What's new today artwork

What's new today

311 episodes - English - Latest episode: 4 days ago - ★★★★★ - 1 rating

This is a kids and family podcast - where parents and children can listen together. In each episode, a child from anywhere in the world chats with the host (Sangeetha from India). They discuss recent science discoveries, changing technologies, curious facts about animals and birds, how football, cricket and sports are evolving, what's up with global warming and even why countries fight wars. In each episode, they discuss one current event and unearth trivia & riddles about science, sports or even business. Snappy, witty and engaging.

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Episodes

S2 E70: 20 questions: How do people sail solo in a race to circumnavigate the globe (as part of the Golden Globe Race)

March 25, 2024 00:30 - 20 minutes - 13.8 MB

There are sailors who boldly sail into the Southern Ocean and brave the winds and the waves. They do it all by themselves. This is part of a race called the Golden Globe Race (GGR), which tests the mettle of the best of sailors. In its most recent edition, Kirsten Neuschafer from South Africa became the first woman to win (or even complete) the race. Closely behind her was Abhilash Tomy (a former naval officer from India). Abhilash was also the first Indian to complete the race. The persiste...

S2 E69: Who were the 'Original Nine' that helped change the tide in women's tennis

March 19, 2024 01:30 - 14 minutes - 10.1 MB

This is an #EqualPayDay story. Tennis is one of the few major sports where men and women get equal pay. For that, we have nine women tennis players from the 1970s to thank for. What did Billie Jean King and eight of her friends do, in 1970? This is the story of how they went ahead and set up their own tournament Virginia Slims Circuit in defiance of the Grand Slam (& other big league) organisers. They demanded equal pay. In 1973, the US Open buckled under pressure and gave in. The rest is h...

S2 E68: 20 Questions Game: Can man-made stuff outweigh living creatures?

March 12, 2024 05:30 - 16 minutes - 11.5 MB

In a recent article published in the Scientific American, scientists compared the weight of everything that man has made, with the weight of all life on earth. This exercise was repeated many times over from 1900 onwards and a trend emerged. The opening lines of the article summarises this trend - "The sheer scale of buildings, infrastructure and other anthropogenic objects underscores our impact on the planet". Scientists have also found something rather unnerving about the impact of plast...

S2 E67: Select stories - How someone set a record for 104 marathons

March 08, 2024 09:30 - 7 minutes - 5.11 MB

Jacky Hunt Broersma is a cancer survivor. This led to one of her legs being amputated. With a prosthetic leg, she first began to jog a little every day and gradually built up her stamina. Before she knew, she had run her first ever marathon. Over the next few years, she set a world record. Run 104 marathons in 104 consecutive days. This is a short excerpt from a previous recording in Season 1. If you are aged 7-15 and would like to come and speak on this show, please register here.  Do you...

S2 E66: 20 Questions: Which artifact related to football (soccer) will soon be going up for auction

March 04, 2024 15:30 - 20 minutes - 13.9 MB

A piece of football (or soccer) artifact is soon to go up for auction. It is a piece that will go down as marking one of the pivotal points in soccer history. What are we talking point? Listen on to find out more Co-hosts: Devansh (4th grader) from Kolkata and Arjun (5th grader) from Mumbai To support our team and donate generously, please click here Do you like to read stories? Read our newsletters here Get Whatsapp alerts here Follow us on Instagram Email your comments at hello@ws...

S2 E66: 20 Questions Game: Which artifact related to football (soccer) will soon be going up for auction

March 04, 2024 15:30 - 20 minutes - 13.9 MB

A piece of football (or soccer) artifact is soon to go up for auction. It is a piece that will go down as marking one of the pivotal points in soccer history. What are we talking point? Listen on to find out more Co-hosts: Devansh (4th grader) from Kolkata and Arjun (5th grader) from Mumbai To support our team and donate generously, please click here Do you like to read stories? Read our newsletters here Get Whatsapp alerts here Follow us on Instagram Email your comments at hello@ws...

