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The Quint

The Big Story is back with a second season!

The news culture of our times is noisy, crowded, and honestly so confusing. This is why we are coming every fortnight on your podcast platforms to help you make sense of the new and now. 

With two new hosts, Anjali and Prateek, the second season of The Big Story will feature longer and well-rounded discussions with experts across science, culture, technology, politics, and more. Tune in on your preferred podcast platform! 

Millions of listeners seek out Bingepods (Ideabrew Studios Network content) every day. Get in touch with us to advertise, join the network or click listen to enjoy content by some of India's top audio creators.
studio@ideabrews.com

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The Big Story

Cyclones are a characteristic feature of the Indian coastline and every year we see a few cyclones create severe damage to the east as well as the west coast. As we deal with the havoc left by Cyclone Biparjoy, on this episode of The Big Story, we want to understand what happens to the communities, people, and their livelihoods once they are rehabilitated. What does that process look like? What kind of mental health problems can come up? Are the long-term effects of cyclones properly understood and worked on? 

We also delve into the patterns of cyclones in India and their relation to climate change.

We are joined by two guests on the chat - Ruhie Kumar and Surabhi Gajbhiye. Ruhie Kumar is an independent climate strategist, who has worked on breaking down the technical jargon and simplifying climate change for various audiences. Surabhi Gajbhiye currently works as Program Director - consultant at SAAD (a Nagpur-based NGO). She has been working in the humanitarian sector for the past decade on thematic areas of rural development, DRR, child safety, mental health climate change, and sustainable development.
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What Happens Years After a Cyclone Hits? (ft. Ruhie Kumar & Surabhi Gajbhaye)

Are AI apps the future of mental health support? Can these applications truly understand and address the complexities of our emotional well-being? What can a user expect when they get on such an application? And perhaps the most provocative question of all—can AI truly replace human therapists?

Join us as we unravel the captivating potential of AI apps in mental health, guided by the expertise of Dr. Samir Parikh, a renowned psychiatrist at Fortis Hospital, and Dr. Megha Gupta, the head of AI at Wysa, a pioneering mental healthcare app.

We discuss the technology, potential, ethical and privacy concerns, and offer a peek in the future of AI in mental health support.
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Can AI Revolutionise Mental Healthcare? Experts Answer (ft. Dr. Samir Parikh and Dr. Megha Gupta)

Heatwaves. Literally and metaphorically the “hottest” topic in climate change research. While heatwaves are becoming more and more common in India, are they still dismissed without proper knowledge? More than what we can as individuals do to save ourselves, what is being done at national and international levels? Have we understood it enough and are our plans actionable?

On this episode of The Big Story, our hosts Prateek and Anoushka are joined by Aditya Pillai, fellow with the Initiative for Climate, Energy, and Environment (ICEE) at the Centre for Policy Research (CPR) to answer these questions. 

Aditya Pillai reviewed 37 Heat Action Plans across the country and shares his findings through this chat. He sheds light on what we mean by heatwaves, their detrimental effects, and addresses Heat Action Plans around India while also giving a global perspective, taking into account HAPs all over the world. 

Tune in for an engaging conversation! 

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Chapters:

0:00- Intro

4:14- Alarming Heat Effects and What We Can Do about Them

6:15- Slow Desensitisation to Rising Temperature

13:21- Aditya Talks about his Amazing Smartwatch

17:03- Heatwaves: Undeniable yet Ignored

19:28- Rural Infrastructure Trends and Urban Heat Island Effects

25:52- Contextual Approach to Understanding Heatwaves

27:46- What are Heat Action Plans?

29:10- Encouraging Climate Adaptive Lifestyle Changes

30:15- Oiling the Public Machinery: Is Academic Research Leading to Institutional Impact?

35:20- On-Ground Heat Management

37:43- Behavioural Change to Tackle Heat 

39:40- Which State has India’s Best Heat Action Plan?

42:50- The Funding and the Legal Foundation of Climate Policy 

46:40- Drawing Inspiration from the Global Scenario

49:12- Why does Delhi NOT have a Heat Action plan?

53:33- Can Climate Change Swing Elections?

