Wings

For years you work hard to face the ‘big moment.’ The moment arrives, you come out as a winner, years of commitment and perseverance has paid off. But the next moment brings in a surprise - a crash, a collapse! It’s back to square one. How does one reconcile with such realities? How does one pick up the threads and recover from setbacks? What are the internal and external forces supporting this ri...

Conversations can be formal and structured with a specific agenda and outcome in mind. On the other hand, they can be informal and exploratory based on the underlying energy felt by those conversing. The latter could involve varied subjects such as friendship, family, work, travel and all that is meaningful and precious. Why do connections matter to me? How can conversations help me forge rich con...

Role transitions is a feature of life be it in personal, professional or social spaces and is important for one’s growth. It often involves a complex web of relationships, responsibilities, boundaries, power, authority, choices and constraints. All this is further anchored in a socio-cultural context as well as personal dreams and aspirations based on the stage of one’s life. How are role transiti...

Gender based roles practiced over several generations and centuries has created a society with certain structure, order and continuity. On the flip side, the “should’s & must’s” of such a society, held as non-negotiable, have unleashed dysfunctional sides of power, authority and control. In India, this has further exacerbated processes of discrimination and denial, with women, urban and rural,...

Today, India stands at a confluence of a rich past, an industrious present and a bright future, with all its underlying paradoxes. Those engaged in the freedom struggle envisioned a nation with goals that were focused inwards. The next generation strengthened this foundation in context of a globalised world. And, the current generation is building on this momentum of internal integration and exter...

For many people, a lot happens in their 30’s. It’s a decade marked by expansion in almost all realms of one’s life. Marriage, children, caregiving, workplace responsibilities, social obligations .… there is action on all fronts. It’s an intense phase in exploration of identities, roles, purpose and commitments. Being married for few years, should I have children now? How do I raise a child in a wo...

A childhood filled with love & care at home and camaraderie at school shapes a mind that seeks harmony and justice at all times. It fosters aspirations based on acceptance of the ‘as-is’ in order to create value for everyone. Its nemesis however is a utilitarian world that’s designed as a give-and-take, win-lose game, a world where real faces are often hidden behind masks. Being guarded, holdi...

Poor literacy rates amongst children, especially girls, is one of the primary reasons behind socio-economic inequities in India. It sets in motion a life long experience of discrimination, denial and deprivation for the girl child that impacts much of her adult life in terms of identity and choices. Providing access to education and knowledge through reading, a source of primary learning, will go...

Over the last two decades India has seen rapid urbanisation resulting in social, cultural, economic and ecological dilemmas for today’s young Indians. One seems to be getting lost in the din of everyday life where emotional safety of a joint family is giving way to a nuclear family and its nuances. Fond memories of summer vacations with a ‘gang of cousins’ at grandmas home seems to be a dream from...

Women participation in the Indian Armed Forces is a relatively recent phenomena. There are very few women who consider army as their first career choice.  What are the challenges of navigating such a career? In the process, what if she finds a marriage partner within the army but from a different religious faith? How does she integrate the diversity in faith & values within her immediate and e...

Riding on the successes of earlier generations, today, many Indians are migrating to other countries to build their careers and lives. Such migrations are imbued, in general, with challenges of inclusion, understanding and acceptance and, in specific, when the situation involves a cross-cultural, inter-faith marriage. What role does forgiveness, reconciliation and love play in such situations? Wha...

Toxic marriages are a global reality that largely remain unacknowledged with women often finding themselves at the receiving end. In India, fortunately, the subject has received due attention especially in metros and few other cities. Women are making conscious choices to find ways out of their married lives that have broken beyond repair. But what if there are children involved in a separation pr...

In this BTS episode, show producers and creators Asha & Milind Agnihotri go down the memory lane on what happened behind the scenes in making of Wings podcast. They share their personal experiences, joyous and nervous moments, in putting together 75 guest episodes aired each Friday over 3 Seasons, since 7 January 2022. They also give a sneak peek into Season 4 of the podcast which is currently...