S2 E65: 20 Questions: Typing vs Writing - is there a difference in how the brain behaves

February 26, 2024 13:30 - 14 minutes - 10.3 MB

A group of researchers in Norway observed the brain patterns of students who wrote vs students who typed. The content was the same in both cases. However, their brain patterns displayed many differences.  Discover what these differences were by listening to the full episode. Co-hosts: 9-year old Rusheel and 10-year old Saatvik from Mumbai, India Donate and support our team by clicking here If you are a child and would like to come on this show, please register here. We have a  short selec...

S2 E65: Human Science - How do children learn when they type vs write?

February 26, 2024 13:30 - 14 minutes - 10.3 MB

A group of researchers in Norway observed the brain patterns of students who wrote vs students who typed. The content was the same in both cases. However, their brain patterns displayed many differences.  Discover what these differences were by listening to the full episode. Co-hosts: 9-year old Rusheel and 10-year old Saatvik from Mumbai, India Donate and support our team by clicking here If you are a child and would like to come on this show, please register here. We have a  short selec...

S2 E64: Science - Why is the sea blue? A question that led to a Nobel Prize!

February 23, 2024 09:30 - 9 minutes - 6.79 MB

Sir C.V.Raman was traveling aboard a ship that was crossing the Atlantic. It was his first trip across the Mediterranean Sea and its colours sparkled in front of him. Standing there he pondered why the sea was blue. The experiments he did to find out the answer to this question led him to discover the 'Raman Effect', which later led to a Nobel Prize. This is a kids and family podcast episode, so you can safely assume that this episode is 'Science Simplified for Dummies'. It is also a 'Basic...

S2 E63: 20 Questions Game: Who was the spy caught by India and later released?

February 19, 2024 10:30 - 17 minutes - 11.8 MB

Recently, Indian authorities released a spy who had been kept in detention for over 8 months. This spy was suspected to act on behalf of the Chinese. Later, the spy was found to be innocent and was released. Who was this spy? Why was this spy released? That is what our 2 participants in this episode have to find out. It's an exciting and thrilling story, for adventure lovers! Co-hosts today: Rusheel (9 yrs old) and Saatvik (10 yrs old) from Mumbai, India Recommended by our co-host Saatvik...

S2 E62: Sports: Rohan Bopanna world's oldest No. 1 in Men's doubles; Sinner youngest ever to win an Australian open

February 15, 2024 23:30 - 13 minutes - 9.68 MB

It was a weekend of records in the world of tennis. Rohan Bopanna was ranked No. 1 in Men's Doubles.  This makes him the oldest to have been ranked No. 1. At the grand age of 43, when many others slow down and often retire from the game, Bopanna seems to only get fitter and stronger.  The same weekend, a young Jannik Sinner from Italy won the Australian Open Men's singles title at the age of 22, making him the youngest to win this title. More than 50 years had passed since an Italian had w...

S2 E61: The Great Backyard Bird Count (part 2) - about birds wandering off track, bird superpowers and a world without birds

February 12, 2024 07:30 - 16 minutes - 11.6 MB

In this episode, which is the second part 2 of our podcast series on the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC), we chat with the Project Head of GBBC from Cornel Lab of Ornithology (Becca Rodomsky Bish) and three children - Shravan, Taanvi and Adya. They chat about (a) what would happen if there were no birds (b) how do you count birds in a flock (c) what bird would they rather be - migratory or static? The GBBC in 2024 is to be held from 16-19 Feb. Apps to download to participate in the even...

S2 E60: The Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) is here! (part 1)

February 08, 2024 23:30 - 15 minutes - 10.5 MB

The Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) doesn't come our way everyday. But birds do. If you love observing birds, or are curious about them, or even just love to paint or draw pictures of birds - here's an event that you can be a part of. An event where the input of each one of us from around the world can help conserve bird species and populations. One of the three organisations that puts together the GBBC is the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. This episode was recorded in 2023, when the Project ...

S2 E59: 20 questions Game: Dogs in an Italian town are getting their DNA tested - Why?

February 04, 2024 23:30 - 13 minutes - 9.62 MB

In a town in Italy, all dog owners have to pay 65 euros to the city corporation. This is to get their dog's DNA tested. Why is this being mandated? Three children (4th grader Smyan, 4th grader Dhruv and 8th grader Aadya) ask the host Sangeetha questions, to decipher why dogs in this Italian city are being tested. Loved the show? To support us, please click here Want to listen to more episodes on this channel? 3 recommended episodes (a) How video game characters started to feature more fem...

