The lockdown was a difficult time for many. While everyone's struggles took various forms, the definition of a "home" was redefined for the migrant workers. In the face of immense uncertainty, Kapri's 1232 Kms documents the treacherous journey undertaken by the migrant workers of Bihar.

The 2022 FIFA World Cup has seen a rise of underdogs, with several countries defeating what were perceived to be stronger sides.  All of us love a good underdog story. It gives us hope that anything is possible. However, when this World Cup is done and when the winners have been awarded, there will still be an underdog who has remained out of the limelight: the millions of migrant workers who made it possible for Qatar to be the first Arab nation to host the major football event. This...

Welcome back to another episode of Where The Chasm Is Bridged, a podcast by Behind The Scenes. Cooking food is no longer a hassle with Swiggy and Zomato being just one swipe away, right? Super fast service, relatable ads, quality food, there seems to be no issue at all with these food delivery giants. However, the story narrated the workers is the complete opposite: abysmally low pay, painfully long working hours and bare minimum social securities. With this, let's to delve deep into the...

Happy International Women's Day!  Though we are a bit late, we would like to wish everyone a very Happy International Women's Day! Durga didi has been working on a construction site for the last 10-15 years, and has been working with the same contractor for the last 7 years. She has 4 grown children and wishes for them to do well, and not enter the line of work they are in. She hails from MP and came here with her husband in search of work.  There are many people like Durga didi who are not...

Welcome to another episode of Where The Chasm Is Bridged, a podcast by Behind The Scenes. Today we have a very interesting podcast, where we have narrated a story you must have seen in your everyday lives as well. The story follows Sona, a domestic worker, who is accused of stealing a pair of diamond earrings from her employer, Kirti. Kirti does not listen to her and is immediately convinced that she must have taken it, without a second thought. There are many workers like Sona who are...

Welcome to Where The Chasm Is Bridged, a podcast by Behind The Scenes.  The film which is today's focus is Hawaa Hawaai. It revolves around the life of one Arjun Waghmare who is a victim of incessant atrocities. The son of a poor farmer, he works at a tea stall to make ends meet. The movie shows how he and his friends face all odds to come out winning and despite all the impediments that society puts in their way, they rise to the challenge. It's a heartwarming tale of how tough life is for...

Welcome to Where The Chasm Is Bridged, a podcast by Behind The Scenes, an NGO aimed towards working for Dignity of Labor.  Disability can be of different kinds. According to the Census survey, it has been categorized into 5 categories, namely, visual impairment, mobility impairment, mental impairment, speech impairment and hearing impairment. According to the International Labor Organization, 4-5% of India’s population is said to be affected by one or more of these disabilities. Due to the...

Welcome to Where The Chasm Is Bridged, a podcast by Behind The Scenes, an Ngo working for dignity of labor among blue-collar workers.  I think this New Year made me realize several things. While we looked for resolutions within the comfort of our homes, there were people who looked for new opportunities. I realized how the same joyous occasion could mean different things to different people. A student would wish to do better academically, a worker would wish for more wages and a lost child...

Welcome to Episode 13! Today, we are in conversation with Mr. Rameysh Sharma, an emotional intelligence and life skill trainer. He has been in the field since 2006 and has worked with many government ministries. Sir helped us understand the various ways in which the pandemic affected the mental health of so many individuals, why it was all the more impacting for daily wage workers.  Mental Health of any person can be very fragile, as the pandemic has shown us. Taking care of ourselves,...

This Human Rights Day, we would encourage everyone to think about the exploitation of blue-collared workers and speak up about the inhumane circumstances they are subjected to. Here is a short thought provoking self composed poem for you. 

Welcome to another episode of Where The Chasm Is Bridged, a podcast by Behind The Scenes.  In this world where poverty runs rampant, children are pushed into the job market faster than they deserve. Following the theme of Child Labor, we have a book today, that captures the realities of Child labor in urban cities. Boys Without Names by Kashmira Sheth, is a fiction written in 2010. She follows the story of eleven-year old Gopal, whose family has recently moved to an urban city. There he gets...

Welcome back to another episode of Where The Chasm Is Bridged! We hope you had a joyous Diwali with your loves ones! This episode talks about the ill-fated relationship between children and work.  We see a Chhotu working at a tea stall or a Gayatri working in a car-repairing shop but we consider it their “majboori” and accept it as the norm. But why does this happen and is there a way out? Today, we discuss these crucial points in our podcast, by looking at a a few communities and industries...

