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 entrepreneurship, you’ve got to keep your eyes on the goal. And when you fail - pick up, dust off, and start again. Thanks to Hardika Shah from KInara Capital, Soumya Kapoor from IWWAGE, Lavanya Mohan and Professor Seema Jayachandran from Northwestern University.

In The Field

Founders - Dreams

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 ask, how do women entrepreneurs juggle it all to make it work? Thanks to Professor Seema Jayachandran and Soumya Kapoor. Supported by Her and Now.in .

Founders - Interruptions

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 of women’s working lives. But we can’t keep trying to imagine it, we have to learn what it actually takes. Supported by Her and Now.in . Music and Sound by Yashwanth Vinay.

Founders - Plans

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 labourforce participation and the significance of women as enterprise owners? Are they even connected? Join us in Founders, where we unpack the economics and social realities of women entrepreneurship in India. Supported by Her and Now.in . Music and Sound by Yashwanth Vinay. (Additional audio used under a CC Attribution License_Reuse allowed.)

Founders - Trailer

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 Shailaja Teacher, Sarada Muraleedharan, Mridul Eapen, Soumya Kapoor, Prof Jiju Ulahanan and Dr Sekhar Lukose Kuriakose. The Kaalavastha mini-series is brought to you by the World Bank.

Kaalavastha - Resilience

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 is brought to you by the World Bank. Thanks to Jose Dominic, Gopi Parayil, Sreejith Jeevan, Lakshmi Menon and P. Robin. Additional sounds used are under a CC attribution: Weaving mills and factories » Bhagalpur, silk weaving handlloom.wav by phonoflora Kerala-4.wav by xserra.

Kaalavastha - Fabric, Folklore and Fish

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 the World Bank. Additional sounds: “Climate change in Wayanad, Kerala: ‘Farming only makes sense if it is a hobby” by People’s Archive of Rural India (CC license), Attributions under Freesound.org (Frogmouth.wav - shyamal), and Cheruvayil Raman audio from Thanima 2 / NITC 2017.

Kaalavastha - Taking people along

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 remittances. Thanks to Anil Das, Dilip Ratha, Thomas Mathew , VD Satheesan and Dr V Venu. Kaalavastha is brought to you by the World Bank.

Kaalavastha - Two Flows

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 find out about a contentious topic that may have increased the scale of the disaster: Kerala’s relationship with land. Thanks to Sreeranganathan, Professor Srikumar Chattopadhyay, Sobha Viswanath and Viju B. Additional sound from Freesound.org are attributable under Creative Commons Attribution Licences: HEAVY_SMASH_001.wav, QUICK_SMASH_002.wav, QUICK_SMASH_001.wav, GRUNT_002.wav by JoelAudio and Waves in small rocky cavern.flac by Phistomefel. The Kaalavastha miniseries is brought to you by the World Bank.

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

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, Sobha Viswanath and Viju B. Additional music licensed from Freesound.org under Creative Commons Attribution License: "Rain, Moderate, C.wav" by InspectorJ (www.jshaw.co.uk), “Waterfall” Straget, “Drizzle” by Soundatic. The Kaalavastha miniseries is brought to you by the World Bank.

Kaalavastha - It starts with a drought

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 about their vulnerability? What new kinds of local action are evolving? And how are Kerala’s communities planning for their future? We travel through the state to meet communities, government, and the diaspora, as Kerala redefines its development model to create a new legacy. The Kaalavastha miniseries is brought to you by the World Bank.

Kaalavastha - trailer

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!

Announcing a new miniseries on the environment and resilience

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 been about the processes by which you are making decisions now, and participating in this moment - do you feel like your voice is being represented? Do you want a new way to be heard? How are you making plans, how are you sharing resources, and most of all, we want to hear your observations about whose voices are being counted and who is being left out?

"We want to hear from you."

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 movements, with the government, for the citizens, and thanks to funders. It’s these NGOs, that engage with the state, help deliver services, or make people more aware and empowered. But the NGO is constantly evolving , and more people take to the street to protest, where does this leave the NGOs? And when we talk about civil society, are we leaving anyone out? Thanks to Harsh Mander, Ingrid Srinath, Rajni Bakshi, Dr Ranjana Kumari, Obalesh Bheemappa and our friend Tejas Pande. In the Field is supported by Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies. Reach out to us at podcast@inthefieldindia.org.

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

‘In The Field’ is a show that attempts to capture India’s development story, as it happens, through a feature-style podcast that combines interviews, commentary, and debate.

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