Best Vaaka Media Podcasts (2024)

1
Ladies Special 7:54

9d ago7:54

7:54

What goes into naming a train? The Indian Railways has dozens of trains named after women - good women, strong women, virtuous women and brave women. We go through the list, wonder about the women who travel by trains, sometimes getting lost, and sometimes finding themselves. This episode was written, narrated and produced by Radhika Viswanathan. M…

1
Social Susheela 7:33

2M ago7:33

7:33

Ikyatha Yerasala is a journalist and content creator who has been documenting Kannada and Kanglish slang for the past five years. Her Instagram page Slangaluru is a vibrant space where old slang words are remembered, their meanings sometimes subtly altered for the times we live in, and new slang is coined in collaboration with the community. Listen…

1
Personal Best 26:49

5M ago26:49

26:49

Menaka always wanted to be one of the cool, sporty girls in her school. As a child she’d play for hours on the street, but as she got older she found herself retreating indoors, a place she was told was ‘safer’. As she grew older, how did she reclaim her right to exercise and play outdoors? Our thanks to Mathangi, Aakanksha, Yamini and Kamala. Writ…

1
Escape 15:07

6M ago15:07

15:07

Sometimes we all want to escape for a little bit: from our homes, our lives, and even our selves. On a solo trip to Jaipur, a woman tries on a new skin and tells the story of what happened. This episode was edited by Ashrita Achar and produced by Samyuktha Varma. Menaka Raman was this episode’s interviewer, story editor and she is City of Women’s S…

1
School of Love 22:08

8M ago22:08

22:08

Love is a many splendored thing. And so are booty calls. One intrepid woman shares her journey from not wanting a boyfriend, to falling in love to getting on dating apps in search of love. And while she doesn’t always find love, she does find lust. Trigger warning - this episode contains mature themes, listener discretion is advised. This episode w…

1
Aanchal Malhotra 15:52

8M ago15:52

15:52

Welcome back to a new season of City of Women. As India celebrates her 77th Independence Day this month, we thought it only fitting to begin this season with an interview with oral historian and author Aanchal Malhotra. As part of our Literary City of Women series, we speak to Aanchal about collecting stories, specifically women’s stories, and the …

1
Salma 13:55

1+ y ago13:55

13:55

Salma is a Tamil author, poet, politician and activist. Her novel மனாமியங்கள் published in 2017 was translated to English by Meena Kandasamy and published as Women, Dreaming. The book takes you into the inner world of women, women who have little opportunity to experience the world outside. Salma spoke to us of the escape books have provided, her d…

1
Mishti 2:48

1+ y ago2:48

2:48

Where do you find those moments of sweet solitude? Adrija shares some of hers. Thanks to Adrija for sharing her story with us! Thank you to Adrijia recording this conversation. This episode was edited and produced by Samyuktha Varma. Our Lead Producer is Menaka Raman. Our Sound producer is Yashwanth Vinay. Our Associate Producer is Ashrita Achar. C…

1
Unfurling 8:07

1+ y ago8:07

8:07

From hostel gates to Chamanlal: two women talk about their night outs in college. A weekly ritual that begins with deciding where to go and that ends with an unfurling on the dance floor. Thanks to Yashaswini and Priyadarshini. Priyadarshini Gogoi was a guest producer on the episode. Ashrita Achar edited and produced this episode. Menaka Raman is o…

1
Maradona 13:50

1+ y ago13:50

13:50

For some women, their world is confined to what lies inside the four walls of their home and their dreams to what others tell them they can and cannot do. A son looks back on his mother’s love for sport and the moment it found expression in a neighbour’s home, and the victories and defeats which became a metaphor for her own unsung talents and miss…

1
Shrayana Bhattacharya 12:37

1+ y ago12:37

12:37

Literature has always been a source of joy and inspiration for us at City of Women and we wanted to find a way to express that love. We bring to you a new kind of episode in which we talk to and hear from authors about certain moments in their books that explore how women inhabit the cities they live in. In this episode we hear from Shrayana Bhatta…

1
Cadets 11:53

1+ y ago11:53

11:53

Freezing water, bathrooms from hell and bras designed to torture. Being a part of the National Cadet Corps isn’t fun and games. But there’s also camaraderie, exploration and certain kind of freedom. Two former cadets reminisce (and sing) about their NCC days. Thank you to Abhirami and Swarna for recording this conversation. This episode was edited …

