Imagined Tomorrow

Shreya Dasgupta
  • 5.0 (2)
  • SCIENCE
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Imagined Tomorrow explores weird, fun, scary future scenarios for India. Futures that might become a reality when science and tech try to solve problems within India's unique contexts. Wondering what if an asteroid was headed towards India? Can we pick a climate-safe home? What if we had AI judges in our courts? Join us, as we dig into these thought experiments, with a little bit of speculation and a whole lot of science – all imagined from an Indian point of view. Imagined Tomorrow is an independently created, non-commercial, speculative-journalism podcast.

  1. 03/21/2023

    S2E10 A British Blunder in Bengal: When climate warnings were ignored [Part-3 of climate mini-series]

    In the third and last part of our climate and homes mini-series, we’re bringing you a story from the historical archives. A story from the 1800s, about a time when the British came up with a grand plan in Bengal. And a climate warning they did not pay heed to. People who helped make this episode: Imagined Tomorrow is created and hosted by Shreya Dasgupta. Theme music, sound design and editing by ⁠Abhijit Shylanath⁠. Draft edits by ⁠Abhishek Madan⁠. Thanks to Nihira Ram for her help with the research and writing. Get in touch via Twitter or email imagined.tomorrow@gmail.com. Transcript | References | Sound Credits: ⁠https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vTakw_CRl0LEA5yyJjkKozJfr7PEzI_ZU4ropFD8mE97httunYS3clcITuQ5pUY7Gk21VYei5Zv812B/pub

    16 min

  2. 03/15/2023

    S2E9 How to climate-proof your home [Part-2 of climate mini-series]

    In this episode, we’re taking on a future you may not be able to choose and move to a climate safe location. Maybe it's a job you can't leave, or you can't afford to move, or there aren't many climate safe locations to pick from. How can you then keep your home, your neighbourhood safe from climate impacts? This is Part-2 of a 3-Part Climate mini-series. In this, experts take us through how an Indian city is learning to deal with climate extremes and poor city planning; and how current and future homes and neighbourhoods can be reimagined for future climate. Experts we spoke to for this episode (in order of appearance): Gopikrishna Warrier, managing editor at Mongabay India. Rajesh Kumar Chauhan, building contractor. Dr. Siddharth Singh, author of The Great Smog of India, which is a book on India’s air pollution crisis, and a researcher of energy transitions and climate action. Dr. Harini Nagendra, an ecologist who leads Azim Premji University's Center for Climate Change and Sustainability. People who helped make this episode: Imagined Tomorrow is created and hosted by Shreya Dasgupta. Theme music, sound design and editing by Abhijit Shylanath. Draft edits by Abhishek Madan. Thanks to Parvathy Nair, Parni Ray and Nihira Ram for their help. Get in touch via Twitter or email imagined.tomorrow@gmail.com. Transcript | References | Sound Credits: https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vR7vj2zUx9kSrGf1iAHXBgDKdHN0PakBajQslx3wI9Oib7PKewZAGSOLN623BpYSVYNZ5r9ZngpD3zE/pub

    35 min
  3. S2E8 Can you pick a climate-safe home? [Part-1 of climate mini-series]

    03/08/2023

    S2E8 Can you pick a climate-safe home? [Part-1 of climate mini-series]

    How do you pick a home in a location that's safe from the unpredictable effects of climate change? Can scientists tell us what climate impacts each neighbourhood in an Indian city will see?  In this episode, experts take us through what it would take to make hyper-local climate forecasts for city neighbourhoods, so you can choose a climate safe location to live in. We also see what we already know about future impacts and what we can do in the absence of forecast data. This is Part-1 of a Three-Part Climate mini-series. Experts we spoke to for this episode (in order of appearance): Sandhya Ramesh, Science Editor at The Print. Dr. Roxy Mathew Koll, a Climate Scientist at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology Dr. Indu Murthy, head of the Climate Environment and Sustainability sector at the Centre for Study of Science, Technology and Policy, a research-based policy think tank in Bangalore.  Dr. Siddharth Singh, author of The Great Smog of India, which is a book on India’s air pollution crisis, and a researcher of energy transitions and climate action. People who helped make this episode: Imagined Tomorrow is created and hosted by Shreya Dasgupta. Theme music, sound design and editing by Abhijit Shylanath. Draft edits by Abhishek Madan. Abhishek and Abhijit voiced the characters in the fictional phone call. Thanks to Parvathy Nair, Parni Ray and Nihira Ram for their help. Get in touch via Twitter or email imagined.tomorrow@gmail.com. Transcript | References | Sound Credits: https://docs.google.com/document/u/2/d/e/2PACX-1vSbqIyYwSLpSVYKY1w0ru4PH4mjke-NsrCL4KV06neek9jkFds-xBi5vy14lEGqn7ATlsFw4_9VbrRJ/pub  Disclaimer: The names, characters, and incidents portrayed in the fictional story of S2E8 of Imagined Tomorrow are fictitious. No identification with actual persons (living or deceased), places, buildings, and products is intended or should be inferred.

