The current boom of K-dramas in India has been in the works for decades. First, it spread in the North Eastern part of India. Then we saw it on Zee Zindagi. And finally, during the pandemic, the frenzy took over the country. Korean is now the fastest growing language in the country. In this episode of The Suno India Show, host Suryatapa Mukherjee speaks to Deepanjana Pal about why we love Kdramas. Deepanjana is an author of fiction and non-fiction novels and the managing editor of the Film Companion website.  The dramatic rise of K-Dramas in India - Mediawire The era of pop-culture inspired learning - Times of IndiaWhat India watched in 2020 - Netflix  Manipur: A part of India where Korea rules | Arts and Culture | Al Jazeera With More Female Screenwriters Do Korean TV Dramas Pass the Bechdel Test? - Forbes See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information.

Recently, the Delhi Police arrested Aftab Poonawala for allegedly killing his live-in partner, Shradda Walker. As is often in the case of such murders, there was history of domestic violence. Shraddha allegedly told her friends that she was assaulted several times by her partner. We are replaying an older episode from our series Pinjra Tod Kar, reported by Padma Priya DVL. It follows the story of Sultana who suffered months of violence by her husband and was nearly killed by him. Like Shraddha, Sultana too, did not have the support of her family which made it difficult for her to seek help. The episode discusses the toughest challenges facing women and their right to dignity and life- violence against women and specifically domestic violence. This episode features Sultana who is a survivor of domestic violence, Vasudha Nagaraj, a women’s rights lawyer and feminist poetry by Jameela Nishat, founder of Shaheen Women’s Welfare and Resource Association.  This podcast is conceived and produced by Goethe-Zentrum Hyderabad with the support of Suno-India and Bol-Hyderabad If you or any other woman are in abusive marriages or relationships and need support you can log on to www.ncw.nic.in. The NCW helpline whatsapp number is 7827170170. The other helpline numbers are available on http://www.ncw.nic.in/helplines References Watch - 'Rescue Me...': Murdered Delhi Woman's Friend Says She Sent SOSNational Commission for WomenHelplines | National Commission for WomenSee sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information.

October 1 was National Voluntary Blood Donation Day. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare organised a massive drive- #RaktdaanAmritMahotsav- starting from September 17 - which is Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s birthday all the way up to October 1. The Ministry claimed that they collected a record number of blood units- about 1.68 lakhs in a single day. But how do blood centres cope for the rest of the year? There are 3932 blood banks in the country for more than 700 districts, as per the latest records. Suno India’s Menaka Rao spoke to Dr Joy Mammen to understand the universe of blood banking and transfusions. Dr Mammen is head of transfusion medicine at Christian Medical College, Vellore. Dr Mammen led a major study commissioned by the National Blood Transfusion Council on the clinical demand of blood in the country.  References World record created on Day 1 of ‘Raktdaan Amrit Mahotsav’, Mandaviya tweets | Latest News India - Hindustan TimesCommon Cause vs Union Of India And Others on 4 January, 1996National Blood PolicyThe_clinical_demand_and_supply_of_blood_in_India:_A_National_level_estimation_studyRepeat voluntary non-remunerated blood donor is the best quality indicator for blood safetySee sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information.

The Global Hunger Index 2022 ranks India at 107 among 121 countries. Afghanistan is the only country in South Asia that performs worse than India on the index. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, prevalence of undernourishment in India declined from 2005 onwards, but the trend was reversed beginning in 2016. From 13.3% in 2017, it rose to a 14-year high of 16.3% in 2021. The Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005 or NREGA is an Indian labour law and social security measure that aims to guarantee the right to work. In the past, NREGA has been an effective tool to reduce hunger in the country. In this episode of The Suno India Show, host Suryatapa Mukherjee speaks to Nikhil Dey, a founding member of Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan, a peasant and worker’s organisation. He explains how NREGA has weakened over the years and what can be done to reduce hunger in India now. India - Global Hunger Index (GHI) - peer-reviewed annual publication designed to comprehensively measure and track hunger at the global, regional, and country levelsGlobal Hunger Report 2022- The index is an erroneous measure of hunger and suffers from serious methodological issues | PIBFact check: Is the government right to criticise India's low ranking on the Global Hunger Index? Hunger Watch survey reports 8 out of 10 Indian households faced food insecurity last year despite free ration relief: SurveyFood and Agriculture Organization STAT   See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information.

Womeniya, an all female music band from Dehradun is a power packed combination of four women musicians who have fought against set traditions of society and family; and have not hesitated to take risks to realise their dream of pursuing a career as female musicians. Sudeshna Chowdhury brings you their story. See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information.