1
Connections 33:48

2y ago33:48

33:48

At In the Field, we’re very interested in the debates around gender and work. We know that women face a number of constraints while running their businesses, and women are constantly strategizing on how to balance their domestic responsibilities while facing prejudice as women business owners. In this episode, we’re looking at how crucial social in…

1
Afternoon Delight 7:47

2+ y ago7:47

7:47

A summer afternoon, a terrace and laundry = Afternoon Delight. City of Women is created and produced by Vaaka Media. Find us on Instagram at @cityofwomenpodcast or on Twitter @thecityofwomen

1
Bus 618 7:51

2+ y ago7:51

7:51

How many round trips can a woman take before people notice and take offence? Today on City of Women Minis: Bus 618. City of Women is created and produced by Vaaka Media. Find us on Instagram at @cityofwomenpodcast or on Twitter @thecityofwomen

1
Puppy Shame 2:50

2+ y ago2:50

2:50

Can a lifetime of insecurities and shame disappear in 10 seconds? Today on City of Women Minis: Puppy Shame. City of Women is created and produced by Vaaka Media. Find us on Instagram at @cityofwomenpodcast or on Twitter @thecityofwomen

1
First Class 1:27

2+ y ago1:27

1:27

‘Such’ things don’t happen in First class. Or don’t they? Today on City of Women Minis: First Class. City of Women is created and produced by Vaaka Media. Find us on Instagram at @cityofwomenpodcast or on Twitter @thecityofwomen

1
Ep Swap: Brown Bad Boys from Other Men Need Help 20:45

2+ y ago20:45

20:45

If the City of Women ever had a pod sibling, we think it would be Other Men Need Help, an award-winning podcast that playfully looks at how men present themselves to the world, and what's underneath. Presenting Brown Bad Boys, one of our most favorite episodes from Season 2 of Other Men Need Help. Other Men Need Help is executive produced, hosted, …

1
Chaperone 3:07

2+ y ago3:07

3:07

A woman recounts going to the cinema, with and without a chaperone. A double bill. Today on City of Women Minis: Chaperone. City of Women is created and produced by Vaaka Media. Find us on Instagram at @cityofwomenpodcast or on Twitter @thecityofwomen

1
Night Cycling 1:15

2+ y ago1:15

1:15

An empty street. A light breeze. A woman and her bicycle. Today on City of Women Minis: Night Cycling. City of Women is created and produced by Vaaka Media. Find us on Instagram at @cityofwomenpodcast or on Twitter @thecityofwomen

1
Presenting City of Women Minis 0:58

2+ y ago0:58

0:58

Sometimes, you aren’t in the mood for full meals. Presenting City of Women minis: short episodes you can listen to in the time it takes to eat a momo. Episodes release really soon - subscribe now!

1
Founders - Dreams 25:06

3y ago25:06

25:06

In our final episode of Founders, we talk about the economics of female entrepreneurship and what it takes to make a dream come to life. Is it having a single-minded focus on the goal? Is it financial independence? Or is it the ability to say no - because in the end your entrepreneurial dream is yours alone? In the rollercoaster ride of entrepreneu…

1
Founders - Interruptions 24:18

3y ago24:18

24:18

If there’s a word that’s often used to characterise women’s careers it is “interruption”. Starting a business interrupts “life” too. It’s a big disruptive interruption that challenges what many see are the natural order of things for women - getting a steady job, earning a safe and regular income, and the idea of being settled. In this episode we a…

1
Founders - Plans 21:24

3y ago21:24

21:24

In the first episode of Founders we set the stage by exploring how women are positioned in the economy and in society. When we try to wrap our heads around the challenges women face to participate in the workforce, entrepreneurship can come across as one of the hardest paths a woman could choose. Grit and sacrifice is very normalized in the stories…

1
Founders - Trailer 3:21

3y ago3:21

3:21

Have you ever thought about how women are positioned in the economy? Two stories dominate discussions about India’s female labourforce: the low rates of female labour force participation, but also the fact that women make up a significant proportion of small businesses in India ! How do we make sense of these two stories - falling female labourforc…

1
Props 36:57

3+ y ago36:57

36:57

A slash of lipstick. A certain bag. Shoes. A book. Props come in all shapes and sizes. We use them when we step out to say something about ourselves, to shield ourselves to signal to others who we are. In this episode, we draw upon our shared experiences and those of the women we know, to tell two interconnected stories about props both animate and…

