Imagine India

Welcome to our special 4th anniversary edition of Imagine India podcast where our beloved host Shannon Olsson is the guest! Catch Shannon in an exclusive and heart-warming conversation with guest host, and Shannon's husband; Petter Olsson. We have heard Shannon talk as the Global Director & Founder on various occasions. But in this episode, we learn what drives her, her inspiration, and ho...

This month we have taken our Imagine India podcast 'on the road' in association with ECOBARI! Instead of speaking with our guests in their offices or studios, we have visited Akole taluka of Maharshtra to talk to Balu, who is a Senior Officer, Field Operation - Environment at Raintree Foundation. Balu has over 15 years of experience in the field of biodiversity conservation, climate change...

Martin Bech is Senior Advisor at the Danish Academy of Technical Sciences (ATV) where he is responsible for ATV’s international partnerships as well as the Academy’s focus on Technology for Sustainability. Listen to Martin and Shannon talk about the myriad possibilities that can come up from the Green Strategic partnership, a collaboration that India & Denmark entered into to engage in bilater...

Today's guest is a scholar, an award-winning researcher, a citizen scientist, a community advocate & the Executive Director of Well Labs. Veena is leading WELL Labs’ mission to transform scientific research into real-world impact by designing solutions that simultaneously create livelihoods and conserve the environment. In 2022, she was listed as one of the top-cited scientists in the worl...

2023 has been a great year for us at the Imagine India podcast series. We spoke with 10 lightbringers this year as they shared their vision for India and how they each want to contribute to make this country more sustainable, inclusive and resilient. In this episode listen to the 10 inspiring visions shared by our guests.

A farmer, a foodie, an animal lover, and an environmentalist, Marwan Abubaker has over 14 years of experience across agriculture, fish farming, and community services. Marwan talks to Shannon about recognizing and acknowledging waste pickers, creating awareness about waste management, and how society needs to work together to create a seamless circularity journey. Listen to the full episode and le...

Our guest this month is Jayashree Ratnam; Director of the Wildlife Biology and Conservation Program at the National Centre for Biological Sciences. Jayashree talks about how ecosystem conservation in the Indian landscape is like performing a carefully calculated triage. We need to do the best for the ecosystems we have left. Shannon and Jayasharee talk about training conservation students in India...

Our guest today is Jai Warrier, co-founder of Initiative for Climate Action and Zero to Positive. Jai is a founder, sustainability champion, climate action warrior, and one of the most empathetic person we have come across as part of our network. Listen to Jai and Shannon talk about the importance of climate action, the work his organisations are doing at ward level to make lives in cities more su...

Shannon Olsson talks to Leena Dandekar, co-founder and principal of the Raintree Family Office and Raintree Foundation. Leena is a strategist, a conscious investor, a philanthropist and a visionary. She focuses on tackling India’s chronic social issues through a combination of strategies all aimed at maximising impact. Listen to the two successful, empathetic, and mindful women talk about the Indi...

Immerse yourselves into this beautiful conversation about eating, appreciating & embracing local cuisine. Nayantara Menon Bagla is a Functional Nutrition Coach and Chef. After spending more than a decade in kitchens around the country, she is now focusing on building the narrative and solutions around longevity. Longevity of both people and the planet from the lens of food systems and human be...

Today's guest at the Imagine India podcast is Minhaj Ameen. Minhaj is an advisor, a catalyst for rural developement, an enabler for systems change, a champion for social impact and the Director of Strategic Operations, Finance and Administration of The Agroecology Fund (AEF). Minhaj speaks about the importance of communities of practice, and how important it is for people to find their calling...

Listen to our latest podcast at the Imagine India series. Today's guest is an award-winning filmmaker, a seeker, a game designer, and one of India's most fascinating thinkers: Anand Gandhi. A multi-faceted explorer, Anand has dabbled with philosophy, virtual reality, gaming, storytelling, and a lot more. In this wide-ranging conversation, Shannon and Anand discuss how to shift humanity’s f...

Today we have with us Abhayraj Naik. He is an educator, researcher, an advocate of climate justice, a visionary thinker, an erudite speaker, and the co-founder of Initiative for Climate Action. While many among us are fighting for the rights of people, it is not every day that we hear from someone who is fighting for the rights of the voiceless. All the work Abhayraj is associated with does in man...

