangaldas/
Paromita Vohra’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bombay.rosie/

Credits:
Produced by: Patricia Szilagyi (DW), Charulata Biswas (IE)
Research & guest acquisition: Sana Rizvi (DW)
Project Manager: Sonja Kaun-Trenkler (DW)
Editorial Support: Shashank Bhargava (IE), Khyati Rajvanshi (IE)
Executive Producer: Melanie von Marschalck (DW Life & Style), Anant Nath Sharma (IE)

Love Matters with Leeza Mangaldas is a cooperation between The Indian Express and DW, Germany’s international broadcaster.

Learn more about DW:
https://www.facebook.com/dwasia
https://www.dw.com

Why is it so important that we continue to nurture meaningful friendships and carve out time for fun and play, even as adults? Despite busy schedules, marriage and kids, and changing priorities, how can we ensure we make and keep friendships thriving throughout our lives?

In this episode of Love Matters, host Leeza Mangaldas explores all this and more with Comedian and Writer, Rohan Joshi, who shares his personal experiences, and how he has navigated friendship while adulting.

Credits:

Produced by: Patricia Szilagyi (DW), Charulata Biswas (IE)
Research & guest acquisition: Sana Rizvi (DW)
Project Manager: Sonja Kaun-Trenkler (DW)
Editorial Support: Shashank Bhargava (IE), Khyati Rajvanshi (IE)
Executive Producer: Melanie von Marschalck (DW Life & Style), Anant Nath Sharma (IE)

Love Matters with Leeza Mangaldas is a cooperation between The Indian Express and DW, Germany’s international broadcaster.

Learn more about DW:

https://www.facebook.com/dwasia
https://www.dw.com

What does it mean to be Desi and kinky? What can we learn about consent from the kink community, and what unique possibilities for self-expression and self-discovery does kink afford its practitioners? In this episode of Love Matters, host Leeza Mangaldas discusses all this and more with Jaya Sharma, founding member of The Kinky Collective. Jaya is a kinky queer feminist activist and writer who's worked on issues of gender and education for over 20 years.

Leeza Mangaldas’ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leezamangaldas/
Jaya Sharma’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/jayanotes?lang=en

Credits:
Produced by: Patricia Szilagyi
Research & guest acquisition: Sana Rizvi
Project Manager: Sonja Kaun-Trenkler
Sound Editor: Suresh Pawar
Editorial Support: Shashank Bhargava, Khyati Rajvanshi
Executive Producer: Melanie von Marschalck, DW Life & Style, Anant Nath Sharma

"Love Matters with Leeza Mangaldas" is a cooperation between The Indian Express and DW, Germany’s international broadcaster.
Learn more about DW:
https://www.facebook.com/dwasia
https://www.dw.com

Why was homosexuality a crime in India till 2018? Why is it that marital rape is still legal, while gay marriage is not yet legal? How does the legal system continue to shape our sexual rights, particularly for women and queer people's lives? Is constant vigilance the true price of liberty?

In this episode of Love Matters, host Leeza Mangaldas explores the impacts of patriarchy, laws, norms and the journey from 1950 to 2023, assessing the progress and challenges of women's and LGBTQ+ community rights in India with the help of Saurabh Kirpal, a Senior Advocate.

Note: This episode of Love Matters about Love and the Law was recorded in August 2023, at which point the Supreme Court had not yet reached a verdict on marriage equality. We did not know at the time of recording what the verdict would be.

Leeza Mangaldas’ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leezamangaldas/
Saurabh Kirpal’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/saurabh_kirpal/

Produced by: Patricia Szilagyi
Research & guest acquisition: Sana Rizvi
Project Manager: Sonja Kaun-Trenkler
Sound Editor: Suresh Pawar
Editorial Support: Shashank Bhargava, Khyati Rajvanshi
Executive Producer: Melanie von Marschalck, DW Life & Style, Anant Nath Sharma

"Love Matters with Leeza Mangaldas" is a cooperation between The Indian Express and DW, Germany’s international broadcaster.

