Podcasts as a research tool, Mission Shunya interview and Spotify India original honouring ISRO
This edition of the newsletter is packed with lots of juicy developments. I also spoke to Girish Shivakumar, the one-man team behind the Mission Shunya podcast
Till about 2017, I used to listen to podcasts mainly as a leisure activity. If I learned something new along the way, I treated that as a bonus.
In early 2018, I was researching for a story I was working on and was tired of reading and watching YouTube videos. The deadline was approaching and I wasn’t moving any quicker. One evening, on the way back home, I just typed in the search term of that topic in Stitcher’s search tool. And voila! There were a variety of podcast episodes to choose from. I read episode descriptions and lined up a few episodes to listen on the way back home.
Since then, I have always used podcasts, in addition to reading sites/books and watching YouTube videos, as a means for researching. I have discovered countless interesting podcasts this way. Last year, while covering Google I/O, I was overjoyed to hear an announcement pertaining to podcasts - you could search for podcasts in Google and it would directly throw up episodes pertaining to the search term. Just type in your search term followed by ‘+ podcast’ and Google will show you podcast episodes pertaining to that search term in the second or third result.
So the next time you aren’t in the mood to read a long text or watch a video to get a lowdown on something, just search for that term, find a podcast episode, plug in your earphones and go take a walk. You will have got some exercise and research done simultaneously.
Podcaster in focus: Girish Shivakumar
Podcast: Mission Shunya
As promised in the last newsletter, I have an interaction with Girish Shivakumar, the one-man team behind the cleantech and sustainability focussed podcast, Mission Shunya. A cleantech professional with a decade long experience in solar power, energy storage and electric mobility, Girish has been interested in the decarbonisation of the global economy. Starting in 2017, Girish wanted to create awareness around themes such as cleantech, sustainability, how our actions have an impact on climate change and what can we do to minimise that. Here’s a slice of the interaction.
How did the idea of 'Mission Shunya' come about?
I enjoy my work and wanted to create awareness around the theme of cleantech and sustainability because everyone needs to be aware of the impact of climate change in their lives. Rather than talk about the big picture featuring top leaders as I did in my first podcast, Emerging Tech Radio, I wanted the message to resonate with the general public. I hope the stories I feature makes listeners feel good about global decarbonisation and maybe inspires them to take actions. The larger objective of Mission Shunya is to inspire people to take small actions that have a positive impact on the planet.
How do you go about selecting the guests for each episode as CleanTech is such a vast sector?
Does the guest align with the podcast theme?
Does the guest have a good story to tell? Is their work creating an impact in the space?
Or if I have got any good recommendation or reference from my network I consider that as well.
In general, I have a list of topics I want to discuss in the channel so I’m usually quite open when it comes to looking for potential guests or topics of discussion.
Could you talk me through your podcast workflow: how long does it take from the recording to the publishing of the episode?
It takes about an hour or so for me to zero in on the guest and discuss the topic and set up the recording. The recording typically takes 45 mins to 1 hour on average. Depending on the quality of the recording, it could take 2-3 times the time duration of the recording to edit the content. It takes another hour or so to publish it and create some accompanying media for release and spreading on social media channels.
Could you tell me about some challenges you faced while setting up the podcast and how you overcame them?
Identifying a good recording tool for remote interviews was a challenge and learning to use the editing software to make the recording good was a challenge. (Podcasting) Network helped in deciding the tools and videos helped me in getting better at content production.
Covid19 lockdowns have forced everyone to stay indoors. In such a scenario, how easy or difficult is it to produce your podcast?
Since my podcast has always been remote interviews, there has been no difference in terms of podcast production. In fact, time flexibility has enabled better production. However, since most of the stories feature entrepreneurs and change agents, the current uncertainty in people’s lives and businesses, in general, has meant people are not in a great mood to discuss business during these times on the podcast or any medium in general. They prefer to focus on their work. There are a few other guests whom I have featured who have openly spoken about COVID 19 and the impact it has had on the sector.
To read the full interview head here.
Important developments in India
Spotify India launched with around 15 original podcasts and it’s good to see that they are not stopping there. I just heard the trailer of Mission ISRO with Harsha Bhogle which has some archival audio, sound effects and flawless narration by veteran commentator Harsha Bhogle. I love Harsha’s cricket commentary and am eagerly looking forward to this podcast which goes live on 21 August.