1
Fights 23:02

3+ y ago23:02

23:02

Have you ever had a fight on the street? As a pedestrian, a driver, a commuter on public transport? What triggered you? Maybe you were already having a bad day. Maybe it was one more motorist going the wrong way on a one way street. Maybe your personal space was being invaded and you decided you just weren’t going to have it anymore. In this episod…

1
An Anthology of Women's Laughter 1:46

3+ y ago1:46

1:46

Hi Everyone! We’re not releasing an episode this week, because, well, this is going to be a crazy week. We thought we would leave you with a small taste of an ongoing side project that we’re calling “An Anthology of Women's Laughter”. We’ll be back next week with the regular episode. City of Women is written and produced by Radhika Viswanathan and …

1
Guts 27:04

3+ y ago27:04

27:04

‘You’ve got guts yaaa!’ How many times have you been called gutsy or brave for doing something… well normal? An early morning run alone? A solo trip? Moving to a new city? Are they acts of bravery? Or are they normal things that get cast as brave because you’re a woman doing it? And what about all the times you did these things and… nothing bad hap…

1
Kaalavastha - Resilience 30:24

3+ y ago30:24

30:24

Across the world, there is a space where the battle against COVID -19 rages. This frontline of the pandemic is the local government, which faces an unprecedented challenge. So what’s happening at Kerala’s frontline? This is the final episode of Kaalavastha, our 6 part series on Kerala, climate change and the meaning of resilience.Thanks to Jose Sha…

1
Dicks 21:52

3+ y ago21:52

21:52

[Trigger Warning] How often have you been walking down the street, running an errand or riding the bus when you see something… and you do a double take. Your eyes keep going back to it and your brain goes into overdrive: ‘Is that what I think it is?’ Yes, it’s exactly what you think it is. Long before we got unsolicited dick picks in our DMs and in…

1
Movies 24:33

3+ y ago24:33

24:33

Whether you mass bunked to catch a first day first show or snuck off alone to escape real life for a few hours, movies have always been a form of escape. In this very first episode of City of Women, we ask what it is about the cinema that makes women feel so free. Written and produced by Radhika Viswanathan and Samyuktha Varma. Our Associate Produc…

1
Kaalavastha - Fabric, Folklore and Fish 30:29

3+ y ago30:29

30:29

Kerala’s economy relies heavily on things that are native and unique to it - its natural resources, its traditions and heritage. In this episode we look at efforts to build resilience into the livelihoods of the people of Kerala and at some of its prominent traditional sectors. In their rebuilding, lies Kerala's future. The Kaalavastha miniseries i…

1
Kaalavastha - Taking people along 29:58

3+ y ago29:58

29:58

As Kerala today thinks about how to reduce its reliance on remittances, and on how to revive the economy after the COVID-19 crisis, agriculture is one place where many say there is huge potential. But reorienting this is no easy task.Thanks to Mr DK Singh, Suma Vishnudas, Viju B and Vinayak Ghatate. The Kaalavastha miniseries is brought to you by t…

1
Kaalavastha - Two Flows 32:44

3+ y ago32:44

32:44

In Kerala resilience has been a part of the conversation for quite a while before it became the word we all seem to be talking about. So, given its head start, what is Kerala doing to keep the well from going dry? In this episode, we explore how new efforts to build Kerala’s resilience are focussing on it’s two most important resources, rivers and …

1
Kaalavastha - If a river doesn't flood, it isn't a river 24:24

3+ y ago24:24

24:24

The 2018 floods were called once in a century floods - because in people’s memory, there was only flood before it that had marked so many lives, the flood of 1924. But when the state flooded again in 2019, many asked, why this was happening again? Why was the once in a lifetime flood back with a vengeance in less than a year? In this episode we fin…

1
Kaalavastha - It starts with a drought 25:58

3+ y ago25:58

25:58

Kerala has been marked by devastating floods in 2018 and 2019. But the state has been experiencing the effects of climate change for much longer. Scientists talk about 2015 as a sort of turning point. In this episode, we explore where and how people began noticing the changes. Thanks to Professor Abhilash, Harichandan Arakali, Sreedevi Pillai, Sobh…

