Impact India

We all feel the weight of climate change from time to time (or daily!) as we try to take in the size of the problem and how to solve it. Now imagine being in it, everyday, as a climate researcher and seeing first hand what’s really going on with our planet. In this episode, Anjana Aravind joins the Curated Consciously podcast to break down the misconceptions of climate change, and how our systems, consumer choices, and the media play vital roles in the health of our planet.

In episode 31 of the Impact India podcast, I chat with Jitendra and Shivani Sinha, co-founders of SAI Sustainable Agro. SAI Sustainable Agro is a social venture working to improve the livelihoods of tribal and marginalized farmers in Odisha, India, using agroforestry to redevelop degraded land. The goal: to develop a truly inclusive and sustainable business model that uplifts marginalized people and farmers worldwide.

In episode 30 of the Impact India podcast, I welcome back Kriti Tula, Co-Founder and Creative Director of Doodlage. Doodlage is a fashion brand based in New Delhi working with post-production and post-consumer textile waste to curate womens, mens, and accessory collections.

In episode 29, I sit down with fellow co-founder of Sustainable Travel Network, Kelsey White on building a sustainable travel industry post-pandemic.

In episode 28 of the Impact India podcast, I chat with Pallavi Yadav and Mehak Tariq Beigh of WeAreLabeless, an eco-conscious brand aligned with the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals led by the United Nations. Working closely with craftspeople across India, with a focus on employing women, their goal is to help achieve SDG 5: Gender Equality, and SDG 12: Responsible Consumption & Production.

In episode 27 of the Impact India podcast, I chat with Nidhi Lodha of June, a homegrown brand reviving the crafts of Gujarat by making wearable art.

In episode 26 of the Impact India podcast, I chat with Shradha Kochhar, a knitwear designer, textile artist, and the co-founder of LOTA India. Shradha’s work combines sustainability and craftsmanship, and although based in New Delhi, is being recognized globally for her talent. Her latest works were seen at London Fashion Week 2019, which featured her knitted ‘khadi’ fabric, using Kala cotton, and knitted sweaters for the ASHISH AW19 collection.

In episode 25 of the Impact India podcast, I chat with Kush Sharma of Rural Odyssey. This incredible social enterprise promotes sustainable tourism as an additional livelihood opportunity for rural communities, by building community-owned and community-lead tourism models.

In episode 24 of the Impact India podcast, I chat with Jitna Bhagani, founder of Shakti.ism and she will survive. Shakti.ism is a nonprofit social enterprise that empowers and employs disadvantaged women in India. She will survive is a global gender-equality advocacy project that provides resources to women around the world facing gender-based violence.

In episode 23 of the Impact India podcast, I chat with Arushi Aggarwal of The Initiative, a social enterprise providing sustainable livelihoods to low-income craftspeople through a nationwide platform selling their handcrafted products.

In episode 22 of the Impact India podcast, I chat with Anya Gupta, a sustainable and conscious lifestyle advocate who shifted her city life to live on her family farm to study and create micro ecosystems.

In this episode I’m coming at you from my kitchen, diving into conscious living and how individual and diverse it is for everyone. I’m also introducing what to expect from season 3 of Impact India, my reflections on quarantine as a social entrepreneur, and why I’ve been busier than ever during the pandemic (especially in launching Curated Consciously!).

In the final episode of season 2 of Impact India, I sit solo in my front yard (the furthest outside I can get right now) to chat about moving forward with personal and professional goals in a time when the future is so uncertain.

In episode 19 of the Impact India podcast, I chat with fellow Sustainable Travel Network co-founder, Kelsey White.

In episode 18, I chat with Gayatri Jolly, Founder and Creative Director of MasterG on breaking the cycle of poverty and stigma through fashion.

In episode 17 of the Impact India podcast, I chat with Raj Jain of School Chale, a creative not-for-profit and educational content platform that creates design driven stories to teach and empower young people at school, online, and on TV.

In episode 16, I chat with Bhaavya Goenka, founder of IRO IRO. This zero-waste lifestyle and fashion brand works with handweavers in Jaipur, Rajasthan.

In episode 15, I finally deliver on an episode that takes a spin–I’m diving into the perspective and opinion of travelers in India with travel blogger and dear friend Eileen McDougall.

In episode 14 of the Impact India podcast, I speak with Megha Rawat, founder of Kurio, a sustainable fashion brand that conceptualizes and manufactures upcycled, handmade, and locally crafted footwear.

In episode 13 of the Impact India podcast, I speak with Manik Thapar, one of the pioneers of waste management in India and is known for his unique business model at Eco-Wise.

In episode 12 of the Impact India podcast, I speak with Mahima Gujral, founder of Sui, a conscious brand bridging the gap between nature and fashion.

I wanted to kick us off by setting intentions and the tone for this season. Here we are in a new decade. It’s time to get vulnerable and share the challenges social entrepreneurs are facing not just in India but around the world.

In episode #10, I connect with Ramona Saboo, founder of Forty Red Bangles, a socially conscious fashion brand that celebrates the marriage of sustainability and design.

In episode #9 of the Impact India podcast, I connect with Richa Malik, founder of The Happy Turtle, a DIPP recognised, boot-strapped start-up working towards reducing plastic consumption. They have created the world’s FIRST Plastic Footprint Calculator For Businesses, equipped to assess any business premise on their annual plastic consumption of disposable and reusable plastics.

In episode #8 of the Impact India podcast, I connect with Josie Mackenzie, founder of AMMA, a social enterprise that utilizes food waste and plants to produce natural dyes to make handwoven fabrics, fashion accessories, and homewares.

In episode #7, I connect with Leila Veerasamy, Founder and Creative Director of PA.NI Swimwear, a sustainable brand that seeks to normalize swimwear in India by offering timeless clean designs, universally flattering to South Asian women's diverse body types. Their swimsuits are made with ECONYL®, a regenerated nylon yarn developed from discarded fishing nets and other plastic waste found in the ocean.

In episode 6 of the Impact India podcast, I connect with Sanvar Oberoi, Co-founder of BOHECO, Bombay Hemp Company, India’s FIRST hemp and cannabis company.

In episode 5 of the Impact India podcast, I connect with Darshana Gajare of FairTrunk, a platform promoting conscious brands, driving community awareness & engagement, and consulting for emerging sustainable businesses within fashion and lifestyle. Darshana also leads Communications for Fashion Revolution India, a global movement that demands greater transparency in the fashion supply chain.

In episode 4 of the Impact India podcast, I sit with Mandeep Jhajj at Bootstart in Fort, Mumbai to talk about how her social enterprise, Tribes for GOOD, is changing the way we see voluntourism.

In Episode 3 of the Impact India podcast, I meet with Himanshu Shekhar, owner of Delhi by Cycle, at The Red Kettle Cafe in New Delhi.

In Episode 2 of the Impact India podcast, I sit down with Fahim Vora, co-founder of Be the Local tours, outside Mahim Junction railway station in Mumbai on a couple of parked scooties.

In Episode 1 of the Impact India podcast, we meet with Kriti Tula, founder of India’s first zero waste fashion brand Doodlage, at Cafe Inside Stories in New Delhi.

Introducing the Impact India podcast, hosted by Jazzmine Raine.