S2 E59: Ask me questions: Why are dogs in an Italian town getting their DNA tested?

February 04, 2024 23:30 - 13 minutes - 9.62 MB

In a town in Italy, all dog owners have to pay 65 euros to the city corporation. This is to get their dog's DNA tested. Why is this being mandated? Three children (4th grader Smyan, 4th grader Dhruv and 8th grader Aadya) ask the host Sangeetha questions, to decipher why dogs in this Italian city are being tested. Loved the show? To support us, please click here Want to listen to more episodes on this channel? 3 recommended episodes (a) How video game characters started to feature more fem...

S2 E58: Ask me questions: To improve attendance in schools, what one district in Ohio wants to do

February 01, 2024 23:30 - 16 minutes - 11.2 MB

In one district in Ohio, the public school students have recorded high rates of absenteeism. So the district government has proposed a new policy. What is this policy? Three children (4th grader Smyan, 4th grader Dhruv and 8th grader Aadya) ask the host Sangeetha questions, to decipher what the new policy is. Loved the show? To support us, please click here Want to listen to more episodes on this channel? 3 recommended episodes (a) How video game characters started to feature more female ...

S2 E58: 20 questions Game: School attendance is falling - what trick one Ohio district wants to do

February 01, 2024 23:30 - 16 minutes - 11.2 MB

In one district in Ohio, the public school students have recorded high rates of absenteeism. So the district government has proposed a new policy. What is this policy? Three children (4th grader Smyan, 4th grader Dhruv and 8th grader Aadya) ask the host Sangeetha questions, to decipher what the new policy is. Loved the show? To support us, please click here Want to listen to more episodes on this channel? 3 recommended episodes (a) How video game characters started to feature more female ...

S2 E57: India's tricolour flag (part 2) - Interesting stories about the man who designed the flag

January 29, 2024 11:30 - 12 minutes - 8.66 MB

The man who designed India's tricolour flag - Pingali Venkaiyya is one of India's forgotten heroes. He joined the army under the British rule. He was a trained geologist. He also taught agriculture at a college. He was a polyglot who could learn and speak many languages with great ease and fluency. This episode has loads of trivia on Pingali Venkaiyya - one of India's greatest freedom fighters. He was a man who understood the importance of a flag as a symbol of a country's identity. He was s...

S2 E56: India's tricolour flag (part 1) - How different was India's flag? Stories behind how it changed

January 24, 2024 18:30 - 14 minutes - 9.92 MB

The tricolour Indian flag with the Ashok Chakra has a pride of place in India's Republic Day celebrations. But the  Indian flag was not always like this. How different was it during India's freedom struggle? Listen to the full episode to find out more. Co-host: Taksh Solanki, 3rd grader from Aspee Nutan Academy, Mumbai (India) To join our book review of next month, please click here If you loved this episode and would like to donate to us, to help us produce more such shows, please click ...

S2 E55: Space news - Peregrine lander may fail and how this affects NASA's Mission Artemis

January 22, 2024 09:30 - 16 minutes - 11.5 MB

Man may want to build a settlement on the moon. This is no longer the stuff of science fiction, but already a reality that space agencies are working towards. NASA's Mission Artemis is working towards building a community that can live on the moon. But it requires a lot of planning. One of the many steps includes a lander 'Peregrine' that was to land on the moon, and send important readings back to NASA. But that mission may not be successful. Peregrine is running out of fuel and will not be...

S2 E54: A fishing town in Iceland tried saving itself from a volcano

January 19, 2024 12:30 - 12 minutes - 8.95 MB

Iceland is famed not just for its ice, but also its fire. It's a land that sees volcanic eruptions once every four-five years. People of the land are hardy and used to these interruptions to daily life. But a fault line that had maintained volcanic silence for over 800 years (the last time it saw this kind of activity was around 1200AD) has made its presence felt. The people of a nearby fishing town (Grindavik) tried building lava barriers to protect themselves. But did this work? Could they...

