A new kind of celebrity

By Venil Ali

A new kind of celebrity showcases stories of individuals who are breaking barriers, overcoming obstacles and making the world a better place. A show that aspires to redefine the word 'Celebrity' as a person who needs to be celebrated. If you are looking for some positive stories, or to be inspired, or to act or make the world a better place. Join us as we celebrate individuals, learn from their experience, leadership and wisdom and feel inspired by their journey. Listen on and join the community. Become a new kind of celebrity.
#Inspire #Leadership #Journey #Changemakers #Impact #SocialImpact

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DEBORAH LEVINE - Diversity Appreciation & Inclusion - S01 EP33

A new kind of celebrityApr 18, 2022

00:00

38:06

USHA CHAUMAR - From Manual Scavenging to Padma Shri - S01 EP35 [HINDI]

This episode we celebrate Usha Chaumar. Usha is a social worker from Alwar, Rajasthan, India. From age 7, she used to work as a manual scavenger, or do the work of maila doni as it is called in her region. She is the President of Sulabh International Social Service Organisation, the non-profit arm of Sulabh International. In 2020, she received the Padma Shri honour from the Government of India for her contribution in the field of social work. Bindeshwar Pathak was instrumental in her journey, you can listen to his journey in episode 11.

May 16, 202249:48

ANOOP PARIK - Education, the gateway to opportunities - S01 EP34

Education has many obvious benefits, but did you know that Universal secondary education could virtually end child marriage, or that each year of education reduces the risk of conflict by around 20% or that one extra year of schooling increases an individual's earnings by up to 10%. Learn how our guest Anoop Parik works to do this for his students in an area of Mumbai, India where 78% of the population lives in slums, the life expectancy is 38 years and which has a human development index of 0.05.

Anoop Parik is a librarian, teacher, and football coach who has been working with the children and youngsters of Shivaji Nagar for over a decade. He quit teaching in the formal education sector in 2019 and since then has set up a youth community centre, The Next Page, library, and sports programme with the help of youngsters in the community. He was working as an academic counsellor in a college in Ohio before he moved back to India for the Teach For India Fellowship.

NOTE - This conversation was recorded over Zoom. In case you have feedback or guest suggestions, please write to anewkindofcelebrity@gmail.com. If you want technical or consultancy support to launch your podcast, write to reachus@disorientedpenguin.com

#Education #Interview #Inspiration #Leadership #Arts #Sports #Library #Reading #Books #CommunityCentre #AfterSchoolCentre

Apr 25, 202238:07

DEBORAH LEVINE - Diversity Appreciation & Inclusion - S01 EP33

There are 7000+ different languages in the world, and 4200+ different religions, faith groups, tribes etc. Our guest, Deborah Levine, speaks about how to thrive, appreciate and encourage such diversity.

Deborah Levine is the founder and editor in chief of American Diversity Report. She is an award-winning author of 15 books, and Forbes Magazine Diversity And Inclusion Trailblazer. Deborah has 33 years experience as a change maker in challenging times. Deborah is a Designer of Cognitive Diversity using emotion metrics, neuro-communication, and decision-optimization. With her considerable experience in program planning, community interface, teaching and management, she designs DEI projects that boost inclusion efforts on multiple levels. Deborah has also founded Chattanooga’s Women’s Council of Diversity. She has received awards from the Women’s Federation for World Peace and Nation of Women.

In the episode we speak about her journey, personal background that influenced her work as a Diversity specialist, along with strategies to build diversity appreciation.

#diversity #inclusion #equity #diversityequityinclusion #DEI #culture #arts #interview #selfdevelopment

Apr 18, 202238:06

ZOHAIR DIWAN - Nobody Ever Sleeps Hungry - S01 EP32

Globally, about 9% of the world’s population — 811 million people — go to bed on an empty stomach each night. Every thirteen seconds, a child dies from the effects of hunger. On the other hand, it is estimated that nearly one third of the food produced in the world for human consumption every year gets lost or wasted.

In this episode, we celebrate Zohair Diwan. Zohair Diwan is a metal artist and the founder of the organisation Nobody Ever Sleeps Hungry (NESH). Nobody Ever Sleeps Hungry started with providing food to people in need in some communities in Mumbai and evolved during the pandemic to provide oxygen cylinders, medicines in addition to food. NESH is now a huge community of various stakeholders united by a common purpose.

We speak about the evolution of NESH from feeing 100 meals to over 100,000 meals, the motivation and the operations to start something like this. We speak about the building of a network and community which replicated the idea of NESH across the entire city.

#inspiration #leadership #community #hunger #eradicatehunger #poverty #interview #changemaker #socialimpact

Note - This conversation was recorded over Zoom. In case you have feedback or guest suggestions, please write to anewkindofcelebrity@gmail.com. If you want technical or consultancy support to launch your podcast, write to reachus@disorientedpenguin.com

Mar 21, 202237:39

CHITRA VISHWANATH - Sustainable & Innovative Architecture - S01 EP31

Did you know that the construction sector contributes to 23% of air pollution, 40% of drinking water pollution, and 50% of landfill wastes? It doesn't have to be this way, Chitra Vishwanath builds differently.

