Interview Series

This #plasticfreejuly month, let's de-straw plastic with Dr. Saji Varghese. Dr. Saji Varghese is an Associate Professor at the Dept of English, Christ University, Bangalore. He takes a keen interest in grassroots innovation and entrepreneurship and has nine patents to his name. His innovation of biodegradable straws from coconut leaves won him the record for the fastest patent granted in India in 2018. These straws, branded Sunbird Straws, are now sold world-over and has lead to the employment of hundreds of women in coastal India backed by the Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India. Join us as we talk about a plastic-free planet, one straw at a time. Dialogues that Matter - an interview series with changemakers, an initiative by Dialogues Interview by Shruti Parthasarathy Follow Dialogues on other social media! Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dialoguesspace/ https://www.instagram.com/dialoguesthatmatter/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dialoguesspace/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/dialoguesspace/ Sun Bird Straws: https://www.instagram.com/sunbirdstraws/

On the occasion of #Pridemonth, let's talk about the LGBTQ+ community, about being Gay, and inclusion in workspaces while we address our own prejudices and turn them into Pride. Check out this interview to know more! Interview with Suresh Ramdas and Shruti Parthasarathy. SANGAMA works to bring sexuality, sexual preference and gender identity into the realm of public discourse and link it Human Rights Development and other social movements. To do your bit for the community during the COVID-19 crisis, click here: http://sangama.org/donate.html. Follow Dialogues on other social media platforms! Instagram - https://instagram.com/dialoguesspace/ Facebook - https://facebook.com/dialogues.space/ Twitter - https://twitter.com/dialoguesspace?s=20 LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/dialoguesspace

During this stressful time, it has become increasingly important to support children with special needs as well as their parents and caregivers. Parents and caregivers must be guided on how to maintain their mental health as well as the mental and physical health of their ward; how to continue and improve the education and training of the children in these tough times and many more aspects. Shristi Special Academy is one institution which offers individualized and comprehensive education and skill development program of all ages. It is a non-profit organisation that was founded in June 1995 by three women Special Educators who were dedicated to improving the quality of life of persons with Intellectual Disabilities, Autism, Cerebral Palsy, and Multiple Disabilities and empowering them to be contributory to society. Tune in to our conversation with Mrs. Suchita Somashekaraiah, the Secretary and Managing Director of Shristi, as we talk about education for children with special needs and the various spheres it involves. What other important matters would you like us to bring to the forefront? Let us know in the comments. Follow Dialogues on other social media! Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dialoguesspace/ https://www.instagram.com/dialoguesthatmatter/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dialoguesspace/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/dialoguesspace/

India is ageing much faster than previously thought. Ageing gracefully is the way of life. It is our responsibility to show our elders and family members to overcome the challenges of ageing and show them the way to live with dignity in their sliver years. The vision at Silver Innings is of an elder-friendly world in which ageing becomes a positive and rewarding experience. And we cannot agree more! Sailesh Mishra is Renowned International Social Activist working for the welfare of Senior Citizens. His passion to work for the betterment of elders made him give up paid jobs for good. His long experience in the social sector inspired him to start on his own and set up Silver Innings, a one-stop platform of information for the elderly and their family members. Watch this video where we talk to Sailesh on Elder Care and how they deserve a lot more than a dignified life. Drop some comments on what you think! Dialogues that Matter: An interview series with changemakers, an initiative by @dialoguesspace. Follow Dialogues on other social media! Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dialoguesthatmatter/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dialoguesspace/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dialoguesspace/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/dialoguesspace/ Follow Sailesh Mishra: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sailesh.mishra/ Insta : https://www.instagram.com/sailesh2000/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saileshmishra65/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/sailesh2000 Follow Silver Innings: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/silverinningsSI Insta: https://www.instagram.com/silverinnings/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/silver-inning-foundation/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/silverinnings

Dialogues that Matter with Rajendra Hegde: On Urban Foodscapes Urban Foodscaping is growing certain food crops, mostly vegetables, fruits, and medicinal plants in limited spaces. This adds greenery to our uber-urban surroundings, contributes to the urban ecology and biodiversity, gives us fresh and natural food crops for our use, and also brings us closer to nature. Rajendra Hegde has a doctorate in Agricultural Entomology from University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad and he specialized in integrated pest management. He has worked at various capacities, involving in both urban and rural agriculture activities, in corporate as well as development sectors. With 18 years of experience in his bag, he has published 50 research papers and several noteworthy articles. He is actively involved in the promotion of Urban Foodscapes and Landscapes through various activities. P.S: The last Sunday of August is celebrated as World Kitchen Garden Day.

Violence against women is still rampant in today’s society. Join us as we speak to the co-founder of MAVA to understand the ground reality of violence and the menace it creates. Harish, through MAVA, has been mentoring thousands of adolescent boys and young men across India to address healthy relationships, toxic masculinity and sexuality-related matters and redefine masculinity using out-of-the-box methods. MAVA primarily engages adolescent boys and young men in schools, colleges, and targeted communities in healthy conversations around sexual health and gender-sensitive behaviour through leadership-driven training and using out-of-the-box methods like interactive workshops, travelling film festivals, street-theatre, special campaigns and use of social media. Let us know below if this talk gave you a different perspective on this issue and how you would do your bit tackle such an important matter. Dialogues that Matter - An interview series with changemakers, an initiative by Dialogues Interview by Shruti Parthasarathy Follow Dialogues on other social media! Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dialoguesspace/ https://www.instagram.com/dialoguesthatmatter/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dialoguesspace/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/dialoguesspace/ https://www.instagram.com/mava_mumbai/ https://www.instagram.com/saharsh267/

On Personal Care and Sustainability In this interview, we speak to Brunda and Ambica, the founders of Scentora, on personal care, personal care products, and packaging, while busting some myths about personal care. Interviewee: Scentora: https://instagram.com/scentora Brunda Sreedhar: https://instagram.com/brunda_sreedhar Ambica Gayathri: https://instagram.com/one_midding_soul Interviewer: Shruti: https://instagram.com/shruti.parthasarathy Hosted by: Dialogues Space: https://instagram.com/dialoguesspace

Topic - Garbage and Segregation In this interview we speak to Mansoor, on his journey as a kabaad shop owner, to becoming the founder of Clean City Recyclers Association and representing India in the Paris Climate Change Conference. He has some advice for the youngsters, and what we can do to reduce garbage as well. Interviewee: Mansoor : https://instagram.com/mansoorgous Interviewer : Shruti : https://instagram.com/shruti.parthasarathy Hosted by : Dialogues : https://instagram.com/dialoguesspace

Nagraj has over 2 decades of experience in Entrepreneurship, driving Social impact, Software Product Management, Project Management and Consulting. He is passionate about enabling social impact and is currently working towards bringing grass-root level changes in rural education, with a special focus on evangelizing Mathematics learning. How do we ensure that improvement in the quality of education translates to a higher learning outcome among children? How can teachers be made to understand the importance of foundational numeracy and to follow the pedagogical innovations in this space on constructivism and learning by doing? Who are the stakeholders responsible for better learning outcomes? How can we look at learning and teaching during the pandemic and beyond? What is the future of education, and how has the pandemic affected that? Watch this video where we explore this, and more! Dialogues that Matter: An interview series with changemakers, an initiative by @dialoguesspace Check out our website www.dialogues.space for more. Follow Dialogues on other social media! Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dialoguesspace/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dialoguesspace/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/dialoguesspace/