Learn more about DW:
https://www.facebook.com/dwasia
https://www.dw.com

Is love truly free, or do those old caste boundaries still play a role in influencing whom we love? Can we challenge these age-old norms and create love stories that break the mold? How is the 'Bollywoodization' of weddings impacting society?

In this episode of Love Matters, host Leeza Mangaldas delves into the intricacies of contemporary love, addressing one question at a time. Joined by Anurag Minus Verma, a writer, filmmaker, and host of the Anurag Minus Verma Podcast, they unravel the complexities of modern relationships.

Leeza Mangaldas’ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leezamangaldas/
Anurag Minus Verma’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anuragminusverma/
Anurag Minus Verma Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/19bjmIcW7eNKccki8LwO2r

Produced by: Patricia Szilagyi
Research & guest acquisition: Sana Rizvi
Project Manager: Sonja Kaun-Trenkler
Sound Editor: Suresh Pawar
Editorial Support: Shashank Bhargava, Khyati Rajvanshi
Executive Producer: Melanie von Marschalck, DW Life & Style, Anant Nath Sharma

"Love Matters with Leeza Mangaldas" is a cooperation between The Indian Express and DW, Germany’s international broadcaster.

Learn more about DW:
https://www.facebook.com/dwasia
https://www.dw.com

Do you feel comfortable talking about what goes on in your bedroom? Why is it still such a taboo to speak about sexual health and well-being? Evelyn explores all this and more, with the help of a “Millennial Doctor” who has made it her mission to speak to the next generation about sex and health openly – both in her practice and on her incredibly popular Instagram account, @dr_cuterus.

Evelyn Sharma's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/evelyn_sharma/
Dr Tanaya Narendra`s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr_cuterus/

Produced by: Axel Scheele, Sally McGrane
Research & guest acquisition: Sana Rizvi
Sound Engineer: Gerd Georgii
Project Manager: Sonja Kaun-Trenkler
Editorial Support: Shashank Bhargava, Anant Nath Sharma, Khyati Rajvanshi
Executive Producer: Melanie von Marschalck, DW Life & Style

When you’re married, you’re a team. But what happens if you decide to take your duo professional – and start a business together? In this episode, Evelyn talks to Nidhi Singh and Shikhar Singh, a couple who decided to quit their biotech jobs and go into business together – founding a hugely successful chain of samosa restaurants. She gets down to the nitty-gritty of what it’s like to work with your spouse. Is it just more of a good thing? Or way too much of one? Listen in to find out.

Evelyn Sharma's Instagram
Nidhi and Shikhar Singh`s Instagram

Produced by: Axel Scheele, Sally McGrane
Research & guest acquisition: Sana Rizvi
Sound Engineer: Gerd Georgii
Project Manager: Sonja Kaun-Trenkler
Editorial Support: Shashank Bhargava, Anant Nath Sharma, Khyati Rajvanshi
Executive Producer: Melanie von Marschalck, DW Life & Style

When it comes to a couple living together without being married, India has seen a lot of change. What used to be taboo is now gaining more acceptance, especially with Gen Z. In this episode, Evelyn talks to actress Ashlesha Savant, and her partner, actor Sandeep Baswana, who have been living-in for fifteen years. They talk about why they decided to go the live-in route, and how it’s shaped their love for each other. They also reflect on the attitudes of their families and society towards living-in, in India today.

Evelyn Sharma's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/evelyn_sharma/
Sandeep Baswana: https://www.instagram.com/baswanasandeep/
Ashlesha Savant: https://www.instagram.com/ashleshasavant/?hl=en

Produced by: Axel Scheele, Sally McGrane
Research & guest acquisition: Sana Rizvi
Sound Engineer: Gerd Georgii
Project Manager: Sonja Kaun-Trenkler
Editorial Support: Shashank Bhargava, Anant Nath Sharma, Khyati Rajvanshi
Executive Producer: Melanie von Marschalck, DW Life & Style