In this episode we celebrate Chitra Vishwanath. Chitra is an Indian architect based in Bengaluru who works on themes related to ecology and architecture. She has been running her own architectural firm since 1991, working with other architects on many projects in India and Africa. She is currently the Principal Architect and Managing Director of BIOME Environment Solutions. She has been involved in more than 800 projects encompassing construction of buildings of all sizes and water harvesting and sanitation structures with specific relevance to the ecology of the sites. BIOME has pioneered the usage of natural elements like earth as the main construction material, along with a focus on other natural elements and water harvesting. Her own house has many interesting features like no air conditioning or fan, dry toilets, farming on the terrace, solar powered house and water harvesting.

In the episode we speak about her experiments building her own house, rediscovering earth as a material to build, using design to leverage natural light, air and water to reduce dependencies on additional non renewable resources. We speak about the impact water harvesting can have on entire cities and much more.

#Innovation #Sustainability #Climate #Climatechange #Earth #Water #Rainwaterharvesting #Architecture #natural #environment #ecology #design

Mar 07, 202240:21

BOOKMARKS #5 with KANIKA SARAFF - Conversational Recap of Ep25 to Ep29 - S01 EP30

Have you been meaning to listen to one of our episodes but haven't found the time yet? Do you want to know the high level insights across the past episodes? Then this episode is for you, curated bookmarks from the past five episodes?

Our last five episodes have had guests like Naresh Sijapati working on empowering migrants, Erin Ganju, building Rooms to Read across the wrold, Viren Rasquinha, chasing Olympic Gold Medals, Joyita Mondal, the first transgender judge and Mohd Tarique working to dignify the homeless and destitute.

In this conversation, Venil is joined by an educator, social sector professional and a dear friend, Kanika Saraff. Kanika Saraff has worked in the education sector for over a decade and currently works in a Child rights organisation. They both started their journey in the social sector in 2009 with the Teach For India Fellowship, teaching in neighbouring classrooms 3A and 3B in Govandi, Mumbai. They often discuss issues, ideas and theories and wanted to share some of their bookmarks on the patterns, ideas and insights that they took away from the five episodes with all of you.

We would love to include your questions, reactions and thoughts in our next Bookmarks episode. So do leave us feedback and thoughts after you listen to any of our episodes. You can leave us feedback on any of our social media pages - Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter, or you can email us at anewkindofcelebrity@gmail.com.

#learning #understanding #insights #leadership #lessons #wisdom #patterns #inspiration #trends

NOTE - This conversation was recorded over Zoom.

If you are thinking of launching your podcast and need consultation services or production/post production services you can write to reachus@disorientedpenguin.com

Feb 28, 202224:43

MOHD TARIQUE - Dignifying the Homeless and Destitute - [HINGLISH] - S01 EP29

Based on the Indian Census 2011, there are 1.77 million homeless people in India. However, civil society organisations peg the number at above 3 Million. The complexity of the problem is increased by the intersectionality of caste and poverty. In one study done, it was seen that 80% of the homeless people were from Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribes, and Other Backward Castes. Listen to this episode to hear how we as individuals as well as the system as a whole can improve.

In this episode, we celebrate Mohd Tarique. Mohd Tarique is the founder of Koshish. Koshish is a TISS Field Action Project that works on the upliftment of the quality of institutions for the homeless and persons in beggary and advocates for abolishing the Bombay Prevention of Beggary Act, which is there across 20 states (but not all have adopted) that has a broad and vague definition of begging that criminalises poverty. Mohd Tarique is part of multiple drafting committees to formulate newer policies, he has co-authored multiple academic papers and research studies on Urban poverty. He is also an Ashoka Fellow.

In the episode, we talk about the incidents that led Mohd Tarique towards this work. We hear about the amazing organic journey of growth of the organisation. The plethora of different programs and initiatives that Koshish offers for the upliftment of the destitute. We hear the stories of persuasion, influence, and relationships that made bureaucratic systems agile and adaptive.

#Leadership #Homesless #Begging #Institutions #InstitutionalCare #Inspiration #Dignity #Inclusion #Intersectionality #Rights #HumanRights #SocialImpact

Feb 14, 202259:40

JOYITA MONDAL - The First Transgender Judge of India [HINDI] - S01 EP28

In India, 92% Transgender people are unemployed and close to 80% drop out of school. In 2014, the NALSA judgement was passed which acknowledged Transgenders as a third gender and affirmed their fundamental rights. In 2019, Transgender Person Act was passed which provided for the protection of rights of Transgender people. The lack of data adds to the invisibility of Transgender people.

In this episode we celebrate Joyita Mondal. Joyita Mondal is the first transgender judge at a Lok Adalat in Dinajpur, West Bengal. A Lok Adalat is an alternative dispute resolution mechanism in India. In addition to this role, she works as an activist, social worker and founded her own organisation called Dinajpur Notun Alo, which means Dinajour New Light which is currently reaching out to thousands of transgender people in her state.

In the episode Joyita shares her journey growing up, her hobbies and her friends. She then speaks about running away from home and starting from scratch in another city. She tells us what led to her re starting her education, starting social work and finally becoming a judge. Joyita shares her hopes and wishes for her community.

#Transgender #Gender #Equity #Diversty #Inclusion #DEI #LGBTQ #LGBTQIA #GenderEquality #First #Judge #Stereotypes #Transperson #Transwoman #NALSA

Feb 07, 202238:54

VIREN RASQUINHA - A Quest for Olympic Champions - S01 EP27

Did you know that a country's GDP is a predictor of performance at the Olympics? Higher income countries have consistently had a higher medal tally as compared to lower income countries. Hear this episode to discover how an organisation is breaking this trend.

