What do you get when you combine a group a friends who studied engineering, a passion for bicycles, and a city known for manufacturing? My answer: a sweet bike, a unique approach to working, and a really good time. Today on the podcast, as part of the South of Mumbai series on the road in India, we hear from the talented team at Scolarian bikes in Coimbatore about what they do and why they do it. And how it all ties back into life and changes in India.
Category Archives: Audio
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The Battle To Protect Kudremukh
The conflict is a familiar one no matter where you live in the world: Beautiful natural ecosystem where a vast amount plants and animals thrive is also the same land that a mining company wants to extract resources from.
Kudremukh National Park got its status in 1987. Unfortunately it was the target of Iron-ore extractions since the 1960s. Over the years instead of halting the mining, the company found ways to continue. That is -until a group of concerned and determined activists came together to bring about an end to the mining in 2005.
Niren Jain was part of this group that dared to take on the powerful forces in business and government. Their story is one of success but also struggle, as part of a battle that should be over, but somehow, finds new ways of carrying on.
Today on the podcast, in Mangalore, Karnataka, we hear the story of how mining was stopped in Kundremukh, and the aftermath of such a momentous achievement.
Video Volunteers: Stories From The India You’re Not Supposed to Hear About
While there is much pride about India as a democracy where people have rights and representation, there is also another side of India which domestic and international media rarely hear about – the marginalized groups of this vast country (think geography, caste, class, ethnicity, gender, and more).
Since 2003, Video Volunteers has been daring to challenge the status quo of media within Indian democracy, helping train and amplify video reporting by members of communities that are considered by those in power as unimportant, weak, or inferior. Today on the program we’re in Goa, at the headquarters of Video Volunteers listening to founder Jessica Mayberry explain what the organization has been up to; their successes, goals, and challenges that have come along with helping these embattled voices be heard.
Fun fact: Back in 2010 we spoke with Stalin of Video Volunteers on this very podcast, listen to that show here.
Upcycling and Saving Wildlife in Goa
(Episode 491) When you think recycling and reusing, India might not be the first place that comes to find. But you’d be wrong to underestimate the longstanding traditions of making use of waste materials that exist throughout the subcontinent. One of the foremost states for recycling in India is Goa, and one of the key protagonists in the story of upcycling as well as wildlife preservation in Goa is my guest on today’s podcast, Clinton Vaz. A program we recorded in just the right setting; at night on one of South Goa’s most beautiful beaches.
Links:
Riding the Trains in South India
It may draw some stares and annoy my traveling companions, but occasionally I take out the recorder while we are on long train journeys to try and capture the sounds and memories. The following is audio from some of those train rides. Some of South India’s most beloved train lines coming to you directly in audio format. Enjoy!
Colin D’Cruz: The Music of Goa
Jazz, konkani, Portuguese, bollywood; these are just the tip of the iceberg when you start to examine the rich heritage of Goan music. Colin D’Cruz is a one stop shop for music made in Goa. As a musician, producer, and record label, he’s got his ear to the ground when it comes to what sounds are coming out of Goa; yesterday, today and in the future. We went to visit him in the studio where we recorded this brief tour of Goan music.
Songs used in this podcast (available via JazzGoa):
- Shubhangi Joshi – Kuch Na Kaho
- Queenie Fernandes – Rupkar Tuzo
- Nadia Dias – Cucurucu
- Zezinho Fernandes – Eu Daria Minha Vida
- Francis Lobo – Yours
- Seby Ef – Eke Raatcho Mog
- Joshua Costa – Bachata Blues