S2 E53: Science discovery - Women used to hunt in ancient times and men also spent time gathering fruits and leaves

January 15, 2024 09:30 - 15 minutes - 10.7 MB

In the Stone Age, women were fine hunters and men were adept at collecting fruits. The myth that men did all the hunting and women gathered food was recently shattered by new scientific evidence. Archaeology, human studies and simple biology - explains it all! There was nearly 100% gender equality in society during the hunter-gatherer times. Recommended listen for 6-8 yrs: With parental assistance 9+: Independently 18+: Recommended Listen and Please share with friends & family Co-host: 10...

S2 E52: Panda bears are flying back to China - what does this mean for 'panda diplomacy'

January 12, 2024 00:30 - 11 minutes - 7.95 MB

For nearly 1400 years, China has had a tradition of gifting panda bears to countries it wants to establish friendly relations with. For example, in the 8th century AD, the Tang dynasty empress Wu Zeitan is credited with having gifted the Japanese emperor two panda bears from forests in China. This was a gesture of goodwill between the nations. While this tradition has continued across centuries, relations between the USA and China broke down soon after the second World War. How did things c...

S2 E51: Solving GCHQ Christmas Challenge - a puzzle for spies who love to break secret codes

January 08, 2024 13:30 - 15 minutes - 10.5 MB

Every year, GCHQ - an intelligence organisation based out of the UK, releases a Christmas puzzle. This is for children aged 11-18 to mull over the hints and crack the secret codes. In this episode, a 12-yr old joins the host and tries solving some of the puzzles released in the past few years. Listen to the episode and try solving the puzzle alongside us. To access the GCHQ 2023 Christmas puzzle, click here To access the SOLUTIONS to the GCHQ Christmas 2023 puzzle, click here. Support us ...

S2 E50: People of the Year (2023) - Zandile - the first South African Black to embrace oceans as a freediving instructor

December 22, 2023 10:30 - 14 minutes - 9.95 MB

Who would have thought that two-thirds of Planet earth remains a no-go for a lot of Black people? Zandile took up scuba diving and free diving and her folks asked her 'why do you want to do white people things?' This episode is a conversation with two primary schoolers - 3rd grader Nayra Maheshwari and 4th grader Smyan Shetty, from India. They explore ideas related to racism and segregation. To watch the video of Zandile free-diving, click here. Do you like to read stories? Read our news...

S2 E49: People of the Year 2023 - Sheetal Devi - the armless archer who defied all odds

December 21, 2023 15:30 - 16 minutes - 11.2 MB

As part of our Year-end Wrap up of 2023 series, this episode celebrates the life of a 16-year old archer who defied all odds and won medals for India (and continues to do so!). Sheetal Devi was born with a medical condition that did not allow her limbs (in her case, arms) to fully develop. How she overcame these odds and became an armless archer to win two gold medals for India at the recently held Asian Para Games in China, is a story that is bound to melt hearts. How does someone shoot an...

S2 E48: What was exciting, boring, interesting and saddening across countries, in 2023

December 18, 2023 09:30 - 18 minutes - 12.9 MB

The world population touched 8 billion. India replaced China as the most populous. Artificial Intelligence made breakthroughs that promised students much relief and writers much pain. The world was wrecked by conflicts - the continuation of the Ukraine war, the cold tensions between the US and China and the Israel Palestine conflict. What do these mean to today's children? What are their views on these events? Listen to the full episode to find out more. For full details of the History of t...

S2 E47: The story of the young black gymnast who stood up against racism and Gymnastics Ireland

December 15, 2023 10:30 - 8 minutes - 6.12 MB

In March 2022, a young black gymnast in Ireland was not given a medal she deserved thanks to her skin colour. Her parents called for an apology. Nothing happened for a full year. Soon, the video of this act of racism went viral. Her parents also tagged Simon Biles (the 4-time Olympic gold winning Gymnast from the USA) and asked her for help.  Simon was moved by what she saw and called out Gymnastics Ireland (the organisation that had hosted this event) for their racist attitude. She also se...