In this episode we celebrate Viren Rasquinha. Viren Rasquinha is an Indian hockey player. He is the former captain of the Indian hockey team and was a member of the team that finished 7th at the Athens Olympics in 2004. He pursued management studies and now is the CEO of an organisation called Olympic Gold Quest that is on a journey to build future Olympic champions.

We speak about his journey of pursuing sports professionally, getting selected into the Indian team, playing at the Olympics. He speaks of his failures as defining learning moments. We then spoke of how Olympic Goal Quest is on a mission to beat the statistics and deliver on identifying and providing world class training for high performance sports. Listen to the episode to learn more about how Olympic Gold Quest has contributed to almost ~50% of the medals India won at the Tokya Olympics.

Note - Conversation recorded over Zoom. For any podcast requirements write to reachus@disorientedpenguin.com. For any guest recommendations reach out to anewkindofcelebrity@gmail.com

#leadership #celebrity #inspiration #motivation #highperformance #performance #sports #coaching #olympics #gold #goforgold #resilience #India

Jan 24, 202246:25

ERIN GANJU - Building Rooms to Read Across the World - S01 EP26

Did you know that 58% of global school age population are not attaining minimum proficiency levels in Reading and Math? That amounts to 357 million children. Of these 137 million children will reach the last grade of school and still not reach the minimum proficiency levels. The percentages are much higher for low income countries as opposed to high income countries.

In this episode we celebrate Erin Ganju, Managing Director of Echidna Giving Fund, which invests in organizations advancing girls’ education in lower-income countries. Prior to her role at Echidna Giving, Erin turned a bold idea for advancing literacy and gender equality into an international NGO: Room to Read. Erin was a Co-Founder, former Chief Executive Officer, former Chief Operating Officer, and currently remains an Emeritus Board Member of Room to Read. During her tenure, Room to Read helped over 12 million children in 15 countries pursue a quality education. Room to Read seeks to transform the lives of millions of children in low-income communities by focusing on literacy and gender equality in education. Working in collaboration with local communities, partner organizations and governments, they develop literacy skills and a habit of reading among primary school children, and support girls to complete secondary school with the relevant life skills to succeed in school and beyond. Erin co-authored Scaling Global Change: A Social Entrepreneur’s Guide to Surviving the Start-up Phase and Driving Impact. The book is a how-to guide for social entrepreneurs who have a vision to change the world and need a strong organizational foundation to do it, utilizing Room to Read as an organizational case study.

Erin was selected as the World Economic Forum’s Schwab Foundation Social Entrepreneur (2014); recognized as a Global Impact Featured Member for 2017 by the Young Presidents’ Organization; and awarded the Women’s Bond Club Isabel Benham Award (2014). We talk about her journey starting up, learnings from across different countries and some insights on balancing scale and depth (quality).

Note - Conversation recorded over Zoom. For all podcast requirements write to reachus@disorientedpenguin.com. For any feedback and suggestions write to anewkindofcelebrity@gmail.com

#education #reading #literacy #roomtoread #scale #leadership #nonprofit #organisations

Nov 22, 202142:25

NARESH SIJAPATI - An Immigrant to an Entrepreneur - S01 EP25 [HINDI]

Did you know that India ranked last out of 52 countries for having the least favourable conditions for migrants. India has 456 million migrants, 99% are internal migrants and 1% are international migrants (immigrants).

In today's episode we celebrate Naresh Sijapati. Naresh is the founder and CEO of Panah Foundation. Panah Foundation works in Ahmedabad to provide a multitude of services to migrant communities. Naresh started his journey as an immigrant from Nepal. He started working early and went through multiple jobs of working in factories, restaurants and an NGO before starting out on his own.

We speak about his journey of starting work very early, his ambition and desire to grow, learn English, have a good job. He shares how his exposure to the social sector leading him to start his own foundation. We speak about all the innovations and various services he provides from Panah Foundation.

Note - This was recorded over zoom. For any feedback on the episode, questions or takeaways or guest suggestions email anewkindofcelebrity@gmail.com. For any podcast technical requirements please write to reachus@disorientedpenguin.com

#Leadership #Entrepreneurship #Local #Migration #Immigrant #Refugee #SocialBusiness #NGO

Nov 08, 202145:25

BOOKMARKS #4 with KANIKA SARAFF - A conversational recap of Ep19 to Ep23 - S01 EP24

Our last five episodes have had guests who have spoken about educating girls in rural areas, alternative homes for children in institutional care, being a sarpanch, gender disparity in the police force and surviving a genocide. In this episode, Bookmarks, we pause and collect the rich insights and learnings from these five episodes.

We will resume with new guests after this episode and once again pause and discuss our Bookmarks after another five episodes. We would love to include your questions, reactions and thoughts in our next Bookmarks episode. So do leave us feedback and thoughts after you listen to any of our episodes. You can leave us feedback on any of our social media pages - Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter, or you can email us at anewkindofcelebrity@gmail.com.

#learning #understanding #insights #leadership #lessons #wisdom #patterns #inspiration #trends

NOTE - This conversation was recorded over Zoom.

