
Kala Azar, a deadly parasitic disease, is very close to elimination in India. As per the World Health Organisation, the definition of elimination is the annual incidence of less than one case per 10,000 population at block level. The last few districts which are on the borderline remain in Jharkhand, and public officials appear confident that this year, the country may achieve the elimination target. The target has to be kept for 3 years for it to receive a WHO tag.
Suno India is publishing a series of podcasts related to Kala Azar elimination. Suno India’s Menaka Rao travelled to Jharkhand and Bihar for the reporting of these podcasts. Reporting for this story was supported by the MSF-DNDi Grant on Neglected Tropical Diseases as part of the Without Borders Media Fellowship. The fellowship encourages independent, impartial and neutral reporting on health and humanitarian crises.
In this episode, Suno India’s consulting editor Menaka Rao talks about the challenges of another complication related to kala-azar called Post Kala-azar Dermal Leishmaniasis. This can manifest in about 5-10% of patients who recovered from kala-azar. This disease is now scientifically proven to spread kala-azar in the community. This disease is hard to detect, and cure. Menaka speaks to persons affected by this disease, and other health workers who are trying hard to control it in the community.
References
Kala-azar in India – progress and challenges towards its elimination as a public health problem
KALA-AZAR SITUATION IN INDIA
Kala Azar and its subsequent skin manifestation, PKDL, shattered these women's lives, left them with uncertainty, stigma
Xenodiagnosis to evaluate the infectiousness of humans to sandflies in an area endemic for visceral leishmaniasis in Bihar, India: a transmission-dynamics study
Ten years of kala-azar in west Bengal, Part I. Did post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis initiate the outbreak in 24-Parganas? - PMC
DNDi’s Centres of Excellence: Towards the sustainable elimination of visceral leishmaniasis in India
Safety and Effectiveness of Miltefosine in Post–Kala-Azar Dermal Leishmaniasis: An Observational Study - PMC
Kala Azar and its subsequent skin manifestation, PKDL, shattered these women's lives, left them with uncertainty, stigmaSee sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information.
Dec 23, 2023
28 min

On November 21, Pranshu who is a 16-year old queer child, died of suicide in Ujjain. The school going child was a self taught makeup artist, with nearly 17,000 followers on Instagram. Pranshu posted a reel dressed in a sari, which went viral during Diwali, getting more than 4000 comments, most of which were homophobic in nature.
Last year, another class 10 student, Aarvey Malhotra died of suicide. His mother, Aarti Malhotra has alleged that Aarvey was bullied mercilessly in school on account of his sexuality, and that his school authorities were not responsive to their complaints and failed to protect him.
In the recent past, there have been many conversations about protection of children in the social media space. Whistleblowers of Meta have alleged that Meta knew its products were harming children, particularly young girls but did not do enough to protect them. In October, many US states filed a lawsuit arguing that Meta has contributed to a youth mental health crisis. What is missing in these discussions are the experiences of queer children.
Suno India’s Menaka Rao spoke to Rohin Bhatt, a queer rights lawyer and activist and a bioethicist to understand what kind of legal and policy framework can help protect queer children, but also help create a safe space online.
References
'My Child Did Nothing Wrong,' Mother of Queer Artist Who Died By Suicide in MP
“The school has killed me”: Arvey Malhotra’s mother recalls his suicide note and elaborates on the bullying that led to her son’s death; awaits justice even after 4 months - Times of India
Congress Is Pushing An Online Safety Bill Supported By Anti-LGBTQ Groups
https://twitter.com/BhattRohin/status/1729734070261658026/photo/1
Yes, We Exist (@yesweexistindia) • Instagram photos and videos
Filmmaker Onir says his movie script on gay soldier has been rejected by defence ministry: 'I won't demean anybody'.
National and Delhi Commissions for Protection of Child Rights on opposing sides on adoption by same-sex couples – The Leaflet
Kerala HC asks government to take appropriate action against ‘NGO’ that calls queerness “wokeism” and “rainbow mafia” – The LeafletSee sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information.
Dec 19, 2023
29 min

The Silkyara tunnel, in Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi district, has been in the news since November 12, when one of its under-construction sections collapsed, trapping 41 workers. After the rescue of these workers, this entire episode has been portrayed as a story of triumph.
But, why exactly did the tunnel at Silkyara collapse? The 4.53-kilometre-long tunnel between Silkyara and Barkot is part of the larger Char Dham project. What does the Silkyara collapse tell us about the Char Dham Project in the central Himalayas?
In this episode of the Suno India Show, reporter Sneha Richhariya speaks to Himanshu Arora, Anish Nal, Jaya Singh, Ira Chauhan and Ruchi Singh Rao, all members of Citizens For Green Doon- a Dehradun-based civil society group, which along with others have fought a case in Supreme Court against the Char Dham project and the rampant construction under it. See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information.
Dec 13, 2023
26 min