S2 E46: Space, science and tech - highlights of 2023 - much ado about humpback whales, VR goggles bringing smiles and spacecrafts taking off

December 11, 2023 14:30 - 23 minutes - 15.8 MB

The year of 2023 had its bright and shiny moments in space exploration, science discoveries and tech inventions. This episode focuses on two positive stories  - the return of the humpback whales (thanks to a ban on commercial whaling) AND the invention of VR goggles as treatment for lazy eye syndrome. A hurrah moment for young infants who can now deal with the treatment with greater ease and lesser pain and anxiety. Child co-hosts: Agastya (sixth grader from Mumbai) and Kiaansh (fifth grad...

S2 E45: Quiz on Thea Stilton and Geronimo Stilton and 3 book recommendations for young readers

December 08, 2023 08:30 - 31 minutes - 21.4 MB

As the year 2023 draws to a close, we bring to our young listeners a quiz on one of their favourite book series - Thea Stilton and Geronimo Stilton. Also, in this episode three young bookworms join us and share their book recommendations. Child co-hosts: Prakriti (almost '10' year old) from Mumbai, Isabelle (10-yr old) from Mumbai and Eesha (14-year old) from Chennai. To read the newsletter on the three books, please click here.   Recommended listen on how to write your own story - Epi 11...

S2 E44: Happy kidpod - How 41 workers trapped inside a tunnel were rescued

December 04, 2023 07:30 - 8 minutes - 5.7 MB

This is the happy story of how 41 construction workers who were stuck behind the debris of a collapsed tunnel in Himachal Pradesh got freed after a 17-day long ordeal. The army and air-force, a few massive drilling machines, a team of mountain experts and several doctors came to the rescue. But it was the valorous efforts of a few skilled miners who used the rat-hole method that helped in the final leg. Do you like to read stories? Read our newsletters here Get Whatsapp alerts here Follow ...

S2 E43: Why Saudi Arabia wants to host FIFA World Cups

November 30, 2023 23:30 - 14 minutes - 10.1 MB

Saudi Arabia will be hosting the FIFA World Cup in 2034. It has already started hosting F1 car racing tournaments on its roads. It is also hosting one of the world's largest professional golf tournaments - LIV Golf (this will be the largest outside of the US and Europe). Why has the country suddenly gone sports-crazy? Listen to the episode to find out why. Co-hosts in this episode: 8th graders - Raghav Sharma and Pragya Mishra from Bal Bharati Public School, Dwarka, Delhi, India Episodes ...

S2 E42: Kenya declares national holiday just to plant trees

November 27, 2023 08:30 - 13 minutes - 9.66 MB

Ever heard of a national leader saying that one of his goals is to plant 15 billion trees. If you have not, meet Kenya's President William Ruto. To meet his immediate goal of planting 100 million trees, he declared a national holiday. In a country of 50 million people, all it takes for a person is to plant 2-4 trees to get to the goal of 100 million trees. The government of Kenya also made available seeds for all these trees, free of cost, in its nurseries. People were free to plant any othe...

S2 E42: Happy kidpod - Kenya declares national holiday so all children and adults can go out and plant trees

November 27, 2023 08:30 - 13 minutes - 9.66 MB

Ever heard of a national leader saying that one of his goals is to plant 15 billion trees. If you have not, meet Kenya's President William Ruto. To meet his immediate goal of planting 100 million trees, he declared a national holiday. In a country of 50 million people, all it takes for a person is to plant 2-4 trees to get to the goal of 100 million trees. The government of Kenya also made available seeds for all these trees, free of cost, in its nurseries. People were free to plant any othe...

Wildlife Series: Part 9 - Rhinos saved by foresters and a villager called Jadav Payeng who turned a barren island into a forest

November 24, 2023 01:30 - 11 minutes - 7.92 MB

This is the last and final part of our Wildlife podcast series. There are two happy stories we talk about here - (A) How rhinos in eastern India have been saved from poachers by the vigilant members of the forest community, and (B) How one man single-handedly planted an entire forest with his own hands. Jadav Payeng never went to any fashionable academic institution to learn about ecology. He just felt that creating a forest was the right thing to do. Nobody told him that he was stark raving...