If you are thinking of launching your podcast and need consultation services or production/post production services you can write to kanishka@disorientedpenguin.com or reachus@disorientedpenguin.com

Oct 25, 202128:27

ROBERT KABERA - Leadership in Adversity - S01 EP23

How does one come out of experiencing a Genocide? How does it shape a person and their journey?

In this episode, we celebrate Robert Kabera. Robert is a Rwanda genocide survivor, an Award-winning Stanford engineering grad and Entrepreneur and a resilience guru. He is the co-founder of COO & Sync Energy AI, a no-code energy analytics startup. His background puts him in a unique position to make transformative breakthroughs in a variety of areas, from bringing credit scoring to unbanked farmers to building power systems that better prepare us for natural disasters.

We speak about his experience of surviving the genocide, being a refugee. Education being his equaliser and ticket to a better future. We speak about where he gets his drive from. He talks about his innovative solutions around credit lines and using AI to help management of natural disasters. His motivation behind starting these projects. A very wise and inspiring person.

NOTE - This episode was recorded over zoom. For any podcast requirements (consulting, production, post production), write to kanishka@disorientedpenguin.com. For any feedback or guest suggestions write to anewkindofcelebrity@gmail.com

Oct 11, 202150:04

SUTAPA SANYAL - Breaking Barriers in the Police Service - S01 EP22

The Indian Police force has around 6% women in the force. Of those women only 6% make it to an officer level.

In this episode, we celebrate Sutapa Sanyal. Sutapa is an ex - IPS officer and has served as the Director General of Police in Uttar Pradesh. One of the few women who have held such a high post in the IPS. Sutapa Sanyal is an expert in Ending Violence against Women (EVAW), child protection, and anti-human trafficking. Currently she serves as Director General of Mahila Samman Prakoshth (MSP), an innovative police unit protecting the rights of over 13 million women and children in Uttar Pradesh. At MSP, she is credited with creating award-winning interventions for fighting VAW & enhancing Gender Equality. She has leveraged technology, mass media, citizen participation, community policing and in-house training to deliver a complete model for police transformation. Her interventions have been recognized by the Govt. of India, the Govt. of UK, INTERPOL & US Department of State. She was invited to the UK by the British High Commission as part of an Indian Women Leaders Delegation to share strategies for Ending Violence Against Women (EVAW). She has also represented India at the INTERPOL for the Specialists Group on the Protection of Children.

Sep 28, 202101:07:06

LOPA GANDHI - Education across Contexts - S01 EP21

According to global statistics, 61% of rural girls do not attend secondary school. This is far higher than rural boys (55%), urban girls (41%) and urban boys (40%). Deficits in girls education leads to increased poverty, reduced family health, earlier marriages and pregnancies among other things.

In this episode we celebrate Lopa Gandhi. Lopa Gandhi is the founder of Ugam Education Foundation. Ugam Education Foundation's mission is to use replicable frameworks to create model residential school for girls (KGBVs) in partnership with education systems through empowerment of people and processes to ensure girls are educated and empowered. Ugam Education currently works across multiple districts in Jharkhand. Lopa has more than 20 years of experience in the field of education. Her areas of focus have been teaching adolescents, curriculum design, HR management—including coaching, training, programme design, and evaluation. Previously, she has worked in various capacities with different NGOs like Akanksha Foundation, Kaivalya Foundation, Muktangan, Transform Initiative, Catalysts for Social Action, among others.

We speak about Lopa's journey in the development sector and her foray into founding an organisation which is working in rural India (Jharkhand). We speak about the similarities and differences in Education across different contexts like urban, rural, government and private settings. We also speak about the benefits and drawbacks of the model of Government Residential Schools for Girls (Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalay - KGBV).

Episode hosted by Venil Ali, produced by Disoriented Penguin. If you are looking to start a podcast and need some help reach out to reachus@disorientedpenguin or kanishka@disorientedpenguin. If you have feedback for the podcast, do drop us an email on anewkindofcelebrity@gmail.com or leave us a message on Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook.

Sep 13, 202138:27

JABNA CHAUHAN - The Youngest Sarpanch - S01 EP20 [HINDI]

Globally, women make up only 25% of the parliament and only 6% are Heads of State or Governments. In India, in 2019, only 8% women contest the Lok Sabha elections. At the local government level, India has a 33% reservation for women.

In this episode we celebrate Jabna Chauhan. Jabna comes from a humble background and through her immense determination, she became the youngest Sarpanch that India has had, at the age of 22. She worked on multiple issues like banning intoxication, cleanliness and women empowerment. She won many awards for her work as a Pradhan, she also inspired a women led movement in Himachal Pradesh against liquor and drugs. She now runs an NGO called Oriental Foundation that works on women empowerment across the state of Himachal.

In the episode we talk about her journey, being the first girl from her village to go to college. The obstacles she had to overcome and how she managed to create a lot of change in the face of resistance. Listen on to hear this very inspiring story.

NOTE - This conversation is in Hindi. The conversation has been recorded over zoom.

Production, Original Music and Post Production (Editing) - Disoriented Penguin - reachus@disorientedpenguin.com

Aug 23, 202139:46

DR. KIRAN MODI - Reimagining Child Care Institutions - S01 EP19

In India, 23.6 million children live without parental care, that is, they lack the overnight care of at least one of their parents. Only 1.4% receives any sort of formal alternative care.

