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Ground Tales

Ground Tales

By Ground Tales

Untold and Unheard
Ground Tales is primarily a podcast platform founded in 2019 which also delves into multimedia and text stories, and in keeping up with the times experiments with new ways of disseminating information to the wider audiences on various platforms of communication. Covering issues like climate change, environment and stories of indigenous communities, it aims to create a buzz around lesser-discussed yet highly relevant subjects. Through the podcasts Ground Tales aims to reach the masses in both English and Hindi to cater to a larger audience.
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Invasion of Normandy beach during WW-II, D-day beaches, people and anecdotes of war

Ground TalesMay 06, 2021

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26:52
Ground Tales: The Zero-Waste Journey – Redefining Modern Living

Ground Tales: The Zero-Waste Journey – Redefining Modern Living

Delhi’s Okhla, Bhalswa or Ghazipur landfills collectively cover over 200 acres of land and carry 28 million tonnes of legacy waste. The piles of rotting food, clothes, plastic, glass and e-waste all dumped together make a recipe for disaster as these mounds of trash pollute the earth, and our water bodies and generate huge amounts of methane, a greenhouse gas, leading to global warming. 

Not just the Delhi NCR, many megacities in India have one or two such dumpsites which are an eyesore and you want to get out of the place holding your breath as soon as possible. But this is all OUR waste, all mixed up and thrown away irresponsibly. Segregating this amount of waste is next to impossible but our municipality workers constantly work against the clock and do their bit.

However, small lifestyle changes and some good practices can reduce this problem in future. Like previous generations who used to reuse, repair and recycle products, taking a leaf out of their book can actually limit this problem to quite an extent.

Today we have Shipra Agrawal and Ritika Chawla with us, who practice a low-waste lifestyle. These two young women made the change over 5 years back and continue to inspire others around them.

Oct 12, 202312:43
Vulture Conservation in India

Vulture Conservation in India

India, a sanctuary for nine distinct vulture species, is fervently working to stabilize the numbers of these vital scavengers. As the mortality rate edges past five percent annually, the threat of extinction becomes palpable, making every vulture's demise deeply sorrowful. The 1990s saw a staggering decline where over 90% of the country's vulture population was wiped out. This tragic loss stemmed from vultures ingesting animals that had been treated with Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, leading to fatal consequences for the birds.

In a significant move towards conservation, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has recently banned the production, sale, and distribution of two such drugs, ketoprofen and aceclofenac, recognizing their detrimental effects on India's vultures.

Aug 27, 202315:44
Impact of Forest Conservation Act on Forest Rights Act

Impact of Forest Conservation Act on Forest Rights Act

Hello and welcome to ground tales. This is your host Shuchita Jha and this is the second part of our Forest Conservation Act series.

Last time we discussed the amendments to the FCA and today we will talk about the effects of these new amendments to the Forest Rights Act of 2006, which was made to undo the historical injustice to the indigenous communities in the country by granting them land titles so that can continue their lifestyles and their professions as it is in the forests they have been living in through centuries.

We have with us Mr. Tushar Dash, an independent researcher working on forest rights and governance issues in India. He is associated with national initiatives of civil society organisations and bodies working with pastoral communities, working for the implementation of the Forest Rights Act. He has also conducted several training programs on FRA with the Ministry of Tribal Affairs and has served in committees and policy forums set up by the central and state governments, and has written extensively on the implementation of FRA.

Aug 12, 202318:54
Forest Conservation Act of India: What do the amendments entail?

Forest Conservation Act of India: What do the amendments entail?

Welcome to "Ground Tales" with your host, Shuchita Jha. In this thought-provoking podcast, we dive into one of the most pressing environmental issues of our time—the recent amendments to the Forest Conservation Act 1980. These changes have sparked intense debate and garnered criticism from conservationists nationwide, raising concerns about their potential impact on the very essence of the original legislation.