1:03:59- The 3 Influential People who should Listen to this Podcast.

1:09:31- Learnings from COVID-19

1:13:03- Why Heat Action Plans need to be Hyper Local?

1:15:01- Suggesting Heat Action Plans for every School and Office
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The Truth About HEATWAVES & Climate Change in India (ft. Aditya Pillai)

What will be the consequence of Congress’ victory in the Karnataka elections? What are the prominent factors that lead to BJP’s setback in the south? What issues mattered to the voters?

We are joined by Fatima Khan, principal correspondent with The Quint who was on the ground in the run-up to the elections, and Aditya Menon, our political editor to discuss what actually happened that lead to this result.

In this podcast, we closely examine what issues mattered in this election, what strategies worked, and what this election means for future polls.
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Karnataka Results Analysis: Hindutva, Corruption & Local Leaders

In this episode of The Big Story, our hosts Anjali and Prateek talk about money. Now, we don't have a lot of money, but we do have a lot of questions about money. About UPI, precisely. Are we spending more money because of UPI? How does UPI make money? And is UPI just another startup that'll eventually flop? Because it used to give us so many freebies at one point, but now there's a conversation about charging for payments.To answer these questions, we have Ateesh Tankha, founder and CEO of ALSOWISE Content Solutions, India’s first comprehensive English proficiency and communications training app. He has extensive experience in payments and banking, and was, till 2016, the Head of Citi Merchant Services, North America.

 

0:00 - Intro10:19 - What is UPI? How does it even work? 15:50 - Creation myths around UPI17:37 - Costs attached to UPI payments21:55 - Why are Indian banks not interested in UPI?24:35 - The massive growth of UPI in India26:09 - How did UPI grow so much, but PayTM couldn't29:52 - The business model of Google Pay, PhonePe, etc. 32:00 - How does NPCI make money?34:45 - Are we spending more money because of UPI?41:55 - Who should be paying for UPI transactions?48:24 - How involved is the government in regulating UPI? 52:00 - CBDC and how UPI can be used to reduce our dollar dependence54:45 - E-Rupee and how money works55:54 - UPI and its privacy concerns1:04:50 - Is UPI just a failing startup?1:15:26 - Outro
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Are We Spending More Money Because of UPI? (ft. Ateesh Tankha)

Do you sometimes look back at your schooling years and wonder if its changed at all? Do you wish you were taught differently? Have you ever considered the role a child’s environment plays in their education? And how different really are government schools from a private school? We know, education has become such a dynamic phenomenon that it’s hard to keep up sometimes, but we’ve got you! 

On the Big Story, catch us while we discuss education with Neeti Bhalla Saini, a consultant with the International Baccalaureate and a principal, and Ratna Vishwanathan from Reach to Teach which is a social impact organization that works with state governments to help improve the standard of education. While our guests come from two different sectors of the education industry, it’s interesting to see how their views differ and mirror. Tune in! 
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Understanding the Problems with the Indian Education System (ft. Ratna Vishwanathan and Neeti Bhalla Saini)

Did you know microplastics are intentionally added in our products? Or the fact that neither non- vegetarians nor vegetarians are safe from microplastics being found in their food? And why did we discuss Plankton from SpongeBob SquarePants? We bet you’re curious!

So, on this episode of The Big Story, we attempt to uncover the truth about microplastics. We sit down in conversation with Shreya Sharma, a researcher pursuing her masters from Imperial College, London and Sadhika Tiwari, an ex-Quintee who is currently a freelance climate journalist, to know whether we are taking the micro aspect a little too seriously or is this a macro problem we are not focusing on especially since research has already found microplastics in our blood. 
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Will Microplastics Enter the Human Brain? (ft. Shreya Sharma & Sadhika Tiwari)

Have you been wondering if you should switch from white sugar to jaggery? Is fast food actually harmful? Do diets like Keto and Paleo work? In this episode of The Big Story, we try to find the answers. 

We discuss the changing food habits of young people in India with special guests Krish Ashok, a food influencer and author of 'Masala Lab', and Dr. Priyanka Rohatgi, chief nutritionist at Apollo Hospitals. They talk about the rise of fast food culture and their impact on eating habits, while stressing the importance of maintaining a balanced and healthy diet.