In this episode we celebrate Dr. Kiran Modi. Dr. Kiran Modi is the founder and managing trustee of Udayan Care. Founded in 1994, Udayan Care runs innovative small group, family based children's home in India. In addition to this, they run education and livelihood programs for disadvantaged girls. They are the leaders in alternative care and after care of institutionalised children. Dr. Modi has a doctorate in American Literature. She is also the founding editor of an international journal, Institutionalised children, explorations and beyond.

In this episode, we speak about Dr. Kiran's journey that led to the formation of Udayan Care, we speak about Alternative Care models, after care models for careleavers as well as the extensions of the work into education and skilling.

Aug 09, 202142:48

BOOKMARKS #3 with KANIKA SARAFF - A conversational recap of Ep12 to Ep17 - S01 EP18

NEW FORMAT ALERT - Have you been meaning to listen to one of our episodes but haven't found the time yet? Do you want to know the high level insights across the past episodes? Then this episode is for you, curated bookmarks from the past five episodes?

Our last five episodes have had guests who have spoken about coaching, personal potential, civil services, governance, media for change, shaping youth behaviour, leading a movement, female genital mutilation, inclusion, different abilities. In this episode, Bookmarks, we pause and collect the rich insights and learnings from these five episodes.

#learning #understanding #insights #leadership #lessons #wisdom #patterns #inspiration #trends

NOTE - This conversation was recorded over Zoom.

If you are thinking of launching your podcast and need consultation services or production/post production services you can write to kanishka@disorientedpenguin.com or reachus@disorientedpenguin.com

Jun 28, 202125:09

GENE EARLY - Unlocking Potential - S01 EP17

What do you do when you feel ‘stuck’ or that you aren’t meeting your potential, or just upset and angry with people around you? All the answers to moving forward productively in such scenarios lies within. Listen to this episode to take away some tools that might help you.

In this episode we celebrate Gene Early. Gene is a Leadership and Organisational Development expert. He works as a strategic advisor to global leaders, entrepreneurs and non - profits across Asia, Australia, Europe and the United States. He works with these leaders to develop transformational leadership, strong organisational cultures as well as helps them to broaden and deepen their impact. As a partner in Leaders’ Quest, he has led learning journeys with senior executives from multinationals interested in integrating purpose and performance since 2001. He co - founded Genomic Health, a molecular diagnostic company in Silicon Valley that produced the first genomic based breast cancer diagnostic test. He also co founded the first NLP - Neuro Linguistic Programming Institute in Europe. He has a PhD in Leadership and Organisational Development and has authored numerous articles, books and eBooks.

In this episode we learn about his journey that led him to this work, we talk about choices we make, getting closer to our essential selves and much more. A hugely insightful person. You can check out some of his articles on his LinkedIn profile or start with one article on Leading with your best self here.

Note - This conversation was recorded over Zoom. In case of any podcast requirements of consulting, production, post production, write in to kanishka@disorientedpenguin.com. For any feedback or suggestions for this podcastm write to anewkindofcelebrity@gmail.com

#coaching #selfawareness #transformation #potential #leadership #introspection

Jun 14, 202101:03:46

TIFFANY BRAR - Inclusion is a Choice - S01 EP16

Did you know that 90% of children with disabilities do not attend school? More than 75% of persons with disabilities are unemployed globally. How do we work towards a more inclusive society?

In this episode we celebrate Tiffany Brar. Tiffany Brar is a young disability activist, special educator and the founder of Jyothirgamaya Foundation. Tiffany became blind as an infant due to oxygen toxicity. She started Jyothirgamaya in 2012 with the aim of empowering blind people of all ages. Since inception she has trained many blind people in Braille, mobility, basic computer use, and other necessary life skills. She is an advocate for building an inclusive society. She received a National Award in 2017 for being Best Role Model.

In this episode we talk about her journey learning through different schools, building life skills and starting an organisation to help others. We also talk about small and big ways in which everyone can play a part to make society more inclusive.

Note - This episode was recorded over zoom. For any podcast production or post production requirements, write to kanishka@disorientedpenguin.com. For any feedback or guest suggestions write to anewkindofcelebrity@gmail.com

Jun 07, 202147:11

MASOOMA RANALVI - Understanding Female Genital Mutilation - S01 EP15

*TRIGGER WARNING* This episode contains explicit details of the process of Female Genital Mutilation. Did you know that over 200 million girls and women across 30 countries have undergone Female Genital Mutilation? Female Genital Mutilation is defined by the WHO as a practice that involves the partial or total remove of external female genital or injury to the female genital organs for non - medical reasons. The practice has no health benefits for girls and women.
In this Episode we celebrate Masooma Ranalvi. Masooma is a Law graduate, a Chevening Scholar, with a Diploma on Women in Leadership and Management, University of Bradford. She is an Aspen New Voices Fellow 2020. She works as a trainer on issues of gender and sexual harassment and is a social activist. In 2015, she took the bold step to be vocal about her views on the practice on Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) having been a victim of the practice when she was young. She founded an organization called WeSpeakOut which is the largest survivor-led platform working against FGM in India and the world.
Masooma shares about her own personal journey of going through this process and then the courage to share about it publicly and advocating for the end of FGM in India and beyond. You can sign their Change.org petition here.
Note - This episode was recorded over zoom. For any podcast production or post production requirements, write to kanishka@disorientedpenguin.com. For any feedback or guest suggestions write to anewkindofcelebrity@gmail.com

May 17, 202145:45

ROB BURNET - Power of Media to Influence Youth Behaviour - S01 EP14

When you think about a Comic Book, we bet that you don't associate reduction in teen pregnancies, increase in use of contraception or increase in youth income with it. This episode will shift your perspective.