This December we mark 11 years of the gang rape and death of Jyoti Singh – or Nirbhaya. As a response to the Delhi 2012 incident, the government started the Nirbhaya Fund and Nirbhaya centres across the country. In this episode, we look at what women want versus what they get.
Today, there are over 733 Nirbhaya Centres–or One-Stop Crisis Centres–across India; one in every district. However, these centres rarely function as hospital-based crisis centres i.e., they often operate in parallel with the police rather than in coordination with the hospitals. Experts say this is a missed opportunity, as hospitals–not the police–are the first point of contact for survivors. Hospitals are safe spaces and women are more likely to reach out for help here.
In this episode, Mahima Jain visits the One-Stop Crisis Center inside the District Women’s Hospital in Akola, Maharashtra. This centre has used it's position as an opportunity to help violence survivors. With the help of its (now former) Medical Superintendent Dr Arati Kulwal, this Nirbhaya Center works with the hospital staff to identify survivors and help them. The hospital staff too was trained to identify signs and symptoms of gender-based violence. Is it time to relook how Nirbhaya Centers function? Let’s listen to how Akola’s One-Stop Crisis Center works, and the lessons all Nirbhaya Centres can learn from it.
Global database India on violence against women
Crime in India – 2021 - SNAPSHOTS (States/UTs)
Reporting, script, and narration: Mahima Jain
Editing: Menaka Rao
Production: Rakesh Kamal
This story was supported by the Pulitzer Center.
Read other stories from the Pulitzer Center project here: India’s Health Care Response to Gender-Based Violence See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information.
Dec 8, 2023
30 min

After an exhaustive 400-hour operation, a collective sigh of relief swept through the nation as rescuers successfully reached the 41 workers who had been trapped in the Uttarkashi tunnel since November 12.
The Char Dham National Highway Project, launched in December 2016, aimed to improve connectivity to the pilgrimage sites of Kedarnath, Badrinath, Yamunotri, and Gangotri—all nestled in the Himalayas. This Rs.12,000 crore project spans approximately 889 kilometres through the Himalayan region. Despite its lofty goals, the project exposes critical errors and assumptions in its planning and execution.
The collapse of the Silkyara tunnel, while significant, is not an isolated incident but rather a part of a larger tragedy in the making.
In this episode of The Suno India Show, reporter Sneha Richhariya speaks to Suresh Bhai, a native of Uttarakhand residing just 30 km from the Silkyara tunnel. He has been advocating for the sensitivity of the Himalayas for decades.See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information.
Dec 1, 2023
26 min

In this episode, three MTEs talk about their training, their lives before they took on the role, the state of science education in India, and societal perceptions about blindness. Most importantly, they reflect on what they contribute to society and how training as an MTE has altered their lives. Listen to Meenakshi Gupta, Neha Suri and Neetu Garg who work as MTEs in Delhi and Gurgaon. Also featuring Ashwini Rao, a Discovering Hands trainer from Enable India, Bengaluru.
This mini-series has been reported by Priti Salian and the project was funded by the European Journalism Centre, through the Global Health Security Call. This programme is supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Transcript: Hands that see - Blind and visually impaired women are emerging as a workforce in early breast cancer detection part 2.pdf
See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information.
Oct 31, 2023
28 min

In 2005, German gynaecologist Dr Frank Hoffmann, started his quest for a suitable medical assistant to conduct clinical breast exams for his clinic in Duisburg in Germany. By 2010, he had set up a social enterprise called Discovering Hands that trains blind and visually impaired women to conduct specialised routine breast examinations called tactile breast examinations. Today, Discovering Hands is spread across Germany, Switzerland, Austria and India, training blind and visually impaired women for the role of Medical Tactile Examiners (MTEs) who can offer accurate breast cancer screening with their highly sensitive and trained touch. The first episode in this two-part podcast series is about the problems associated with breast cancer in India and the solution MTEs offer.
In the episode, hear from Dr. Frank Hoffmann, Meenakshi Gupta, Sonal Prakash, Dr. Mandeep Malhotra, Dr. Kanchan Kaur, Dr. Lily Gutnik, Dr Poovamma CU, Shanti Raghavan, Dr. Vrutika Patel, Asha Sharma and Shashi Menon.
This mini-serires has been reported by Priti Salian and the project was funded by the European Journalism Centre, through the Global Health Security Call. This programme is supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Transcript: Blind and visually impaired women are emerging as a workforce in early breast cancer detection part 1.pdf
References
NAB India Centre for Blind Women & Disability Studies
The burden of cancers and their variations across the states of India: the Global Burden of Disease Study 1990–2016 - The Lancet Oncology
Breast cancer in India: Present scenario and the challenges ahead - PMC
https://journals.lww.com/jfmpc/Fulltext/2022/11000/Status_of_cancer_screening_in_India__An_alarm.106.aspx
Survival Analysis of Breast Cancer Patients Treated at a Tertiary Care Centre in Southern India - ScienceDirect
Breast cancer in India: Present scenario and the challenges ahead - PMC
Status of cancer screening in India: An alarm signal from the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information.
Oct 31, 2023
37 min