In this episode of Wings Podcast we will meet Anushree Nande a Mumbai-born writer, editor, and publishing professional who has studied and worked in England, Spain, and the US. Her fiction, creative non-fiction, poetry, football writing, literary essays and articles have been published in various online & print journals and magazines. She has published three collections: a micro-fiction titled...

In this episode of Wings Podcast we will meet Gautami Deshpande from Mumbai who recently finished her Master's in Biochemistry and is now planning to pursue her Ph. D.  She is a professional classical dancer in Odissi with a formal training and practice of over 17 years, having done her ‘Manchpravesh’ in 2019. Gautami has performed in several shows and recently did a Japan Tour with her dance...

In this episode of Wings Podcast we will meet Natasha Ralkar Ghate, a Chartered Accountant with a Masters in Global Marketing management from Boston University, US. She currently works as a Brand Manager and Business Development Executive in a startup marketing agency. “For 25 years I was first and foremost a daughter to the most wonderful parents who made me believe that I can achieve anything an...

In this episode of Wings Podcast we will meet Kunal Khanna. Born into the mad-hum in Mumbai, raised amongst the monkeys and mountains of Panchgani and made independent in an adulthood in Australia, Kunal has returned back to his roots running a permaculture farm and developing ALT EFF to become a catalyst for environmental change. He started his career as an economist but his true passion lies in...

In this episode of Wings Podcast we will meet Rajnikant Mendhe from Nagpur, working since 2018 as a primary school teacher at the Zilla Parishad (ZP) school in Gorhe Budruk , a village located on the banks of Mutha river in Haveli Taluka of Pune district. Rajnikant started his career as a primary school teacher in 2010 at  Chandar , an Adivasi village located amidst the Sahyadri mountains. 'R...

In this episode of Wings Podcast we will meet Naina Dargan, a dubbing artist for Doordarshan at the age of 10, a choreographer and cheerleader for the IPL Cricket Team - Delhi Daredevils at 14, a primary school teacher at 21, a graduate from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi where she studied Philosophy and now a student of acting at the prestigious Film and Television Institute of India. Naina has wor...

In this episode of Wings Podcast we will meet Ryesh Venkatraman, a professional youth football coach with nearly a decade of experience across some of India's premier football clubs and academies. He has coached Bengaluru FC's youth academy and FC Bengaluru United to win major youth leagues across the country. He has also led strategic partnerships with European Clubs that include Paris...

In this episode of Wings Podcast we will meet Sumedh Ghaisas who lives in London and since 2018 works as a research engineer at DeepMind , a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc. His work focuses on AI research at the intersection of arts, culture and science with a goal to improve everyday life. In addition to this heady day job, Sumedh is helping his parents in building and nurturing some timeless experie...

In this episode of Wings Podcast we will meet Dr. Sanjeevani Joshi, an Auyurvedic medicine practitioner from Nivendi, a small village located along the Konkan coast in Ratnagiri District of Maharashtra. She practices under her own brand ‘Swasthyadaa’ which operates at the intersection of contemporary medicine, ayurveda and modern dietary science. “Human body and mind is designed to operate in a pe...

In this episode of Wings Podcast we will meet Vibhav Mariwala a historian and anthropologist who enjoys exploring cities and the sea. An avid reader and writer, he spends his free time curating heritage walks, exploring marine forts around Mumbai and collecting rare books & maps. Vibhav works in policy research and writes columns on Indian political economy, culture and history. He graduated f...

In this episode of Wings Podcast we will meet Dr. Chaitrali Gundawar, a Paediatric Orthopaedic Surgeon who is passionate about her professional work whilst being equally committed to her ‘me time’ moments. This includes her unabashed love for cooking, dancing and being surrounded with friends, be it in-person or online. “Cooking helps me unwind from the most hectic work day and dancing adds flavou...

In this episode of Wings Podcast we will meet Tanvi Jain, an aspiring Film Producer and content specialist who currently works for a leading Bollywood Production House. Hailing from the temple city of Ujjain, Tanvi completed her Master's in International Film Business from the London Film School. She has been working with writers to develop stories for Films and Television Series, most of whi...