This month the echo network has been talking and listening about your understanding of zerowaste lifestyle. As part of this conversation, we have with us for this month's podcast a very special guest, whose life's mission is to create awareness and action around waste management. Shobha Raghavan, Chief Operating Officer of Saahas Zero Waste is a dynamic & visionary leader who has '...

In this episode, Shannon Olsson talks to Ravi Chellam, CEO, Metastring Foundation, and the Co-ordinator of Biodiversity Collaborative. Ravi is an unwavering advocate for knowledge-based, inclusive, just, and participatory conservation of biodiversity in India especially of the Asiatic lions. He talks about the recent African Cheetah controversy, how we can better influence policymakers to bring ou...

This month we celebrate the 1-year anniversary of Imagine India podcast with the echo network team. Meet Digangana Mukherjee (Head of Communications), Tina Patrao (Head of Engagement), and Akshata Pradhan (Head of Insight) in a candid chat about their inspiration, a typical workday at the network, and the India they dream about and are working hard to make a reality.   Listen to this fun...

Our last podcast episode of the year is very special because we have with us Dr. Nimish Shah, who in many ways has been the brand ambassador for our network. Nimish is a thought leader, partnership builder, and influencer. He believed in our network from the beginning, and has been a trustworthy friend. Over the years Nimish had donned many hats and is currently Managing Director at the Internatio...

Our guest this month on the Imagine India podcast is Shloka Nath. Shloka is currently the Acting CEO, India Climate Collaborative, a first-of-its-kind collaborative working to accelerate climate action in India. Shloka talks about the 'loss & damage' effort at the COP27 Summit this year, and what it means for India. Shloka and Shannon also discuss what it means to be a women leader when one is...

Our guest for this episode is Uma Ramakrishnan. She is a Professor of Ecology and Evolution at NCBS TIFR and a dear friend of our network. Her research work revolves around the conservation, biogeography, and evolutionary origins of Indian species. Uma talks to Shannon about the importance of communicating science, her work with the big cats in India, emerging infectious diseases, the challenges f...

Our guest today is Dr. Prashanth NS, a scholar, a public health expert, an award-winning champion for indigenous communities, and a doting father. Prashanth leads the health equity cluster (research group) at IPH Bengaluru with broad interest in studying social determinants of health and health inequities, particularly the health of Adivasi (indigenous) populations. Prashanth talks to Shannon abou...

Today's guest at Imagine India podcast is Rajana Mani. Rajani is a documentary writer, director, and film editor. She is the co-founder of Elephant Corridor Films, an award-winning creative agency based in Bangalore. Rajani talks to Shannon about how she wants to be remembered; as someone who didn’t give up, who never stopped asking and learning, and never stopped sharing her knowledge and experie...

Listen to our latest podcast episode! Today we have with us a law partner, a founder, a builder, a dreamer, a father, and the co-founder of Initiative for Climate Action and the Bangalore Creative Circus - Mr. Ajay Raghavan. Ajay talks about how he is most happy when he can do little things to brighten people's lives, his passion to make this planet a better place to live has driven him to leave h...

Presenting our latest episode of Imagine India podcast. This time we have with us a visionary leader, a teacher, an entrepreneur, a brand architect, and the CEO of 24 Mantra Organic - Balasubramanian N. Bala talks about what drove him to empathise with the farmers of India, what he and his organisation are doing for the well-being of the farmers and how he sees India shape up as a country 10 years...

And we’re back again! This time we have with us an intriguing storyteller, an experienced editor, and a writer, with a passion for sustainable tourism. Neha Dara is Business Head at RoundGlass Sustain. She talks to Shannon about how she is enabling others to be respectful of nature and the living creatures around us, and the different ways in which every individual can enjoy nature and wildlife.

We're back with our newest episode! This time we have with us a visionary, an author, a public-policy expert, a father, a son, a young global leader - Dr. Arunabha Ghosh.  Arunabha is also the CEO of Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), one of Asia's leading policy research institutions. An accomplished orator, Arunabha advises government, industry, civil society, and internationa...