    37 min
  4. S2E7 Can we see Jury Trials in India again? | Short

    02/28/2023

    S2E7 Can we see Jury Trials in India again? | Short

    In the last episode, we explored what if Indian courts used Artificial Intelligence or AI. This episode, we flip this, and ask - What if we got more people into our courts, and got jury trials back? Can it work, or is it a bad idea? Rohin Bhatt, a human rights lawyer and bioethicist, helps us through this thought experiment. We cover two things: A bit of history to see what jury trials looked like in India in the past. And then, we find out why jury trials may, or may not, work in India. People who helped make this episode: Imagined Tomorrow is created and hosted by Shreya Dasgupta. Theme music, sound design and editing by Abhijit Shylanath. Script edits, re-listens by Abhishek Madan. Research help by Parvathy Nair. Get in touch with us at imagined.tomorrow@gmail.com. You can also follow us on YouTube. Transcript | References | Sound Credits: https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vTNWxZcYJI_HCVsBuXzbM1hhhnnYxTZzbqXxg6_VNsQt4mIA7TKLCM_HfIMGrSt5ES0WOIIObhktpE6/pub

    19 min
  5. S2E6 What if Indian courts used AI?

    02/22/2023

    S2E6 What if Indian courts used AI?

    Indian courts are tricky to navigate - after all it's all humans handling the endless sea of rules, procedures and formalities. Humans who can be intelligent and compassionate. Also, humans who can be slow, and prone to mistakes and biases. But what if there was artificial intelligence (AI) to help out? In this episode, we find out: What can AI do for the Indian judiciary and what should it not? How easy would it be to have an AI-powered legal future? And what are some things we should be wary about?  Experts we spoke to for the episode: Ameen Jauhar, a Senior Resident Fellow at the Vidhi Center for Legal Policy. Dr. Saptarshi Ghosh, Assistant Professor, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur Gautam Bhatia, a constitutional lawyer and a science fiction writer and editor. People who helped make this episode: Imagined Tomorrow is created and hosted by Shreya Dasgupta. Theme music, sound design and editing by Abhijit Shylanath. Draft edits by Abhishek Madan. Shivalika and Abhijit voiced the characters in the fictional phone call. Parvathy Nair helped with the fiction piece and the research. Nihira Ram helped with the production. Get in touch via Twitter, or email imagined.tomorrow@gmail.com. Have a question for us about how we make the episodes? Write to us, and we will answer them in our final episode of this season. Transcript | References | Sound Credits: https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vSUzJ5Uu1ZVhELvct7HgEqRIFwR02TT9OqtcZYwrgP3gYukXyAIIal-EoiPoI2ypUxYwyrClHQTOMrC/pub Disclaimer: The names, characters, and incidents portrayed in the fictional story of S2E6 of Imagined Tomorrow are fictitious. No identification with actual persons (living or deceased), places, buildings, and products is intended or should be inferred.

    42 min
  6. S2E5 What if we lived inside Clean Air Domes?

    02/15/2023

    S2E5 What if we lived inside Clean Air Domes?

    This episode, we take on a thought experiment — The air outside is getting so polluted that people in Indian cities start living inside clean air domes. What would these clean air domes look like? Where would we build them? And who gets to live inside these domes?  Experts we spoke to for the episode:  Dr. Rohit Negi, an associate professor at Ambedkar University, Delhi.  Dr. Pallavi Pant, Air quality scientists based in Boston.  Mr. Jai Dhar Gupta, clean air activist and entrepreneur.  Mr. Rajat Sodhi, architect and founder of the Bubbles Project.  People who helped make this episode:  Imagined Tomorrow is created and hosted by Shreya Dasgupta.  Theme music, sound design and editing by Abhijit Shylanath. Draft edits by Abhishek Madan.  Shivalika and Abhijit voiced the characters in the fictional ad. Parni Ray co-wrote the fiction piece and helped with the research.  Parvathy Nair supported the production process.  Get in touch via Twitter, or email imagined.tomorrow@gmail.com.  Have a question for us about how we make the episodes? Write to us, and we will answer them in our final episode of this season.  Transcript | References | Sound Credits: https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vQfv7RE6gFgathHMJOtqW2poxu7ndvN7iEQad6G-DtcsjnpDsCPUyWPwPtR02JGsmCzVV4iIH1pIuyu/pub Disclaimer: The names, characters, and incidents portrayed in the fictional story of S2E5 of Imagined Tomorrow are fictitious. No identification with actual persons (living or deceased), places, buildings, and products is intended or should be inferred.