We also have Kriti Ghai, an intern at The Quint Podcasts, who reps the Gen-Z food patterns and behaviour. 

They provide tips and advice on adopting a healthier lifestyle, debunk common myths about dieting, and highlight the benefits of traditional Indian food. The podcast is a must-listen to understand the changing food habits of young India. They don't tell you what to eat and what not to eat, but rather tell you how to come to this decision for yourself.

Tune in and listen till the end to find out if you should continue using your air fryer.
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Jaggery, Keto, and Other Food Myths Debunked (feat. Krish Ashok & Dr. Priyanka)

In the second episode of The Big Story, our hosts, Anjali and Prateek discuss media trials with Manisha Pande, the Executive Editor of Newslaundry, and Satish Maneshinde, a lawyer with more than forty years of experience.

Media trials involve using the press and television to create a public opinion about an accused individual, which may influence the outcome of their court case. In the last 3-4 years, the media has been said to run 'kangaroo courts' and hamper the due judicial process.

Satish sheds light on the effects of a media trial in the courtroom and how the famous saying, ‘judges live in an ivory tower’ is irrelevant today. He also talks about his high-profile cases involving celebrities like Aryan Khan and Rhea Chakraborty, and his game plan for handling the media hype around them.

Whereas, Manisha discusses the relationship between media and the judiciary, the two pillars of our democracy. She goes into the good, bad, and ugly aspects of media trials, and elaborates on what she feels is the intent behind malicious reporting. Tune in for an insightful chat.
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How Media Trials Weaken Journalism & Judiciary (feat. Satish Maneshinde & Manisha Pande)

If you've spoken to a friend or a colleague for over an hour in the past month, it is highly likely that the words Artificial Intelligence (AI) have come up. While we have been hearing about these technologies for a while, there are some new AI tools which have blown up in the social media world. Cases in point – Chat GPT, DALL-E, Mid Journey and more. So, we got together with Shamim Mokles, a graphic designer and YouTuber who recently did some interesting experiments with AI, and Dr. Anupam Guha, who works with AI policy and is a professor at IIT Bombay. In this podcast, we will talk all about how threatening these AI tools are for creatives, if we need an AI policy and what it should look like, and ultimately we discover some non-popular AI uses that are the real threat. And no, it is not Frankenstein or Chitti. 

Tune in to the first episode of The Big Story!

(Disclaimer: The views expressed are the speakers' own. The Quint neither endorses nor is responsible for them.)
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We Are Worried About The Wrong AI (feat. Shamim Mokles & Anupam Guha)

On 2nd November, Aishwarya Reddy — a second year BSc Mathematics student from Lady Shri Ram College for Women hanged herself at her residence in Telangana’s Ranga Reddy district. What forced the 19-year-old meritorious student from a prestigious college in Delhi to take her own life?

She left an apologetic note behind in Telugu saying “Because of me, my family is facing many financial problems. I am a burden for my family. My education is a burden. If I can’t study, I can’t live."

As this prompted a demand for justice outside the college gate, and fundraising initiatives from students to help their lesser privileged peers, this also perhaps is a moment of reckoning for the educational system to acknowledge how the pandemic has widened an already existing deep divide in the education sector.

There have been many more cases of student suicides in the pandemic months that directly resulted from the same circumstances that Aishwarya had to face — a lack of access to digital devices even as digital education gets an ardent push, or from the lack of a state-funded support for students who come from lesser privileged backgrounds.

Yet, as thousands and thousands of students in India face extreme difficulties in keeping up with their education currently, have the state and educational institutions treated the right to education as a matter of urgency in the pandemic? While the concerned administrations now try to evade responsibility for the circumstances that led to Aishwarya's suicide, where does the buck stop? Tune in to The Big Story!

Producer and Host: Shorbori Purkayastha
Guest: Ambarish Rai, National Convener, Right to Education Forum

Editor: Shelly Walia

Music: Big Bang Fuzz

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LSR Student’s Suicide A Glimpse Into Deep Digital & Social Divide in Education

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