Over the next few episodes, we will be joined by esteemed experts who will guide us through the intricacies of these amendments. In the first installment of this series, we are honored to have Mr. Debadityo Sinha as our guest. As a Senior Resident Fellow and Lead of the Climate & Ecosystems team at Vidhi, Centre for Legal Policy—a reputable independent think-tank devoted to legal research for the greater good—Mr. Sinha is the perfect authority to help us grasp the complexities of the Forest Conservation Act and its recent modifications.

Together, we will explore the historical context of the Act and its fundamental objectives. By delving into the amendments, we aim to shed light on the potential ramifications for our precious ecosystems, wildlife, and the delicate balance between development and conservation.

Join us on this enlightening journey as we dissect the implications of the amended Forest Conservation Act and uncover the voices shaping the conversation around it. "Ground Tales" is your platform for informed discussion and a deeper understanding of the challenges we face in safeguarding our environment.

Tune in to the first episode, where we sit down with Mr. Sinha, and stay tuned for more expert insights, expert opinions, and critical analysis in the coming weeks. Together, let's navigate through the twists and turns of the Forest Conservation Act 1980 amendments and strive for a greener, more sustainable future.

Aug 05, 202321:53
Wine, champagne, cider and poiré: A peek into French wine culture

Wine, champagne, cider and poiré: A peek into French wine culture

Welcome to the fourth episode of French Tales from Ground Tales. We have with us our new guest, Mr. François Le Cardinal, a French professor, and also an amateur connoisseur of wine and liquor. He will enlighten us today about the different kinds of wine or cider and whiskeys that are found in France along with champagne, which I guess most of you know, and how they are made, what is his favorite? How did he have an interest in becoming an amateur connoisseur and some more things that we don't generally know about wine because we just concentrate on Bordeaux and champagne? We are going to learn a lot more about the different regions that produce other kinds of wines and deciders which are less known but are tastier. And this I say, after having tasted from Francoise collection, let us hear from the master himself.

Aug 08, 202119:17
Invasion of Normandy beach during WW-II, D-day beaches, people and anecdotes of war

Invasion of Normandy beach during WW-II, D-day beaches, people and anecdotes of war

Welcome to the third episode of French tales. Today with us we have a very special guest, Mr Laurent Guerin who has a very deep knowledge of the Normandy beach invasions, the lives of the people, and how they turned around with the invasion. He also interviewed and met the Higgins family, who actually supplied the boat to Europe, from America for this special invasion that was held in 1944. He owns a very cute place on the Omaha Beach, which trains people in sports like kayaking, surfing, parasailing, waterboarding, and etc. And he has been running this place since the last 25 years, and has held around 5000 sessions in the past 10 years. So right now, the place is not really open because of the COVID restrictions. But hopefully, when the restrictions are lifted, it will be back to its original life and a buzz that always surrounds the beach, especially in summers. So today, we will hear from Mr.  Laurent Guerin his experiences of meeting people and what they have shared with him through these ages. Welcome to our show.

May 06, 202126:52
Leading by example - An English teacher gives up air travel for environment, fights for clean energy

Leading by example - An English teacher gives up air travel for environment, fights for clean energy

Beatrice who is a member of the city council in Caen, France is a die-hard environmentalist. From organising events to educate people about clean energy to turning into a vegetarian, she tries to lead by example. It has been 10 years since she gave up plastic and 25 years since she's taken a plane to do her bit for the environment.

Feb 02, 202116:50
No ego, just love… A reckless rockstar turns over a new leaf with Buddhism

No ego, just love… A reckless rockstar turns over a new leaf with Buddhism

Gambini who “partied” hard in his youth has given up alcohol for the past 25 years. A practicing Buddhist, he now embraces life with the “live and let live” principal, while enchanting the audience with his music.