S2 E40: Quiz on Virat "King" Kohli & his record

November 20, 2023 07:30 - 26 minutes - 18.5 MB

In the most recent semi-finals between India and New Zealand, Virat Kohli scored his 50th century.  He broke the record for the highest number of centuries scored by any cricketeer in ODI (Sachin Tendulkar held the record previously). This episode is a quiz style podcast, with 5 children participating in a quiz on this cricketing legend 'Virat Kohli' or 'King Kohli' as he is sometimes called. Pit yourself against Aarush Jaiswal (7th grader from Indore), Devansh Bhojnagarwala (4th grader fro...

Wildlife Series: Part 8: The elephants that cross oceans and run away from tobacco - stories of Indian elephants

November 17, 2023 01:30 - 16 minutes - 11.4 MB

The British discovered the dense forests of Andaman and the lack of elephants there to pull these logs. How elephants got to the islands of Andaman and Nicobar is a theme we explore in this episode. Fourth grader Chandrika from Bengaluru, India also explores how man-human conflicts are slowly being reduced as part of Project Elephant.  To listen to the entire podcast series on India's wildlife, click here  Support the show Do you like to read stories? Read our newsletters here Get Whatsapp...

Wildlife Series: Part 8: The elephants that swam across oceans - stories of Indian elephants

November 17, 2023 01:30 - 16 minutes - 11.4 MB

The British discovered the dense forests of Andaman and the lack of elephants there to pull these logs. How elephants got to the islands of Andaman and Nicobar is a theme we explore in this episode. Fourth grader Chandrika from Bengaluru, India also explores how man-human conflicts are slowly being reduced as part of Project Elephant. To listen to the entire podcast series on India's wildlife, click here  Do you like to read stories? Read our newsletters here Get Whatsapp alerts here Fo...

Wildlife Series: Part 7 - The shocking story of vultures disappearing from our skies

November 13, 2023 02:30 - 14 minutes - 9.71 MB

Indian skies are full of crows, pigeons and sparrows. But vultures have collapsed in numbers from a few million to a few hundred in under a decade. Want to find out how? Listen to 8-yr old Advik (who reiterates that he is almost nine) and Smyan Shetty  explaining the why and how of this story. To listen to the entire podcast series on India's wildlife, click here  Do you like to read stories? Read our newsletters here Get Whatsapp alerts here Follow us on Instagram Email your comments...

Wildlife series: Part 6 - The fascinating lives of pugees (trackers) who count and save our lions

November 09, 2023 23:30 - 12 minutes - 8.64 MB

Forest trackers also called 'pugees' play an inimitable role in conserving India's forests. They can reconstruct whole events inside forests just by looking at the pugmarks. Listen to the full episode to find out how. The pugees play a crucial role in monitoring the health of wildlife and getting medical support as quickly as possible. This is a continuation of the previous episode (part 5) and our sprightly young co-host Chandrika joins us in this episode as well. Podcast cover art has bee...

Wildlife series: Part 5 - The Maharaja (king) who saved the Asiatic Lions from going extinct

November 09, 2023 22:30 - 12 minutes - 8.32 MB

The Asiatic lions had gone extinct in large parts of Central Asia. The last remnants were to be found in the forests of the princely states of Gujarat, in India. There were only a handful of these lions left (<20). The Nawab of Junagadh played a key role in protecting these lions from going extinct. Listen to this episode to find out how. Chandrika, a sprightly fourth-grader joins us in this episode, exploring India's success story in reviving the Asiatic lions. To listen to the entire pod...

Wildlife series: Part 4 - How tigers and villagers co-exist in forests, as part of Project Tiger

November 06, 2023 05:30 - 16 minutes - 11.5 MB

Project Tiger was launched in 1973 amidst the gloomy news that the tiger numbers had plummeted to a measly 1400 from a high of 40,000 in 1900. An Indian officer called Kailash Sankhala, also called the Tiger Man of India, pushed the case for a special protection plan for tigers. Thus was born Project Tiger. This was also around the same time when M.K.Ranjitsinh was helping  the Indian government draft one of the tightest wildlife protection acts - The Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. One of...