In this episode we celebrate Rob Burnet. Rob Burnet is the founder and CEO of Shujaaz Inc, a double Emmy Award winning network of social ventures that inspire, entertain, and mobilise 7.5 million 15-24-year-olds across East Africa. Shujaaz Inc’s team of young East African researchers, creatives, strategists and producers runs its three social ventures; Shujaaz – East Africa’s biggest youth brand; Hustla MBA – a digital learning community; and a new digital networking venture, set to launch later this year.

Before setting up Shujaaz Inc in 2009, Rob spent seven years as The Ford Foundation’s Programme Officer for Media Arts and Culture, based in Nairobi. Rob has previously held the post of Visiting Research Fellow at the University of Reading and has worked in large scale public interest TV production for East Africa. Rob is also founder of Nairobi’s contemporary art studio, The Kuona Trust.

In this episode we talk about how media, comic books and a deep understanding of youth has helped Shujaaz Inc become one of the largest youth brands in East Africa. We speak about how entertainment and media can be used to influence very important behaviours. A very insightful and eye opening conversation.

Note - This conversation was recorded over zoom. If you are interested in launching a podcast and need consulting or post production support, write to kanishka@disorientedpenguin.com

May 10, 202101:05:43

SHAILAJA CHANDRA - Demystifying Governance - S01 EP13

The Civil Services exam is one of the toughest to crack in India, some of the most capable people join the Indian Administrative Service. Yet, the most common complaint heard from a common person is one of poor Governance. What are the gaps? Where does the system work well?

In this episode we celebrate Shailaja Chandra. Shailaja was a member of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) for over 40 years. She has held assignments in the Ministries of Defense, Power and Health as well as been posted in multiple states like Manipur, Goa, Delhi and Andaman & Nicobar Islands. She was a Secretary, AYUSH to the Government of India and also has been been the Delhi's only woman Chief Secretary.

Shailaja speaks to us about her journey of becoming an IAS officer. The ingredients of success to create large scale change like 11 million cataract surgeries in 5 years or converting all diesel run public transport vehicles into CNG (compressed natural gas). The obstacles and hurdles due to which things breakdown. An insightful insider view on Governance in India.

You can read more about on Shailaja Chandra's blog over2shailaja. If you are interested in launching a podcast and need consulting or post production support, write to kanishka@disorientedpenguin.com.

Note - This conversation was recorded over zoom.

May 03, 202101:04:29

BOOKMARKS #2 with KANIKA SARAFF - A conversational recap of Ep07 to Ep11 - S01 EP12

NEW FORMAT ALERT - Have you been meaning to listen to one of our episodes but haven't found the time yet? Do you want to know the high level insights across the past episodes? Then this episode is for you, curated bookmarks from the past five episodes?

Our last five episodes have covered Education, Plastic, Sanitation and Justice and Imprisonment. Following our format last year, we pause and collect the rich insights and learnings after every five episodes. In this conversation, Venil is joined by an educator, social sector professional and a dear friend, Kanika Saraff. Kanika Saraff has worked in the education sector for over a decade and currently works in a Child rights organisation. They both started their journey in the social sector in 2009 with the Teach For India Fellowship, teaching in neighbouring classrooms 3A and 3B in Govandi, Mumbai. They often discuss issues, ideas and theories and wanted to share some of their bookmarks on the patterns, ideas and insights that they took away from the five episodes with all of you.

#learning #understanding #insights #leadership #lessons #wisdom #patterns #inspiration #trends

NOTE - This conversation was recorded over Zoom.

If you are thinking of launching your podcast and need consultation services or production/post production services you can write to kanishka@disorientedpenguin.com

Apr 26, 202127:53

DR. BINDESHWAR PATHAK - Leading the Sanitation Revolution - S01 EP11

Did you know that 30% of the world's population doesn't have access to improved sanitation? Did you know that 60% of the world's population doesn't have access to safely managed sanitation (like sewage systems). Did you know that 15% of the world's population still practices open defecation?

In this episode we celebrate Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak, founder of Sulabh International. Dr. Pathak talks about his mission of eradicating untouchability and the various ways in which he has worked toward it. He shares about the different technologies he developed that helped with the mission - two pit toilets that do not need a person to clean it, pay and use public toilets (Sulabh Shauchalays), biogas plants connected to the two pit toilets. There were many others which we could not cover in this episode. He also talks to us about the hardships and struggles in his journey. For his work Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak has been awarded numerous national and international awards - Padma Bhushan, India's 3rd highest civilian award, WHO Public Health Champion Award - to mention a few.

Note - This conversation is recorded over zoom which may affect the sound quality due to the internet strength.