Jan 12, 202120:07
The Bayeux War Cemetery – The lives that could have been

The Bayeux War Cemetery – The lives that could have been

The Second World War shook the world in a way humanity can never forget. Keeping alive the memory of the martyrs, the Bayeux War Cemetery pays homage to the soldiers who died in the war.
The largest cemetery of the commonwealth soldiers lies in a Quaint town of France, Bayeux, away from the hullabaloo of the big cities, so that the departed can rest in peace.
The Bayeux Memorial also immortalizes countless other soldiers who died in Normandy, but do not have a known grave.

Jan 06, 202105:00
LockdownTales Ep #2: How To Engage Children At Home During Lockdown

LockdownTales Ep #2: How To Engage Children At Home During Lockdown

Welcome to the 2nd episode of our new series lockdown tales where we will talk about ways to keep children engaged during lockdown. Let's welcome Dr Geetanjali who is going to tell us about various tips to keep your children engaged at home. We will be back again with another episode of lockdown tales soon. If you like our podcast please hit like share and subscribe buttons. Please do visit our website www.groundtales.com to listen to new podcasts.

Apr 11, 202004:26
LockdownTales Ep #1: Poems, rhymes, stories and songs of hope to reduce stress of kids secluded from outdoor activities

LockdownTales Ep #1: Poems, rhymes, stories and songs of hope to reduce stress of kids secluded from outdoor activities

When the whole world is under distress due to Corona pandemic, 22- year- old, Shloka, a resident of Malviya Nagar was concerned about the children especially from underserved communities who are compelled to cut-off from the external world. To release the stress of these children, Shloka and her friends who are a part of volunteer group of Child Rights and You (CRY) decided to make small videos reciting poems, stories, DIY ideas etc for them and shared it on social media.

Shloka had never thought that she would get such a beautiful response against the poem which she recited. The very next day a 13-year-old Shama (name changed) who resides in Bharat Vihar Basti sent a video in reply to Shloka reciting another poem to her. The video of Shama came as an encouragement for these young minds and their small efforts turned into a campaign.

In the midst of these trying times, while we reach out to each other with messages on social distancing and self-isolation, this group of youngsters were thinking about the huge impact this will have on our children from privileged and underprivileged spaces alike. Not having the volunteers come for sessions, not being able to go to their hobby classes, having limited or no access to their friends etc.

“Keeping this in mind, we the volunteers from CRY are developing a series of online resources both in Hindi and English that our little ones can get access to. My team has all kind of videos from easy cooking, good daily habits, maths tricks, easy at and craft. Our aim just to engage children and make them realize that they are not alone in times like this and that we, their mentors, are looking forward to watching them learn and grow even while we can’t physically meet them everyday”, said 20-year-old, Areeba Khan, who resides in Okhla.

The campaign has already started getting a lot of responses and volunteers and their friends across the capital are now making more and more such resourcesfor the children.

Another volunteer said “I felt heart-warming when we started getting responses on our videos. It also gave us the opportunity to engage ourselves to do something productive, while being quarantined at our house”, said 19-year-old, Mrityunjay Kandpal.

Children who might not have experienced such situation where they are restricted to go out for days might be facing certain uneasiness as well. With the intent to add some fun and learning in the daily routine of these children our volunteers have decided to produce small engaging fun videos.

If you liked this episode please hit the like, share and subscribe buttons.

Please do visit our website www.groundtales.com for more such insightful stories.  See you soon.

Apr 10, 202005:30
Folktrails Ep #4: Tale of a Band bringing soulful music from the forests of Bastar

Folktrails Ep #4: Tale of a Band bringing soulful music from the forests of Bastar

In this episode, we are going to hear the music of Bastar, which is based on the sounds of the jungle. Bastar is one of the biggest tribal belts of India famous for its greenery, ancient culture and also infamous for Naxal problems.  The band named after its region Bastar preserves hundreds of years of old music traditions of tribal people. The band is also promoting peace in the Naxal affected region.

The band founded by veteran theatre artist and Padam Shri Awardee Anoop Ranjan Pandey. As the band was originated in Naxal dominated area, the founder had to face a lot of struggle to form a team and take the band to national and international platforms.