Wildlife Series: Part 3 - The astounding story of a tigress who was adopted by an forest officer

November 06, 2023 04:30 - 13 minutes - 9.28 MB

Tigers are either feared or hunted or both. Sometimes when they turn into man-eaters, they turn into the stuff of legends (and eventually give birth to stories such as the Man-eaters of Kumaon by Jim Corbett). This episode explores a different side of a tiger. The tiger can also be a creature that is careful, caring and considerate. There are instances of tigers being excellent friends of humans and being allowed to roam around freely in their presence.  Saroj Raj Chaudhury was a forest off...

Wildlife Series: Part 3 - Can tigers be good friends with humans?

November 06, 2023 04:30 - 13 minutes - 9.28 MB

Tigers are either feared or hunted or both. Sometimes when they turn into man-eaters, they turn into the stuff of legends (and eventually give birth to stories such as the Man-eaters of Kumaon by Jim Corbett). This episode explores a different side of a tiger. The tiger can also be a creature that is careful, caring and considerate. There are instances of tigers being excellent friends of humans and being allowed to roam around freely in their presence.  Saroj Raj Chaudhury was a forest off...

Wildlife Series: Part 2 - The men who saved the wildlife and forests of India

November 02, 2023 09:30 - 26 minutes - 18.6 MB

After the British left India in 1947, Indians were feeling mighty happy. But they also had to figure out how to build the country, grow more food and earn a lot of money. In the middle of all of this, if some poachers were killing tigers for their skins or rhinos for their horns - not many were paying attention to that. There were a handful of wildlife conservationists at that time, who did all they could - to first bring this to the attention of India's leaders. This episode covers three ...

Wildlife series: Part 1 - History of Hunting in British India

October 27, 2023 16:30 - 12 minutes - 8.98 MB

We begin our new podcast series on 'India's Wildlife' - tracing stories from before India became independent, right until 2023, when India tries to bring back the cheetah from extinction. In the first episode, we trace the hunting habits of Indian Maharajahs and the British posted in India. We look at how hunting helped or hurt the wildlife balance inside India's forests. Shambhavi Nautyal, a ninth-grader from Ahlcon Public School, joins us in this episode, sharing stories about hunting wa...

S2 E31: How a group of school children and teachers stuck between mountains in Pakistan were rescued

October 26, 2023 09:30 - 13 minutes - 9.24 MB

For a lot of us, going to school involves a walk around the corner, or a trip by a bus or a car. That is not the case for many children across the world. This is a real life story about a group of children who have to travel between two mountains to get to school and what happens when the cable car ferrying them gets stuck mid-air. This story has a happy ending. So worry not. Go ahead and give it a listen. An eighth grader - Temjentila, from Dimapur's Charis High school in Nagaland joins us...

S2 E30 - The origin of the Israel Palestine conflict and the backstories to this region

October 13, 2023 15:30 - 15 minutes - 10.8 MB

Palestine has an ancient history - going back many thousands of years. In this episode, we trace the stories of this region going back 3000 years, from the times of Moses right until now. The Jews were a dominant race in that region right until the Roman invasion. Soon after the birth of Jesus Christ, Christiantity gained favour and the Jews were a smaller share of the population. After the rule of the Romans and the Byzantine empire, the region is conquered by the Ottomans who then help spr...

S2 E30: The origin of the Israel Palestine conflict and the backstories to this region

October 13, 2023 15:30 - 15 minutes - 10.8 MB

Palestine has an ancient history - going back many thousands of years. In this episode, we trace the stories of this region going back 3000 years, from the times of Moses right until now. The Jews were a dominant race in that region right until the Roman invasion. Soon after the birth of Jesus Christ, Christiantity gained favour and the Jews were a smaller share of the population. After the rule of the Romans and the Byzantine empire, the region is conquered by the Ottomans who then help spr...

S2 E29: Science & Inventions: What connects a cow, a virus and the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 2023

October 09, 2023 09:30 - 13 minutes - 9.16 MB

Sharp needle pricks are not anyone's favourite - least of all, when the doctors force them upon us. Worse still is a vaccine injection that may or may not be followed by a bout of fever and illness before recovery comes our way. Who do we blame / credit for discovering vaccines in recent memory? Listen to the episode to find the story of Edward Jenner and the cowpox in his milkmaid. Also, listen to the episode to see what the Nobel winners of 2023 discovered that fascinates 12-year old Rhea...

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