#sanitation #manualscavenging #empowerment

For any podcast production and post production support you can contact - http://www.disorientedpenguin.com/

Apr 12, 202149:60

TERESA NJOROGE - Rebuilding hope after imprisonment. S01 EP10

Did you know that poverty and single parent homes have a very high correlation with being imprisoned later in life? Did you know that 50% of people get re-imprisoned within two years of being released from prison?

In this episode, we celebrate Teresa Njoroge, founder and CEO of Clean Start Kenya. Teresa Njoroge worked in the Banking industry for 10 years. She was wrongfully convicted and served time in the largest Women's prison in Kenya, the Langata Women Maximum Security Prison, along with her 3 month old baby. This experience drove her to start Clean Start. In this episode we talk about her personal journey of being in prison and reintegrating into society as well as the stories of different women that she works with. We talk about the link between poverty and imprisonment, alternative forms of justice and the way forward.

An incredibly inspiring story of her courage and the difficult work done by Clean Start.

#incarceration #prison #prisonrefrom #courage #journey #inspiration

Apr 05, 202147:44

DR. RAJAGOPALAN VASUDEVAN - Plastic Roads, An Indian Innovation ('Indovation') - S01 EP09

Did you know, global plastic pollution is highest from countries without a plastic waste management system and not from countries that produce the most plastic? Did you know that there are solutions available to utilise ALL of our plastic waste?

In this episode, we celebrate Dr. Rajagopalan Vasudevan, the Plastic Man of India. He is an Indian Scientist and a retired Professor at Thiagarajar College of Engineering in Chennai. He is also a recipient of multiple awards including India’s fourth highest civilian award, Padma Shri in 2018. In this episode Dr. Vasudevan talks to us about his innovations and inventions like Plastic Roads and Plastic Stone (Plastones), how they are made, where they are used and how they can solve our plastic problems by utilising ALL plastic waste. He has given this invention for Governments to use for free! He also talks about his journey, internal and external, how the spirit of service and sacrifice has guided his life. Listen on to hear about these amazing innovations.

Note - This conversation was recorded over zoom.

#environment #plastics #recycling #plasticpollution #plasticwastemanagement #sustainability

Mar 15, 202154:55

PEN HUSTON - Crisp Bags to Sleeping Bags - S01 EP08

Do you love chips, crisps, wafers? Did you know, food packaging is the largest contributor to single use plastic. 91% of all single use plastic goes into landfills or the ocean.

Our guest Pen Huston has a brilliant idea to recycle them and put them to good use. She is from Hastings, England and is the founder of ‘The Crisp Packet Project.’ At the Crisp Packet Project, they use crisp (chips/wafers) packets and convert them into Bivi bags and survival sheets which are then distributed to the homeless.

Pen is also a volunteer with the charity ‘Surviving the Streets UK.’ Listen on to this high excitement episode to hear more about the idea, the process and the impact. You will even hear the rustling of the bags during the episode.

Note: This episode format is an IDEA SHOWCASE and has been recorded over zoom.

Mar 08, 202121:52

ROHIT DHANKAR - The Essence of Education - S01 EP07

How do you build critical thinking in children, while building discipline? How do you truly be child centered while teaching and interacting with children? Have you heard of a school without standards/grades? A super listen for Educators, Parents and those interested in Education.

In this episode we celebrate Rohit Dhankar, who is a Professor of Philosophy of Education and Curriculum Studies at Azim Premji University. He is also the founder secretary of Digantar, Jaipur an alternative school trying out simple and innovative learning methods. Rohit Dhankar talks about his journey to leading an alternative school in India. The reasons for the gap between policy documents like National Curriculum Frameworks and implementation on the ground. We spend time learning from him what a lot of this looks like in a class and in a school. And finally, DO NOT MISS the last section as Rohit Dhankar shares his nuggets of wisdom from his 40+ years of experience.

A few additional things Rohit Dhankar has done - he has taught and led a school for 15 years, worked on many programs with the NCERT and SCERTs - National and State Curriculum bodies in India. He has been a part of drafting the National Curriculum Framework 2005. He has also been a part of developing the MA Education (Elementary) Program at TISS, Mumbai.

NOTE - This episode is recorded over Zoom

#Education #Alternative Education #NEP2020 #NCF2005 #ChildCentric #IndependentThought #Teachers #Parents #India #Educators

Mar 01, 202101:08:21

BOOKMARKS #1 with KANIKA SARAFF - A conversational recap of Ep01 to Ep05 - S01 EP06

We've released five very diverse episodes till now. Our guests have spanned topics like healthcare, employment, education, sustainability and inclusion. We have had 14 year old entrepreneurial twins as well as a 70 year old Doctor. There have been a lot of insights. We decided to pause and collect the rich insights and learnings. In this conversation, Venil is joined by an educator, social sector professional and a dear friend, Kanika Saraff. Kanika Saraff has worked in the education sector for over a decade and currently works in a Child rights organisation. They both started their journey in the social sector in 2009 with the Teach For India Fellowship, teaching in neighbouring classrooms 3A and 3B in Govandi, Mumbai. They often discuss issues, ideas and theories and wanted to share some of their bookmarks on the patterns, ideas and insights that they took away from the five episodes with all of you.

#learning #understanding #insights #leadership #lessons #wisdom #patterns #inspiration #trends

NOTE - This conversation was recorded over Zoom

Feb 15, 202122:35

PRIYA AGRAWAL - Aspirational Employment for All - S01 EP05

Did you know that only 25% of Indian youth make it into Higher Education? Of those that graduate, only 47% are employable. Within this context our guest in this episode not only dreams of all youth having aspirational and choice based employment, but is making it a reality.

