Atypical Dikkatein: A Conversation Podcast

Soumya Mishra

Atypical Dikkatein – a conversation podcast where I, your host Soumya, talk to fellow queer, neurodivergent and disabled folx. This podcast is not just a repository of stories and experiences but also a journey to build solidarity, queer intimacy and a community. Hopefully, by embarking on this journey, we will be able to find a sense of belongingness and a space—where queer and disabled folx can share our unique joys as well as challenges and feel less alone in a world where we face constant invisibilisation. This is a way of taking up space, according to our own terms.

  1. Reproductive Justice Reimagined

    Jun 3

    Reproductive Justice Reimagined

    Disabled people are not denied choice only by law, but by stigma, surveillance, exhaustion, and inaccessible systems. In the final episode of Atypical Dikkatein Season 2, we speak with Amna Nasir about disability, desire, reproductive justice, chronic illness, mental health, and the politics of care. This conversation challenges the idea that disability is fixed, visible, or singular. It asks us to rethink what bodily autonomy actually means when systems are built around “ideal” bodies and “ideal” timelines. You can check out the podcast transcript here. Follow Atypical Dikkatein on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠social media⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Say hi⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to me, your host Soumya. Graphic by: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Harshvardhan Bhaskar⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Khushi (Kay) Solanki⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Transcript by: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Khushi (Kay) Solanki⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Sound editing and production by: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Pranjal Pathak

    36 min
  2. Bodies, Barriers, and the Pacific

    May 5

    Bodies, Barriers, and the Pacific

    When the nearest clinic is far away, inaccessible, and unaffordable, SRHR becomes a privilege, not a right. In this episode of Atypical Dikkatein, Savina Nongebatu brings us into the realities of disability and SRHR in the Pacific, where distance, transport costs, rural isolation, and weak infrastructure shape who can access care and who cannot. For many women and girls with disabilities in Solomon Islands and across the Pacific, basic health services are already hard to reach. SRHR services are even further out of reach. You can check out the podcast transcript ⁠⁠here⁠. Some Helpful Links: 1. https://arrow.org.my/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Countdown-to-2030-Are-Countries-in-the-Asia-Pacific-Region-Honoring-their-Commitments-Towards-SDG3-and-SDG5.pdf 2. https://arrow.org.my/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/ARROW-SRHR-AP-Scoping-Study-on-Youth-SRHR-in-Asia-Pacific.pdf 3. https://pacific.unfpa.org/sites/default/files/pub-pdf/2025-06/UNFPA%20Pacific%20-%202024%20Annual%20Report.pdf Follow Atypical Dikkatein on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠social media⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Say hi⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to me, your host Soumya. Graphic by: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Harshvardhan Bhaskar⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Khushi (Kay) Solanki⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Transcript by: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Khushi (Kay) Solanki⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Sound editing and production by: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Pranjal Pathak

    27 min
  3. Touch. Learn. Navigate.

    Mar 31

    Touch. Learn. Navigate.

    How do you learn about your body when no one shows you how? In Episode 8 of Atypical Dikkatein Season 2, we speak with Tiffany Brar, blind activist, educator, and founder of Jyothirgamaya Mobile Blind School, about navigating menstruation, contraception, and SRHR as a visually impaired person. Because access isn’t just about information. It’s about how that information is shared. You can check out the podcast transcript ⁠here. Follow Atypical Dikkatein on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠social media⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Say hi⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to me, your host Soumya. Graphic by: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Harshvardhan Bhaskar⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Khushi (Kay) Solanki⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Transcript by: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Khushi (Kay) Solanki⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Sound editing and production by: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Pranjal Pathak

    34 min
  4. Living While Resisting

    10/27/2025

    Living While Resisting

    Trans healthcare is treated like an optional extra. But it is life-saving. In this episode, we speak with Kahless Jaden Hameed, a trans writer and activist based in Colombo, about what it means to navigate healthcare systems that choose not to see trans and disabled people as fully human. From being denied hormones, to being misgendered and dismissed, to walking city after city just to find essential medication, this is not an accident. It is systemic. It is violence. You can check out the podcast transcript ⁠here⁠. Follow Atypical Dikkatein on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠social media⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Say hi⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to me, your host Soumya. Graphic by: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Harshvardhan Bhaskar⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Khushi (Kay) Solanki⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Transcript by: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Khushi (Kay) Solanki⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Sound editing and production by: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Pranjal Pathak

