In this episode, Host Yashoda looks back at the how Imperial influences of the Islamic dynasties and colonisers found their way into the aesthetic representations of the Devadasis. It looks at the javali as an outcome of the zamindari patronage, a system that was established during the British rule. Yashoda’s interaction with Rumya Putcha navigates the contested terrain of the history of Kuchipudi and how devadasi art may have had a role in the construction of other performance traditions.

VOICES: Dr. Yashoda Thakore, Sampreeti Malladi

GUEST: Dr. Rumya Putcha

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In this episode, Yashoda takes us through some of Devadasi repertoire, its aesthetic representation and how that differs from that of Kuchipudi. It examines how the devadasi repertoire reflects the multiple contexts it traversed noting the influence of the Maratha courts of Tanjore, the English and the Zamindars who prevailed as patrons. The episode is interspersed with  Yashoda’s interaction with Mrdangist,  Sri Yendamuri Subbarao brings in the voices, opinions and experiences of one who has lived, performed and continues in the real and the aesthetic world of the devadasi.

That interaction being in Telugu, the rest of the episode continues with Yashoda reflecting on her own experiences with the devadasis,  what it taught her about herself and more importantly about how these women understood and viewed their world and the world outside.

Voices : Dr. Yashoda Thakore,  Sampreeti Malladi

Guest : Sri Yendamuri Subba Rao

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In this episode, Host Yashoda Thakore takes us through the Devadasi history in the Telugu speaking areas. Reflecting on the Kakatiya, and Nayaka times the questions of who the patrons for the art were, what were the different contexts in which the devadasi performed, the idea of devadasi as a caste is discussed. 

This episode also features her conversation with Dr. Saskia (author of Nityasumangali) takes one through the temple practices of the devadasi and what it represented.

Voices: Dr. Yashoda Thakore, Sampreeti Malladi

Guest: Dr. Saskia Kersenboom

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The first episode is the story of discovery, of reaching out, and the story of learning. Dancer, research, and a voice from the Kalvantulu community (hereditary dancer families from the Godavari region) Dr. Yashoda takes us through the idea of lineage and practice in the life of a devadasi weaving her personal journey with the voices of scholars. This episode like the blossom of a bud reveals the story before the flowering that follows. The figure of who the devadasi was, what she did, and where she was. Her conversation with Dr. Saskia (author of Nityasumangali) takes one through the temple practices of the devadasi and what it represented.  

Voices: Dr. Yashoda Thakore, Sampreeti Malladi 

Guest: Dr. Saskia Kersenboom

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The Kalavantulu community women were the guardians of an art that has since been appropriated into what is today seen as mainstream classical dance in South India.

In this podcast series, Yashoda Thakore, a dancer and a member of the Kalavantulu community, will be taking us on a voyage of discovery, of the roots of her art.

Together, the podcast will shine light on the stories of the long line of women who held the tradition, nurtured it, and embellished it with their devotion. There will be twists and turns in this journey. We will encounter issues of caste, regionality, language hegemony, and the attempts to appropriate and even alienate the art from the artistes who originally practiced it.

This podcast series is a collaborative effort of Goethe Zentrum Hyderabad, Bol Hyderabad and Suno India.

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This podcast series Pinjra Tod Kar is conceived and produced by Goethe-Zentrum Hyderabad with the support of Suno-India and Bol-Hyderabad as a podcast with powerful and poignant stories told by the women whose lives were impacted by Shaheen.

This episode, however, is a bit different. We bring to you, a panel with our editor Padma Priya, Shaheen founder Jameela Nishat, Usha Raman, who's the journalism professor in the University of Hyderabad, Goethe Zentrum's director Amita Desai and program coordinator Jyothi Bezawada.

They speak about using art, poetry and audio for socio-cultural issues, including community radio and podcasts. Through this series, we've heard tales of horrors and survival, from the victims themselves, who are rebuilding their lives with author-activist Jameela Nishat’s NGO Shaheen.

Shaheen, which has worked to rescue and rehabilitate vulnerable women like victims of domestic abuse and violence, early marriage, sexual abuse, gender bias, etc and helped them get back on their feet. They've started important conversations towards structural and social change.

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In this episode, Tasleem Begum tells us her story of being married as a 14-year-old to a 62-year-old man and how she broke free from the clutches of the lucrative “Sheikh marriage business”.  Also featuring, Jameela Nishat, founder, Shaheen Women’s Welfare and Resource Association who through her poetry, conveys the deep distress caused to the young women because of these “marriages”. 

This podcast is conceived and produced by Goethe-Zentrum Hyderabad with the support of Suno-India and Bol-Hyderabad.

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In this episode, we discuss one of the toughest challenges facing women and their right to dignity and life- violence against women and specifically domestic violence. This episode features Sultana who is a survivor of domestic violence, Vasudha Nagaraj, a women’s rights lawyer and feminist poetry by Jameela Nishat, founder of Shaheen Women’s Welfare and Resource Association.  

This podcast is conceived and produced by Goethe-Zentrum Hyderabad with the support of Suno-India and Bol-Hyderabad

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According to the latest data by the National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB), over 32,000 cases of Child Sexual Abuse (CSA) were reported in 2017 while almost 40,000 cases were reported in 2018 under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO).

In this episode of our podcast Pinjra Tod Kar, we talk about how Child Sexual Abuse is prevalent in society and how we need to fight. Suno India team sat down with 20-year-old Pooja, who works at Shaheen and is a survivor of Child Sexual Abuse. You will also hear from child rights activists Padmashri awardee Shantha Sinha, Founder secretary of MV Foundation and Ramesh Kidambi, and Chhavi Dawar from Break the Silence, a not-for-profit that works in raising awareness on child sexual abuse. Ramesh and Chavvi also conduct workshops on how to inform children and create awareness on child sexual abuse.

This podcast is conceived and produced by Goethe-Zentrum Hyderabad with the support of Suno-India and Bol-Hyderabad.

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According to UNICEF, 27% of girls in India are married before their 18th birthday and  53% of girls in the age group of 5 to 9 years are illiterate. More than 50 per cent of girls fail to enrol in school; those that do are likely to drop out by the age of 12.

In this episode we talk about how educating a girl child is one of the most important things to break the cycle of abuse and empower them to become independent.

The host Padma Priya sat down with Neha and Afreen who work at Shaheen and they told her about their attempts to be educated to secure their future. You will also hear from noted child rights activists Dr Shantha Sinha, Founder secretary of MV Foundation and Padmashri awardee.

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