The tribes have preserved their music for thousands of years and the music is still pure and unchanged. They discovered this music from their encounters in the jungle. Bastar Band's journey started with documentation of the varied music found in the area. The founder of the band Anoop traveled across the Bastar region to explore the music and collected a number of songs and indigenous instruments. He then formed a team of tribal people from across the region. It was not easy to form a band in the Naxal affected region due to in conducive circumstances. The objective of the Bastar Band is to bring peace in the area and they go by the cry 'Banduk chhodo-Dhol pakdo' meaning ( Quit guns and pick up drums). The presentations of Bastar Band have been widely acclaimed throughout the world. The band had gained a lot of popularity after performing at the opening ceremony of commonwealth games hosted in India in the year 2010.

So this was the fourth episode of folk trails. Leave your views about the episode in the comment section.

Please subscribe to Ground Tales to keep updated about new episodes.

If you are listening to this episode on podcast platforms do visit our website www.groundtales.com and support us to continue bringing the untold and unheard.

Apr 07, 202006:15
Shocking! Look who is behind the death due to Acute Encephalitis Syndrome in Bihar

Shocking! Look who is behind the death due to Acute Encephalitis Syndrome in Bihar

The outbreak of Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) in Bihar this year, which claimed the lives of more than 180 children, portrays the bad healthcare and infrastructure of Bihar government. A few months after the outbreak, a group of journalists and social workers came up with a survey, showing the real cause behind this outbreak. The survey released on November 13 at Muzaffarpur says that 96.5 percent of children who were affected by the Acute Encephalopathy Syndrome (AES) belonged to the underprivileged section and scheduled castes and tribes. The survey revealed that 97.8 percent of the family of children affected by AES could not earn more than Rs. 10,000 a month. The mainstream media had criticized government hospitals for allegedly not providing proper health care, but the survey revealed that 92 percent of affected families appreciated the job of doctors and hospital staff. Pushya Mitra, a senior journalist and one of the prominent persons behind this survey tells us more about the findings of the survey. Please Subscribe and share this podcast.

Nov 13, 201913:14
Ground Tales: A tale of malnutrition-free village

Ground Tales: A tale of malnutrition-free village

Madhya Pradesh is ranked amongst a few of the worst states of India in terms of nutrition and infant mortality rate. But there are some great initiatives taking place in small villages to overcome these issues that are worth sharing. Kotagunjapur, a village inside Panna Tiger Reserve has conquered malnutrition with kitchen gardens. The village that does not have access to roads and electricity has now attained freedom from malnutrition, something that even bigger villages and cities have been unable to achieve. Villagers realized that they are extremely poor and cannot afford dear vegetables from the market because of which their kids and women were not getting proper nutrition, leading to an increase in malnutrition. Some social workers helped them develop kitchen-gardens in every household where they could grow iron and vitamin-rich vegetables and herbs. In a period of four years, the condition improved drastically. The villagers started getting fresh vegetables every day and that showed a positive impact on their health. The story about zero malnutrition villages is still untold. Ground Tales spoke to the social workers and the residents of Kotagunjapur to know more about the model and the struggle to make the initiative popular amongst villagers. We also interacted with activists behind this initiative who played a pivotal role in popularising the kitchen- garden concept to tackle the problem of malnutrition with a zero-budget plan. Listen to our podcast at www.groundtales.com

Oct 25, 201908:03
East Pakistan refugee recounts the horror of 1964 communal riots

East Pakistan refugee recounts the horror of 1964 communal riots

In light of discussions over NRC and ridding India of "outsiders", Ground Tales spoke to a senior citizen Sunil Sarkar who came to India as a refugee in 1964, after the riots in Pakistan and was welcomed with open arms India. Now a citizen of the country, he recounted his ordeal disclosing how the horrors of those days still haunt him and India, his new motherland gave him a new life.