    47 min
  5. Choice under Constraint

    09/18/2025

    Choice under Constraint

    Abortion isn’t going anywhere. In Episode 6 of Atypical Dikkatein Season 2, we speak with Vinitha Jayaprakasan, a Bahujan queer feminist researcher, about why abortion rights must be seen as central to bodily autonomy and reproductive justice. From the gaps in India’s SRHR movement to the rise of anti-choice narratives, this episode unpacks how abortion continues to be stigmatized, even within feminist spaces, and why stronger, intersectional movements are urgently needed. You can check out the podcast transcript here. Some Data Points and Helpful Links: 1. A Foundation for Reproductive Health Services study found 32% of respondents were unaware of abortion as a legal right, and that 95.5% of Indian women were uninformed of the existence of the MTP (Amendment) Act, 2021. 2. According to the Rural Health Statistics (2019-20), released by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in May 2021, there was a shortfall of almost 70% for obstetricians and gynaecologists, which severely limits women’s access to safe abortion services 3. 2 million adolescents lack access to contemporary abortion services, 78% abortions performed for adolescents were unsafe, 190,000 adolescents don’t receive post-abortion care. 4. Every day, at least 8 women in the country die as a result of unsafe abortion-related causes, making it the third leading cause of maternal death (https://www.guttmacher.org/report/abortion-unintended-pregnancy-six-states-india) 5. Population, Eugenics and Reproductive Rights: Legalising Abortion in India (by Mytheli Sreenivas): https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00856401.2024.2412468 Follow Atypical Dikkatein on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠social media⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Say hi⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to me, your host Soumya. Graphic by: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Harshvardhan Bhaskar⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Khushi (Kay) Solanki⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Transcript by: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Khushi (Kay) Solanki⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Sound editing and production by: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Pranjal Pathak

    44 min
  6. Claiming Space, Claiming Self

    08/11/2025

    Claiming Space, Claiming Self

    Content Warning: Mention of abuse and harassment. We’re taught to fear our bodies, never to understand them. In Episode 5 of Atypical Dikkatein Season 2, Jannatul Ferdous, burn survivor, feminist, and disability rights advocate, reflects on how conversations around sexual and reproductive health are shrouded in shame, silence, and misinformation. Puberty, pregnancy, hormones, nutrition, these are not just biological facts, they’re deeply social experiences. But when the only focus is on morality, our health, dignity, and choices get lost. You can check out the podcast transcript here. Some Helpful Links Building a New Support Ecosystem for Women Burn Survivors of Domestic Violence -  https://www.pcvconline.org/images/BEYOND-BURNS-RESEARCH-REPORT.pdfAcid Violence in South Asia: A Structural Analysis toward Transformative Justice - https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/2455632717708717Justice a Distant Dream for Acid Attack Survivors in South Asia - https://thediplomat.com/2023/12/justice-a-distant-dream-for-acid-attack-survivors-in-south-asia/ Follow Atypical Dikkatein on ⁠⁠⁠⁠social media⁠⁠⁠⁠. ⁠⁠⁠⁠Say hi⁠⁠⁠⁠ to me, your host Soumya. Graphic by: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Harshvardhan Bhaskar⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠Khushi (Kay) Solanki⁠⁠⁠⁠ Transcript by: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Khushi (Kay) Solanki⁠⁠⁠⁠ Sound editing and production by: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Pranjal Pathak