1
Kaalavastha - trailer 5:22

3+ y ago5:22

5:22

Welcome to Kaalavastha. A word which conjures so many things in Malayalam: clouds, climate, the weather. In this 6 part series, we dive deep into God’s Own Country, past romantic ideas about rivers and mountains and the rain to find out what kind of relationship Kerala’s people have with their environment? And what will have to change as they learn…

1
Announcing a new miniseries on the environment and resilience 2:15

3+ y ago2:15

2:15

Announcing a new series on In the Field. The story of a state, the story of the weather, and the story of a people, chronicled over six episodes. Kaalavastha drops later this week on this feed. Subscribe now to In the Field if you haven’t already!By Vaaka Media

1
Design with people 40:03

3+ y ago40:03

40:03

In this season we have explored how organisations are designing collaborative approaches to address different kinds of social problems and in different sectors. All the organisations we have spoken to talk about understanding the needs of their users, about co-creating solutions with them, and about humility. In this episode we exploring how to bui…

1
It’s a mindset, it’s a skill, it’s a practice 25:27

4y ago25:27

25:27

When you think of the word disruption, you would think of something unexpected, that came in and completely changed the way you lived. But disruption in the development sector looks very different. In this episode we explore design. The organisations we speak to have different approaches, operate in different domains, and are at different points in…

1
Collaboration as a way of being 25:34

4y ago25:34

25:34

We are now less than ten years away from 2030, that’s the year we are meant to have achieved the Sustainable Development Goals. How close are we to achieving these goals ? The crises we face today in the world do not change the problems we’ve committed to solving like ending poverty and eradicating hunger, ensuring access to clean water and ensurin…

1
"We want to hear from you." 20:56

4y ago20:56

20:56

ITF is back! In this mid-series episode we want to talk about how non-profits are dealing with the pandemic and we ask a few of our friends and colleagues about what they’ve been experiencing. Right now we have more questions than answers, but here are a few things we want to share. We also want to hear from you, our listeners, about how you have b…

1
Introducing Sea Change Season Two 2:20

4y ago2:20

2:20

Sea Change is back. In season 2, join us as we catch up with the curators of the societal platform approach and meet new organisations as they apply the principles of collaborative thinking and network effects to their work. We learn about what happens when organizations working in agriculture, education, finance and health transform their processe…

1
Trailer - City of Women 4:55

4y ago4:55

4:55

In City of Women, we explore the calculated strategies, backdoor negotiations, and often absurd lengths women go to have fun and feel free in their city. Every Indian woman knows that being out in the city comes with rules - rules that determine who gets to be where and what you can and can’t do. But this show is not about those rules. It’s about h…

1
“You get scale and pace at the price of building decision making structures and trust.” 37:40

5y ago37:40

37:40

The past decade has seen a proliferation of movements all over the world. Fighting for everything from racial equality, to end authoritarianism and corruption, for struggling farmers, for climate action, for net neutrality and to end sexual harassment. At the very heart of societal change very often, lies the NGO, that works alongside these movemen…

1
"The five-year old will say OK, let’s stop eating seafood." 35:58

5y ago35:58

35:58

In part two of our two parter on sustainability, climate change and consumption, we’re going find out about our relationship to the things we love - Like fish, coffee, travelling. These are things that are frequently talked about in relation to high consumption lifestyles, the kind that make climate change worse. We all know that sustainable produc…

1
"Fishing is a hunter's job" 31:25

5y ago31:25

31:25

In this special two-parter we’re talking about sustainability and consumption. And we’re starting with a story about fish, to understand how the twin forces, climate change and our ravaging consumption, are depleting the oceans. This is a story about a system of production that is in desperate need of rescue. At the heart of it are the fish themsel…

1
"The hardship takes a toll, you know." 41:29

5y ago41:29

41:29

Worklife in India has many elements to it, and we see the whole gamut of experiences in India from workers working with little or no welfare to more privileged workers, and increasingly all of us are working more and for longer. How do we get to a point where we can experience the best possible version of worklife, where the worker has more power i…

1
Bonus Episode: Education as a right in India 14:32

5y ago14:32

14:32

Welcome to this very special bonus episode of In the Field. Stay tuned for our next In the Field episode, coming very soon. This episode is brought to you by Indus Action (www.indusaction.org), an organization working on a very specific tenet of the Right to Education Act - they’re trying to improve the way affirmative action is implemented in Indi…

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