    36 min
  7. S2E4 Can poop save India's wildlife | Short

    02/07/2023

    S2E4 Can poop save India's wildlife | Short

    Animal poop: you want to step over it, but many scientists in India bow to it, sniff it, take detailed photos, and bring some of it home (okay fine, to their labs).  Welcome to the world of animal poop surveillance. In this episode, we talk to wildlife scientist, Dr. Arjun Srivathsa, who tells us why researchers like him in India are so passionate about animal excretion. And how poop can help save India's threatened species. People who helped make this episode: Imagined Tomorrow is created and hosted by Shreya Dasgupta. Theme music, sound design and editing by Abhijit Shylanath. Script edits, re-listens by Abhishek Madan. Get in touch with us at imagined.tomorrow@gmail.com. You can also follow us on YouTube.  Transcript | References | Sound Credits: https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vRSV_w03LQgMwNG6GHspa8oQy4OR2E9crdAr_W9xkM2khWcdf1bnSkeML82XiytYUoRhNv1rVLzC8bL/pub

    15 min
  8. S2E3: Welcome to poop surveillance

    01/31/2023

    S2E3: Welcome to poop surveillance

    You flush and forget about your poop. But your poop doesn’t forget you. It can be a goldmine of information about your body. This is why people around the world are increasingly monitoring what folks let out in sewage – to learn about entire communities and cities. Experts say, monitoring a city’s collective poop can keep us safe. It can also bring in some surprising perks to secure our future. So, we imagine a future where Indian cities have full-blown sewage surveillance systems. What secrets can sewage reveal about us? And are there things we should be wary about? Experts we spoke to: Dr. Varsha Sridhar, a molecular biologist and the CEO of a company called Molecular Solutions Care Health. Dr. Farah Ishtiaq, an evolutionary ecologist, and expert in infectious zoonotic diseases at the Tata Institute for Genetics and Society. Mr. S. Vishwanath, an urban planner, an expert in all things water, and the director of the Biome Environmental Trust. Dr. Deep Kumar Raman, a pathologist who answered several of my questions. People who helped make this episode: Imagined Tomorrow is created and hosted by Shreya Dasgupta.  Theme music, sound design and editing by Abhijit Shylanath.  Script edits, re-listens by Abhishek Madan. Rahul Menon voiced Puneet, the fictional reporter, and Mathew Vetticad voiced Abhijeet, the fictional news anchor. Parni Ray, Parvathy Nair, and Nihira Ram supported the production process. Audiomatic helped us record the voiceovers for the fiction piece Get in touch with us at imagined.tomorrow@gmail.com. Follow Shreya on Twitter @ShreyaDasgupta. Transcript | References | Sound credits: https://docs.google.com/document/u/2/d/e/2PACX-1vRjjBTAgzi-JlIgPBRyh8wa8O60Og6Cl87Om57uV_piPJASXYrMAD6idaDSFC4nQjpmtJfl66krHr9n/pub  Disclaimer: The names, characters, and incidents portrayed in the fictional story of S2E3 of Imagined Tomorrow are fictitious. No identification with actual persons (living or deceased), places, buildings, and products is intended or should be inferred.

    34 min
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Imagined Tomorrow explores weird, fun, scary future scenarios for India. Futures that might become a reality when science and tech try to solve problems within India's unique contexts. Wondering what if an asteroid was headed towards India? Can we pick a climate-safe home? What if we had AI judges in our courts? Join us, as we dig into these thought experiments, with a little bit of speculation and a whole lot of science – all imagined from an Indian point of view. Imagined Tomorrow is an independently created, non-commercial, speculative-journalism podcast.

Information

  • Creator
    Shreya Dasgupta
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2023
  • Episodes
    18
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Shreya Dasgupta
  • Show Website
    Imagined Tomorrow