    42 min
  7. Bodies, Belief & Becoming

    07/07/2025

    Bodies, Belief & Becoming

    You can’t compartmentalise liberation. In Episode 4 of Atypical Dikkatein Season 2, we speak with Kinza Jamal, a Queer Pasmanda Muslim feminist and SRHR-J practitioner, about what it means to show up for justice that’s truly intersectional. Because you can’t talk about SRHR without talking about caste, Islamophobia, fascism, or capitalism. Because queer people aren’t just queer, they’re impacted by economic policies, domestic violence laws, family planning, and more. Tune in to listen to Kinza, who reminds us: we're not just service receivers, we’re political beings with lived knowledge. And if our movements don’t center these experiences, they’re not working. You can check out the podcast transcript here. Some Helpful Links QueerTWENTY | Navigating the Complexities of Being a Queer Muslim in Today's India | Kinza Jamal: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KxCGPMuJjkFollow-up Article - Navigating the Complexities of Being a Queer Muslim in Today's India (by Kinza Jamal): https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/navigating-complexities-being-queer-muslim-todays-india-egomonk-8zisc/Allah Is Queer (by Kinza Jamal):   https://medium.com/@revivaldisabilitymag_35751/allah-is-queer-218ddd8a0567 How The Practice Of Ghusl Affected My Life As A Muslim Woman (by Kinza Jamal): https://feminisminindia.com/2021/02/03/how-the-practice-of-ghusl-affected-my-life-as-a-muslim-woman/ Sitting in Difference: Queering the Study of Islam (by Fatima Seedat): https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2979/jfemistudreli.34.1.23Islam, Feminism, and Islamic Feminism: Between Inadequacy and Inevitability (by Fatima Seedat): https://dx.doi.org/10.2979/jfemistudreli.29.2.25Reconciling Islam and Feminism (by Iman Hashim): http://www.jstor.org/stable/4030365Muslim Feminism: A Case Study of Amina Wadud’s ‘Qur’an and Woman’ (by Haifaa Jawad): http://www.jstor.org/stable/20837253Review of ‘Gender and Nation’ by Nira Yuval Davis (by Uri Davis): http://www.jstor.org/stable/3993489Taking Sexuality and Gender Seriously in Qur'anic Studies (by Aayah Musa): https://dx.doi.org/10.2979/jfemistudreli.37.2.22Beyond the Text: Between Islam and Feminism (by Fatima Seedat): https://dx.doi.org/10.2979/jfemistudreli.32.2.23The Politics of Feminism in Islam (by Anouar Majid): http://www.jstor.org/stable/3175093Islamic Feminism and Muslim Women’s Rights Activism in India: From Transnational Discourse to Local Movement - or Vice Versa? (by Nadja-Christina Schneider): https://vc.bridgew.edu/jiws/vol11/iss1/5/Ijtihad: Reinterpreting Islamic Principles for the Twenty-First Century (by David Smock): http://www.jstor.org/stable/resrep12312Feminism in Islam | Aabiya Baqai: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5JPpfdbbs8Q Follow Atypical Dikkatein on ⁠⁠⁠social media⁠⁠⁠. ⁠⁠⁠Say hi⁠⁠⁠ to me, your host Soumya. Graphic by: ⁠⁠⁠Harshvardhan Bhaskar⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠Khushi (Kay) Solanki⁠⁠⁠ Transcript by: ⁠⁠⁠Khushi (Kay) Solanki⁠⁠⁠ Sound editing and production by: ⁠⁠⁠Pranjal Pathak

    51 min
  8. Margins within Margins

    05/20/2025

    Margins within Margins

    If you're not urban, male, or from a dominant caste, disability leadership rarely sees you. In Episode 3 of Atypical Dikkatein Season 2, we’re in conversation with Dipika Lama, a youth leader and disability rights advocate from Madhesh, Nepal, whose work centers on indigenous, Dalit, Madheshi, and Muslim women and girls with disabilities. Tune in to listen to Dipika unpack how even progressive movements can erase disabled voices. From policies that assume everyone reads English or Nepali to clinics that are not accessible to women with disabilities, this episode asks: Who gets left behind when inclusion is an afterthought? You can check out the podcast transcript ⁠⁠here⁠⁠. Some Helpful Links 1. National Indigenous Disabled Women Association, represented by Dipika, delivered the CSO Forum collective statement on the demands of South Asian civil society at the Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference on the Beijing+30 Review: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DClT5jtS_-l/?igsh=MjFyenp4N25lN3J3 2. Dipika at the 58th Session of the Human Rights Council: https://webtv.un.org/en/asset/k1h/k1hw3c8f5n?kalturaStartTime=10383 Follow Atypical Dikkatein on ⁠⁠social media⁠⁠. ⁠⁠Say hi⁠⁠ to me, your host Soumya. Graphic by: ⁠⁠Harshvardhan Bhaskar⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠Khushi (Kay) Solanki⁠⁠ Transcript by: ⁠⁠Khushi (Kay) Solanki⁠⁠ Sound editing and production by: ⁠⁠Pranjal Pathak

    48 min
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About

Atypical Dikkatein – a conversation podcast where I, your host Soumya, talk to fellow queer, neurodivergent and disabled folx. This podcast is not just a repository of stories and experiences but also a journey to build solidarity, queer intimacy and a community. Hopefully, by embarking on this journey, we will be able to find a sense of belongingness and a space—where queer and disabled folx can share our unique joys as well as challenges and feel less alone in a world where we face constant invisibilisation. This is a way of taking up space, according to our own terms.

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