India ranks first in the number of road accident deaths across 199 countries. According to the National Crime Records Bureau’s latest 2022 report, 1.55 lakhs people were killed in road crashes in 2021. The death of former Tata Group chairman Cyrus Mistry in September has renewed efforts to improve road safety across the country. Since then, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari has said that even economy models of cars will have six airbags. But the International Road Federation has said that airbags can increase risk of death if rear passengers are not wearing seatbelts.  So, what are the dos and don’ts of road safety? To find out, TSIS host Suryatapa Mukherjee speaks to Piyush Tewari, the Founder and CEO of SaveLIFE Foundation. References  NCRB CHAPTER – 1A TRAFFIC ACCIDENTSRoad Accidents in India 2020In Karnataka, Rs 1,000 fine for not wearing seat belts on rear seats | The Indian Express Road safety body wants Nitin Gadkari to withdraw six airbags mandate 'Cyrus Mistry crash road has over 30 safety hazards'  About Road Safety | Ministry of Road Transport & Highways, Government of India. See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information.

On September 28, the Ministry of Home Affairs declared the Popular Front of India (PFI) a banned institution under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. This ban came after arrests of more than 100 leaders all over the country followed by protests. The government said that PFI was involved in several criminal and terror cases, and is a major threat to the internal security of the country. Suno India’s Suryatapa Mukherjee speaks with senior Kerala-based journalist, Shahina KK to understand the origins of the organisation, and the controversies surrounding it. Shahina has won the Chameli Devi Award for outstanding woman journalist in 2011. She is the associate editor of the digital news platform, The Federal.See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information.

Since July, huge amounts of cash have been seized by central agencies from various key figures in West Bengal politics. It all started with Partho Chatterjee who was at the time the Education Minister of Bengal. At different properties of his close associate Arpita Mukherjee, the Enforcement Directorate seized around 50 crore rupees in connection with the Staff Selection Commission scam or the SSC scam. Then TMC leader Anubrata Mondal was arrested by the CBI in August in a cross border cattle smuggling scam. A fixed deposit worth ₹16.97 crores belonging to his family members and associates had been seized by the investigators. In September, the CBI said that ₹80 lakh cash had been seized from the premises of Raju Sahani, a TMC municipality chairman, in connection with a chit-fund scam.  In this episode of The Suno India Show, host Suryatapa Mukherjee speaks to Sambit Pal about what this means for TMC’s future in the state. He is the author of Bengal Conundrum: Rise of the BJP and Future of the TMC. He is a senior journalist from West Bengal and an Associate Professor at the MIT Art, Design and Technology University in Pune.  NDTV Expose: Meet Karnataka's Bribe-Paying Contractors ED granted 14-day custody of TMC MLA in teachers' recruitment case | Hindustan Times Why are the CBI and ED conducting raids only in non-BJP ruled states? See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information.

This is the third episode of our miniseries “In the Red” on the blood supply shortage in the country. If you are listening to this episode, do make sure you have heard Part 1 and Part 2 of this mini-series In the Red.  In this last episode, we try to understand the universe of blood banking and blood transfusions. Suno India’s Menaka Rao reports from Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh trying to understand how voluntary blood donations result in better supply of blood in the country and what measures can be taken to remedy this problem. Menaka speaks with Dr Joy Mammen, head of transfusion medicine at Christian Medical College, Vellore, Rajat Agarwal from Sankalp India foundation and Atul Gera who work in the field of voluntary blood donations.  The reporting for this series is supported by Turuga Foundation which awarded me the Narender Revelli National Media Fellowship.  References Common Cause vs Union Of India And Others on 4 January, 1996National Blood PolicyThe_clinical_demand_and_supply_of_blood_in_India:_A_National_level_estimation_stdudyExpert working group on manpower norms in blood centres Reply to Lob Sabha question August, 2022See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information.

While in many parts of the world, a child living with blood disorders such as thalassemia or sickle cell anemia can practically live a normal life, in most of India they may not survive up to adulthood. This is because of a lack of regular blood supply and monitored treatment for these children.  In this episode Suno India’s Menaka Rao speaks to people who suffer from blood disorders such as thalassaemia and sickle cell disease in rural Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh, and doctors and experts who work with these children.  References Guidelines for Prevention and Control of Hemoglobinopathies in IndiaGlobal epidemiology of haemoglobin disorders and derived service indicators - PMCLife expectancy and risk factors for early death in patients with severe thalassemia syndromes in South India - PMCSee sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information.