Sep 23, 201915:03
Folk Trail Episode #3: This indigenous tribe’s cuisine works like medicine

Folk Trail Episode #3: This indigenous tribe’s cuisine works like medicine

Baiga, an indigenous tribe of India, hardly takes medicines for common ailments as their day to day food itself has more healing properties than modern medicines, without the side effects. They eat a number of green leafy vegetables available in the jungles, but unknown to the urban folks. The herbs, coarse grains and local vegetables provide complete nutrition to the body and heal the ill in no time. Dayaram Rathodiya, a Baiga, spoke to Ground Tales and revealed the age-old secrets. Please like, subscribe and share our podcast.

Sep 10, 201907:39
FolkTrails Episode #2: Feel the soulful music of Gond tribe of Madhya Pradesh

FolkTrails Episode #2: Feel the soulful music of Gond tribe of Madhya Pradesh

Madhya Pradesh is home to many tribal communities and here in the deep forests of the state, age old music is still alive and being practised by a large population. We are bringing to you the soulful music of Gond community that was presented by the tribal artists of Dindori. The songs were recorded at Madhya Pradesh Tribal Museum.

Sep 02, 201906:25
Anant Mandi: Bhopal's organic Mandi provides marketplace to local farmers

Anant Mandi: Bhopal's organic Mandi provides marketplace to local farmers

Anant Mandi, a unique marketplace for organic farmers and lovers of organic food, founded by youth and farming enthusiasts of Bhopal.  The Anant Mandi aims to promote the practice of ecological farming, healthy and local food and sustainable living in urban lifestyle and to bride the gap between farmers and consumers. Farmers from various districts like Hoshangabad, Dewas, Sehore, Vidisha, and Bhopal bring their produce at this Mandi. The organisers have also initiated a Swap Sale Stall 'Adlaa Badli' with the intention to promote the culture of 'exchange and sharing' instead of 'buying new'. People can bring clothes, books, stationery, accessories, kitchen-ware etc and exchange items at the stall. As a cherry on the cake, delicious snacks and drinks made of organic fruits and vegetables are also served at the Mandi. Anant Mandi is organised on the last Sunday of every month at Gandhi Bhawan.

Sep 01, 201912:45
GroundTales: Hellish life of people living near the backwaters of Sardar Sarovar

GroundTales: Hellish life of people living near the backwaters of Sardar Sarovar

Thousands of families suffering from floods in Madhya Pradesh as Gujarat Government refuses to open the gates of Sardar Sarovar Dam. The dam has reached its peak and due to the backwater, a large part of Madhya Pradesh has been drowned. The affected people are not ready to leave their homes as they allege that the government has not provided them proper rehabilitation and compensation. They are living in a very bad condition with water-logging in their homes and fields and lack of electricity. Social worker Medha Patkar and other affected people share their ordeal with Ground Tales. Listen to our podcast

Aug 24, 201908:26
Folk Trails Episode #1: Baigas- setting the perfect example of friendship between humans and tigers since ages

Folk Trails Episode #1: Baigas- setting the perfect example of friendship between humans and tigers since ages

Listen to our latest podcast about Baiga tribe of Madhya Pradesh. The podcast explores the friendship of baiga with tigers and their unique farming patterns.

Aug 11, 201904:08
Folk Trails Episode #1: Baigas- setting the perfect example of friendship between humans and tigers since ages

Folk Trails Episode #1: Baigas- setting the perfect example of friendship between humans and tigers since ages

 Listen to our latest podcast about Baiga tribe of Madhya Pradesh. The podcast explores the friendship of baiga with tigers and their unique farming patterns.

Aug 07, 201903:42
Suno Episode #1: How Bastar Band is changing lives with tribal music in Naxal affected area

Suno Episode #1: How Bastar Band is changing lives with tribal music in Naxal affected area

 In today's episode we will talk about tribal music which is born in jungle and will also introduce you from a Band which works in extremely adverse condition of Bastar, a naxal affected region of India...Hold on...I'll not only talk about music but there is so many exclusive music peace of tribals those I have recorded for you.

May 22, 201904:49