Two year-old podcast startup Suno India which focuses on under-represented and under-reported stories using audio as a medium (there are 13 podcasts in the kitty) has secured angel investment from Shobu Yarlagadda, co-founder and CEO of Arka Media Works. In 2019, Suno India was awarded funding from the Independent and Public Spirited Media Foundation (IPSMF). With these investments, Suno India hopes to “bring their commitment to reach the next 500 million listeners with relevant and informative content to communities across tier 1,2 and 3 cities in India.” Congratulations and best wishes, Suno India.
Hindustan Times’ podcast platform, HT SmartCast, has a range of podcasts across genres which are off-shoots of its various media properties. One of its daily news podcast, ‘HT Daily News Wrap’ is a 3-min news capsule that’s read out by a robotic AI voice.
Important developments globally
On 10 August, Amazon sent a mail to podcasters to list their podcasts on Amazon which would give them access to around 55 million Amazon Music and Audible listeners as well as an Alexa integration. If you are a podcaster, this link has information on how you can go about listing your podcasts. But if any of your podcast episodes have any anti-Amazon content, that podcast will not be allowed to list - Amazon did remove that condition later, but one can never truly know their stand on this till some podcast faces the axe. Pretty sure the first season of Land of the Giants won’t be listed on Amazon Music or Audible in that case. But there isn’t any date as to when Amazon’s podcast service will launch.
Indian podcast in focus
Desi Stones and Bones
Subjects such as geology, palaeontology and archaeology do not get much coverage in India. The only times one interfaces with them is whilst watching a documentary on Discovery or NatGeo or when reading the news about some fossil find which dies out after two or three days. Desi Stones and Bones is a podcast that goes behind the scenes of these three disciplines, especially in the Indian context. Journalist Anupama Chandrasekharan shines a light on some fascinating stories buried in many parts of India. The episodes are short but packed with enough insights that can make for great listening experiences with school-going kids as well. You can hear the researchers working with their tools in the field or take in the atmospheric sounds as Anupama travels across various places of interest.
Some interesting episodes I’ve heard on Desi Stones and Bones:
It’s a deer, it’s a crocodile, it’s a…
In the field
This is the first Indian podcast I had come across a couple of years ago, which I felt came quite close to documentary-style audio storytelling. It was a welcome mix to the interview-based podcasts I had heard till then. Topics range from environmental movements to the informal economy in India to stunting among children to citizen eco-activists to agriculture and many more themes - all seen through the lens of development issues. Hosted by Radhika Viswanathan and Samyuktha Varma, each podcast episode is like reading a long-form story with a protagonist, a sense of place, as well as quotes from experts, authorities, thereby giving you a 360-degree look at an issue.
Some interesting episodes I’ve heard on In the Field:
Why do you have to tell us all this? Can’t I just Google?
And so what we eat on our plates starts to determine the fate of the soil of our land
These are not considered to be 'good' jobs
International Podcasts for the fortnight
This time around, I wanted to focus on podcasts which will teach you something in each episode. I listen to many podcasts in this category and will keep revisiting this theme in future newsletters. I have discovered many interesting podcasts just by searching for a particular topic, and then binge-listening a few other episodes on that podcast and then subscribing to it.
My go-to podcast if I want to get a 101 on any topic. It’s almost like a Wikipedia for the ears and has been around since 2008. Pick any top 10 podcast lists from years gone by, and SYSK will be in there somewhere. I don’t listen to every episode, but only those which pique my fancy. If you want some hand-holding regarding which episodes to start off, here’s a nice listicle.
I am not much of a business, money or finance buff. I don’t even bother looking at the Finance sections of the newspaper unless there is some technology-related angle to it. Planet Money is precisely a podcast for someone like me. It is US-centric, but it does a great job of demystifying a lot of economy-related terms which you may come across everywhere but not really know about. Again, here’s a list of episodes to get you started with Planet Money. Most of the episodes are under 30 mins and there are over 1000 episodes to choose from.
This is one podcast I discovered recently and it does a deep dive on various “<insert name> -ology”. I’ll admit, I didn’t know the technical names for more than 80 percent of the “-ologies” in the episode titles, but that’s the point of the pod. It is hosted by science correspondent and humorist Alie Ward and is an engaging listen if you are patient. Needless to say, it’s immensely enriching.
That’s all for this week’s newsletter. The response to the second newsletter was quite encouraging. It would be great to hear your feedback again and what you would like to know more about in future editions of Indian Podcasting.
Have a great week ahead and happy listening.
Cover Photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels