Shows
The Talk in The TownTransforming Nagpur: One initiative at a timeOn the 2nd Episode of Season 4 of our podcast “Talk in the Town”, we spoke to Mr. Nimish Sutaria & Mr. Shivkumar Rao - Members of Nagpur@2025. This is a citizen-led initiative to transform Nagpur by bringing together citizens, corporates, NGOs and the administration.Our first guest, Mr. Shivkumar Rao is the Founder-Member at Nagpur@2025. He has been working towards making Nagpur a model for civic responsibility. He is also the Former President of Vidarbha Economic Development Council and is also a CA & Founder-Director, R & Y Logistics. Our second guest, Mr. Nimish Sutaria is the Convenor, Nagp...2025-02-271h 21
The Talk in The TownAdding 'Green' (Agenda) to the Mayor's Dictionaries: Citizens Leading the WayOn the 1st Episode Season 4 of our podcast “Talk in the Town”, we spoke to Ms. Retu Chatterjee & Mr. Anoop Nautiyal - Members of the Dehradun Citizens Forum [DCF]. This civic group of 400 residents is leading efforts to address Dehradun's pressing urban, social, & environmental challenges while championing a Green Agenda for the city.The DCF recently organised a "Mayor Samvad" on 18th January 2025 to advocate for sustainable urban policies in the upcoming Dehradun Municipal Corporation election, which is part of the Uttarakhand Municipal Elections. This event brought together mayoral candidates to present their visions for...2025-01-2255 min
The Talk in The TownPicture Toh Abhi Baaki Hain: Capturing India’s Single-Screen Cinemas (Part 2)On episode 7 of Season 3 of our podcast "Talk in the Town", we spoke to Hemant Chaturvedi, former Bollywood cinematographer turned documentary photographer, on a mission to document & preserve Indian cities’ vanishing cultural heritage: the single-screen cinema theatres.Since 2019, Chaturvedi has traveled over 50,000 km across 22 states, visiting over 950 towns to photograph over 1,150 of these architectural & cultural icons before they are lost forever to multiplexes & urban development.
Part 2 talks about the socio-economic and cultural underpinnings of what it means for such urban heritage to fade into oblivion.
Click here to listen to part 1 of the conversation. Part 1 of...2024-07-1853 min
The Talk in The TownPicture Toh Abhi Baaki Hain: Capturing India’s Single-Screen Cinemas (Part 1)On episode 7 of Season 3 of our podcast "Talk in the Town", we spoke to Hemant Chaturvedi, former Bollywood cinematographer turned documentary photographer, on a mission to document & preserve Indian cities’ vanishing cultural heritage: the single-screen cinema theatres.
Since 2019, Chaturvedi has traveled over 50,000 km across 22 states, visiting over 950 towns to photograph over 1,150 of these architectural & cultural icons before they are lost forever to multiplexes & urban development.Part 1 of this Podcast talks about Mr. Chaturvedi’s personal journey of breaking into & away from Bollywood to eventually produce one of the most essential stories of India’s urban transformation.2024-07-1851 min
The Talk in The TownWriting Contest Special: Reviving India’s Heritage of Fun: Traditional Board Games of Mysuru & BeyondOn episode 6 of Season 3 of our podcast Talk in the Town, we spoke to R. Gyaneshwar Singh and H S Dharmendra, core members of the Ramsons Kala Pratishtana (RKP), Mysuru.
RKP is a non-profit organization which supports the conservation of indigenous craft traditions such as paintings, dolls, and indoor games in and around Karnataka.H S Dharmendra is an art historian and curator. He is the Head of Research at RKP, where he designs artifacts, dolls, traditional game boards, and leads research on traditional crafts of Mysuru.R G Singh is a prominent art...2024-06-201h 07
The Talk in The TownReplenishing Coimbatore's Waterbodies through "Civic Social Responsibility"On episode 5 of Season 3 of our podcast Talk in Town, we spoke to Ms. Vanitha Mohan. She is a prominent entrepreneur and passionate nature lover based in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. Ms Mohan is currently the Chairman of Pricol Limited and the Managing Trustee of Siruthuli, an NGO she founded.Siruthuli focuses on environmental conservation, particularly on water management and increasing the green cover in Coimbatore. Siruthuli has been instrumental in projects like cleaning and reviving the Noyyal River and promoting rainwater harvesting to recharge groundwater.Siruthuli has been instrumental in rejuvenating lakes in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. They...2024-05-091h 00
The Talk in The TownTram Talks: Citizen Action for Kolkata's Iconic Transport
Meet our guest for the 4th episode of season 3 of our podcast "Talk in the Town," Mr. Debashish Bhattacharyya from Kolkata, who has been an anchor in driving the citizens of Kolkata to campaign against the systematic elimination of trams in the city of joy.
Mr. Bhattacharya is the President of the Calcutta Tram Users Association (CTUA), a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and modernization of Kolkata’s tramways.
He is among the strongest pro-tram voices in Kolkata, which is also the only city in India where trams still exist but are facing existential th...2024-04-0958 min
The Talk in The TownBirds, Bhoj and Biodiversity: Challenges and Opportunities in Bird Conservation in Bhoj Wetlands
The 3rd episode of season 3 of Talk in the Town features Dr. Sangeeta Rajgir from Bhopal, Founder and Member Secretary of the Bhopal Birds Conservation Society and State Coordinator of the Indian Bird Conservation Network of Madhya Pradesh.
She is an avid conservationist and researcher working on wetland conservation and avian biodiversity. She has played a significant role in bird conservation efforts, particularly in the Bhoj Wetlands of Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.
Dr. Rajgir coordinated a project aimed at the conservation of the Sarus crane, the world's tallest flying bird, which had seen a decline in population in the Bhoj...2024-03-0758 min
The Talk in The TownShama Pawar: Creative Economies and Cultural Industries of Anegundi
The Second episode of this Season of Talk in the Town features Mrs. Shama Pawar, founder of The Kishkindha Trust, Anegundi, Hampi. She is an artist, conservationist, designer, and social impact leader, driven by a profound passion for cultural heritage. Ms. Pawar has played a pivotal role in actively engaging the local community in Anegundi, situated within the Hampi World Heritage Town, to create a vibrant landscape of creative economies and cultural industries.Through her innovative conservation methods, she has made significant contributions to preserving the authenticity of this historic town. In this conversation, she shares what it takes...2024-02-0847 min
The Talk in The TownConversation with Kailash Pradhan: A ‘Manch’ to transform Sikkim - for the people, by the peopleThe first episode of 2024 in the Talk in the Town series features Mr. Kailash Pradhan, who is an architect by profession, but has also been a part of electoral politics in the city of Gangtok. He has been proactive in field of environmental protection and sustainable architecture, and has been a part of various local initiatives within the state like "Bato Khoju" focused on degrading quality of life and built environment in Gangtok. Calling himself as "a gangtokay working for a better Gangtok", Mr. Pradhan is also a part of Manch Sikkim, a nascent grassroots movement emerging in Sikkim...2024-01-041h 06
The Talk in The TownStory of HSR Layout's citizens: Co-creating sustainable transit choicesThe latest episode of Talk in the Town features Mr. Shashidhara K who has been a driving force in promoting sustainable mobility for the citizens of Bangalore. As the founder of HSR Cyclists Group, he has spearheaded over 60 cycle day events in the last nine years, fostering a culture of cycling among residents. His commitment to sustainable mobility extends to his collaboration with another organization, the HSR Citizens Forum, which is also a nonprofit organization dedicated to sustainable living. Together, they have made significant strides under the Sustainable Mobility Accords (SUMA) program by introducing a feeder loop bus service...2023-12-1347 min
The Talk in The TownStories of heritage, humanity, & healing (water bodies) from Srirangapatnam
This Talk in the Town features Dr. Raghavendra R who works as a programme coordinator for National Service Scheme (NSS) at Seshadripuram Degree College in Mysuru and is also the founder of Achievers’ Academy in Srirangapatna. Dr. Raghavendra has been restoring temples and reviving lakes and ponds in the city of Srirangapatna through community service for last 4 years. What started as an initiative as part of the NSS programme under the leadership of Dr. Raghavendra, has now expanded into a group of 300 volunteers working hard to give a new lease of life to the city.2023-08-0853 min
The Talk in The TownJourney of Self to Society: the Gorakhpur way
In our latest episode of Talk in the Town, we had the pleasure of speaking with Nevish Deepak, Co-founder of We EmbrAce Trust. This youth-led volunteering-based NGO is dedicated to promoting Human Rights, Animal Rights, and Climate Justice in the city of Gorakhpur. They are also the City Coordinator under Fridays For Future International for Gorakhpur and a gender educator. Following the maxim “What is in your way is your way”, Nevish chose to work for their hometown Gorakhpur and strive for a cleaner and greener Gorakhpur when they saw growing pollution and reducing tree cover while moving around in t...2023-06-2052 min
The Talk in The TownInvesting in the next generation through Environmental EducationThis Talk in the Town features the Founder Trustee of Aranya Outreach Trust. Ms. Sukhprit Kaur is a freelance Environmental Educator and content writer. With an experience of almost two decades, Ms. Kaur with other like minded citizens of Mysore established Aranya Outreach Trust- a social enterprise- with an aim to create awareness on biodiversity through nature walks among people, especially the children. In this conversation, Ms. Kaur talks about how thinking of natural resources as bank balance maintained for our survival could help us realize the importance of our environment.
2023-05-161h 03
The Talk in The TownCitizen Initiative to Save Udaipur’s LakesIn the latest conversation of Talk in the Town, we have Dr. Anil Mehta from Udaipur, joint secretary of Jheel Sanrakshan Samiti- a non profit working for the wellness and conservation of lakes since last 30 years. The people's organization exists as a result of coming together of like minded citizens like Dr. Mehta who came together to question the water pollution and management issues faced by the city. Since then, the group has played a key role in cleaning and preserving Udaipur's lakes. The group has been instrumental in developing the Lakes Conservation Plan and establishment of Lakes Development...2023-03-071h 09
The Talk in The TownAapke Hith, Haq aur Adhikar ki Aawaaz/आपके हित, हक़ और अधिकार की आवाज़Talk in The Town is Nagrika's initiative to gather perspectives of city leaders and change makers on the relationship between citizens and policies in small-mid sized cities and how this relationship can be made stronger. In the first conversation of 2023 under this series, we have Mr. Jitesh Minj, co founder of Mission badlaav- an NGO based at Gumla, Jharkhand. With an aim to help the distressed and needy, especially the socially and economically vulnerable people in the state, the NGO is working towards the towards empowerment of the community by educating them about their rights and interests. Mr. Minj...2023-02-061h 04
The Talk in The TownTurning 'Beggars' into 'Choosers'For our our latest conversation we spoke with Mr. Chandra Mishra, founder of a Social Impact startup called Beggars Corporation in Varanasi. With the motto of ‘Don't donate, Invest’, the corporation aims to uplift the poor by turning beggars into entrepreneurs. Being a proud Common man, Mr. Mishra believes that the quality of voice (of the common man) decides the quality of development in the city. During the conversation, he shares his journey, why he chose Varanasi for his venture and what potential smaller cities hold in the development of our nation.
Through our Talk in The Town...2022-11-101h 03
The Talk in The TownCitizen in City Governance through Ward CommitteesThis Talk in the Town features the Co founder of Mangalore Civic Group (MCG), Mr. Nigel Albuquerque who is a social and civic activist. Mr. Albuquerque formed MCG with like minded citizens in 2015 to in order to address the multiple civic problems faced by the citizens across Mangaluru. Their aim was to form Ward Committees and Area Sabhas in the true spirit of the 74th Constitutional Amendment of 1992, supplemented by the Karnataka Municipal Corporations (Amendment) Act of 2011. The Civic Group took the judicial route and were successful in establishing Ward Committees and Area Sabhas under Mangaluru City Corporation. During...2022-09-191h 18
The Talk in The TownInspiring Youth Change Makers in VadodaraThis Talk in the Town features the founder of ‘Green Bricks Foundation’, Ms. Prarthi Shah from Vadodara, Gujarat. She talks to us about her social venture where people from all age groups and walks of life join initiatives on environmental awareness and climate education. Ms. Shah elaborates on methods to make citizen participation exciting and how an inspired team can work in synergy for social good.2022-09-1339 min
The Talk in The TownEngaging Communities to Make Cities Empathetic to Animals and BirdsThis Talk in the Town features Mr. Mital Khetani, who has been working for animals for the past 18 years with the help of his NGO Shree Karuna Foundation Trust (Animal Helpline) in Rajkot- largest organization in India providing free on-site veterinary treatment. During this conversation, Mr. Khetani shares why he believes in encouraging people to work for animals by 'showing them how to' rather than 'just saying how to'. He also talks about some of the initiatives by the NGO that inspired the state government to launch similar initiatives for the entire state.2022-09-0845 min
The Talk in The TownEngaging Communities to Shape the Future of Transportation and Mobility with Abhijeet LokreThis Talk in the Town features the founder of ‘The Urban Lab’- Mr. Abhijit Lokre. With an experience of over twenty years, Abhijit mentors and leads teams to provide practical solutions for creating liveable cities. During this conversation, Abhijit speaks about how the people of Bhuj are being actively engaged to shape the future of transportation and mobility in the city. He also talks about some of the eye opening instances that made him realize the importance of engaging with the citizens and what the small cities actually need for successful transportation interventions.2022-09-051h 06
The Talk in The TownEngaging Citizens in Waste Management with Shefali DudhbadeThis conversation of Talk in the town features Ms. Shefali Dudhbade, a freelance architect and founding member of Swachh Association Nagpur- an NGO that works in the field of waste management in and around the city. Environmentalist at heart, Shefali has been successfully treating 90% of her household waste for the past 10 years and credits her upbringing for this. During this conversation, Shefali speaks about how coming together of like minded people led to the formation of Swachh Association as well as Anviti, an environmental pressure group and the importance of sensitizing people about waste management at household level. She t...2022-09-0557 min
The Talk in The TownEngaging Communities to preserve the Doon Valley With Dr. Lokesh OhriThis Talk in the Town features Mr. Lokesh Ohri founder of the citizen group Been there, Doon That (BTDT). Over the years BTDT has been organizing mostly free heritage walks for citizens around the Doon valley. The conversation left the Nagrika team very hopeful about the potential of citizens' voices to be heard. During the conversation, Mr. Ohri speaks about the genesis of the idea for BTDT, stories about how the community has been able to initiate changes in the valley and also make the voices of citizens heard by various decision makers. He talks about how to find...2022-09-0557 min
The Talk in The TownCitizens Vision for New Town KolkataThe inaugural conversation of the Talk in the Town. It was held in September 2021.
This talk with Mr. Debasish Sen, MD, HIDCO, is in context of our study 'Small City Mobility', on the state of mobility in small cities, the future aspirations, and opportunities & challenges in creating sustainable green transport and mobility solutions for smaller cities and identifying the role of citizens in shaping mobility solutions for their cities.2022-09-0543 min
The Talk in The TownWhat is Talk in the Town?Nagrika uses knowledge to enable citizen-led transformation in small cities. We aim to bring small cities to the mainstream of the urban development discourse, contextualise the problems that small cities face and develop context specific solutions for them. Through Talk in The Town, we gather perspectives of small city actors on the relationship between citizens and policies, how this relationship can be made stronger, and how citizens can inform policy making.
Speaker: Tarun Sharma, Co-founder, Nagrika2022-09-0501 min