The alarming situation in Gaza has now entered its fourth week leaving over 8000 Palestinians dead, of which 3000 are estimated to be children. The harrowing situation began on October 7th when an attack by the armed rebel group Hamas which launched an unprecedented attack on Israel left nearly 1400 Israelis dead and many hundreds taken hostage.
On 27th October, The United Nations General Assembly adopted a major resolution on the Gaza crisis, calling for an “immediate, durable and sustained humanitarian truce leading to a cessation of hostilities.” Despite the non-binding UN resolution, Israel continued and stepped up its bombardment on Gaza. On Saturday, October 28th, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel had entered the second stage of the war with Hamas, saying ground forces had gone into what he called "that stronghold of evil" - describing Gaza - to "dismantle" Hamas and bring hostages home. He also said this will be a long and hard war.
In this episode of The Suno India Show, we will hear about the situation on the Gaza Strip, how the violence is leaving aid workers stretched, doctors unable to help sufficiently and the unfolding humanitarian crisis. Suno India’s Editor-in-chief Padma Priya spoke to Farhat Mantoo, Executive Director, Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) South Asia on the situation in Gaza. MSF has been calling for an immediate ceasefire to stop the bloodshed.
Additional reading:
https://msfsouthasia.org/msf-immediate-ceasefire-is-needed-in-gaza-to-stop-the-bloodshed/
https://www.unfpa.org/crisis-gaza#:~:text=The%20humanitarian%20crisis%20in%20Gaza,access%20to%20reproductive%20health%20services.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwZ0l2lzjJg See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information.
Oct 30, 2023
34 min

In a country as diverse and culturally rich as India, discussions around sexuality and sexual health often remain shrouded in silence. This lack of open dialogue has led to a myriad of problems, from high rates of teenage pregnancies to the spread of sexually transmitted infections. Sex education isn't just about teaching anatomy or discussing contraception. It's about empowering young people with the knowledge to make informed decisions about their bodies, relationships, and personal boundaries.
In this episode of The Suno India Show, Suno India’s Editor-In-Chief, DVL Padma Priya has a conversation with two young adults Aiswarya, a lawyer turned entrepreneur & Sudhanshu, a part-time podcaster & full-time corporate professional about how they navigate the world of sex, where they access sex-positive information and what the biggest barrier they are facing is, about sex education and more.
This episode is part of ‘The Talk’, a series of stories, each produced by a different newsroom or team, painting a picture of the state of sex education around the world. During the month of October 2023, stories will be published by CNN As Equals, Kontinentalist, the Impact Newsletter, Unbias the News, Nadja Media, Suno India and BehanBoxSee sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information.
Oct 28, 2023
50 min

On October 16, a three-judge bench of the Supreme Court rejected the abortion plea of a 27-year-old mother of two boys. She moved the court as she was suffering from postpartum psychosis after her second child. She was more than 6 months pregnant, and had crossed the 24-week barrier that is prescribed in the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act.
This case is significant because a two-judge bench had given an order permitting the abortion. But the case flipped after a doctor from All India Institute of Medical Sciences doctor raised clarifications with the bench seeking a specific directive to stop the foetal heart. The case then resulted in a split verdict, going to a higher three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud. The higher bench denied the abortion plea, and asked her to deliver the child at AIIMS. The court even said that they can give up the child for adoption if they wish to.
Suno India’s consulting editor Menaka Rao spoke to this woman’s lawyer, Amit Mishra. He talks about her journey through this case, and a few other women he represented and says that women have a hard time getting abortion in the country if the pregnancy advances beyond 20 weeks.See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information.
Oct 26, 2023
36 min
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