In this episode, we celebrate Priya Agrawal. Priya is the founder of Antarang Foundation which dreams of every young person being passionately, productively and positively engaged in a career of choice. Priya worked in the advertising world for more than a decade before switching over to the social sector where she worked with many NGOs like Akanksha Foundation. In this conversation, we speak about her transition to the social sector, employability vs skilling and examples of how aspirational careers are becoming a reality for youth from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Note: This conversation was recorded over Zoom.

#Employment #Employability #Aspirations #Youth #Jobs #Careers

Feb 08, 202101:14:06

HARPITH & HARPITHA - The 14 year old Entrepreneurs - S01 EP04

Have you wondered what early experiences in life shape entrepreneurs? Do you have a passion that you want to convert into a business? Our guests in this episode are 14 year old twins, who did just that. They converted a passion of theirs, spelling and language, into a company that can help many others develop the love for spelling and language.

In this episode we are celebrating Harpith & Harpita. Their confidence, clarity and determination blew our mind. Wise beyond their age, listen to these Grade 9 students and founders of Classminds talk about their defining experiences, how they channeled their fame from winning the Great Australian Spelling Bee in 2015 and how they want to grow Classminds.

NOTE - This was recorded over Zoom.

#SpellingBee #YoungEntrepreneurs #YoungFounders #StudentEntrepreneurship #StudentLeadership #GreatAustralianSpellingBee #Entrepreneurship

Feb 01, 202155:19

RAMESH DHAMI & SHRIYANS BHANDARI - Refurbished Foot Fashion & Social Good - S01 EP03

20 billion shoes are produced annually in the world. 90% of these shoes end up in landfills. Shoes take upto 50 years to decompose in landfills. India is the world’s second largest producer in the world. GreenSole has a solution - They recycle and refurbish old shoes into eco - friendly, vegan stylish shoes. This is not all, they also donate shoes to children in Govt. schools who do not have shoes.

In this episode we hear the journeys of the founders Ramesh Dhami and Shriyans Bhandari. Ramesh and Shriyans come from very different backgrounds, we speak about how they met, what led to them thinking of this idea and how they built GreenSole. An interesting conversation where we learn about their entrepreneurial journey, their challenges, learnings and vision for the future.

NOTE - This was recorded over Zoom. The conversation is in Hindi and English.

#Entrepreneurship #FootwearIndustry #Inspiration #Refurbhishing #Recycle #Sustainability #Leadership #PersonalJourneys

Jan 24, 202139:50

VANDITA MORARKA - Decoding Intersectionality, Gender and Values - S01 EP02

Have you been curious to understand more about the Gender Spectrum or Intersectionality? Would our interactions, solutions or initiatives be stronger if we understood this better?

In this episode we are celebrating Vandita Morarka. We start with understanding the work of One Future Collective. We decode some terms like intersectionality and gender. We understand how these impact us at individual level as well as at a system level, and what it takes to build awareness and shift mindsets around these ideas. Vandita tells us about her journey and why she started doing this work. Finally, we talk about her vision of One Future Collective being an organisation that everyone can learn from, we learn about their culture practices and covid responses that keep people in the centre. Have you heard of any organisation that gave out bonuses during the first few months of Covid? Find out why One Future Collective chose to do this.

Vandita Morarka is a young queer activist, social entrepreneur, lawyer, and a rights based policy consultant. She is the Founder and CEO of One Future Collective. One Future Collective works on gender justice, feminist leadership and mental health through building compassionate youth social leadership in India.

NOTE - All our episodes are recorded over Zoom.

Jan 15, 202101:05:28

DR. UMA ALI - Enabling Affordable Specialised Healthcare for All - S01 EP01

Have you complained about Government hospitals and public healthcare? Would you associate the word "Excellent" with India's public hospitals?

In our first episode of A new kind of celebrity, we are in conversation with Dr. Uma Ali. We speak about why she uses the word excellent to describe the quality of healthcare in the public healthcare systems of India. She shares her observation from being on the inside of charitable, public and private hospitals for over 40 years. We go on to talk how specialised pediatric care is still in nascent phases in India. Did you know that there are only 150 Pediatric Nephrologists in India? We also talk about the plans of Kidney Foundation For Children to solve this problem and increase basic pediatric nephrology care in all cities and villages. A simple way to reduce preventable child mortality due to kidney problems.

A new kind of celebrity celebrates people like Dr. Uma Ali who are bringing about meaningful change and working to make our society more equitable. Dr. Uma Ali is a leading Pediatric Nephrologist of India, currently affiliated with Lilawati Hospital, SRCC and Jupiter Hospital in Mumbai, India. She has been the former Dean of BJ Wadia Children's hospital. She has set up dialysis and kidney transplant units and multiple hospitals in Mumbai. She has more than 60 medical publications and is one of the founders of the Kidney Foundation for children

#Leadership #Nephrology #Pediatrics #PublicHospitals #Healthcare #Wisdom

Jan 04, 202150:25

TRAILER - A New Kind of Celebrity

Listen in to find out more about A New Kind of Celebrity and the stories we will cover.

Dec 18, 202000:51