Welcome to another episode of Where The Chasm Is Bridged!  Bringing to you the flavor of regional cinema, today we have a Tamil film called Thaen. Thaen literally mean honey which connects the love people have for nature. Directed by Ganesh Vinayak, the film depicts the struggles of a forest dweller who has no means or resources of getting treatment for his sick wife. Because he does not have the documents required by the government, he is exploited, humiliated and scammed at every stage of...

Welcome back to another episode of Where The Chasm Is Bridged, a podcast by Behind The Scenes. In this episode, we look at another aspect of Dignity of Labor through the lens of migrant workers. In conversation with Mr. Jignesh Mistry, we follow his journey through India, as we discover the circumstances of migrants. Mr. Jignesh Mistry is a freelance photojournalist, who has been working in the field for over 11 years. Sir started his career as a nightshift news photographer at a daily...

Welcome back to another episode of Where The Chasm Is Bridged, a podcast by Behind The Scenes.  Continuing with our theme of farmer's suicide and debt, today we talk about one of Munshi Premchand's most famous novel, Godan. Written 85 years ago, the book still manages to raise questions relevant and important to the modern agricultural society. The book captures rural India, in an attempt to understand the growing, never-ending debt that farmers and many landless laborers end up incurring....

Welcome back to another episode of Where The Chasm Is Bridged, a podcast by Behind The Scenes. TRIGGER WARNING: Contains the theme of suicide. I apologize if I have talked about it more lightly than I intended. It is a grave and serious matter and I understand that fully. Today, we start with a new theme and a new issue that has, somehow, never been represented accurately. We have a film recommendation today, one that very accurately captures the extreme consequences of debt. Peepli [Live]...

Welcome back to another episode of Where The Chasm Is Bridged, a podcast by Behind The Scenes. Today, we feature a book that captures the hard and crude realities of the varying menstrual experiences of women around the world. The atrocities and stigma that they have to face are the stuff of nightmares. Echoing the title of the book, It's Only Blood, written by Anna Dalqvist, it talks about how menstruation is a taboo around the globe, though it is a common, natural occurrence. It highlights...

Welcome back to another episode! Today's film is all about menstruation and how it can lead to employment opportunities, either for making cloth pads or sanitary pads. Following the story of the film Pad Man, it conveys the message of how periods are stigmatized and considered as something impure. We follow the journey of a man who sets out to make low cost sanitary napkins as well as machines that manufacture them. It portrays the importance of hygienic sanitary products and its access to...

Welcome back to another episode of Where The Chasm Is Bridged! Today we will be starting a new theme, one that has been silenced in the name of propriety and impurity. Following the work of Behind The Scenes and Kamakhya, I bring to you the interview of two incredible women who started these NGOs as a way to help create employment and raise awareness about the lack of menstrual hygiene. Kamakhya is an NGO that aims to eradicate period poverty in the country and promotes the use of cloth pads...

Welcome to another episode of Where the Chasm is Bridged! Today, following our theme of caste/class, is a book recommendation by Avishi Srivastava, a fellow Research Team Member, of Behind The Scenes (BTS). Chowringhee, by Sankar, a Bengali novelist, follows the lives of many employees, managers and guests at one of Calcutta's largest hotels, the Shahjahan. Set in 1950's, the story has remained relevant to today's times and captured, not brute, but true realities of an average worker. 

TRIGGER WARNING: Mentions of rape, caste violence, murder, torture and suicide.  (Listener's discretion is highly advised) Welcome to another episode of Where The Chasm is Bridged! Today's focus is the Film Recommendation by Vidhi Gupta, a Research Team Member, of Behind The Scenes (BTS). Article 15 follows the investigation of two murdered Dalit girls and one missing Dalit girl. The Podcast analyses the grim realities of India and the caste system. Movie is available to Netflix, hope you...

Started by one of our Interns, Project Shamशान aims to help crematorium and burial ground workers get resources necessary to protect themselves from the pandemic which we sometimes take for granted. They work for the government, however, because of their caste, they are discriminated against and live harsh lives. Talking about the stigma and prejudices attached to this field of work, as well as the sheer disregard they faced during the pandemic, our Intern, Kripa Krishna, has explained how...

Behind The Scenes is an organization registered under Daksh Foundation, aimed at helping blue-collared laborers come to the forefront of society and bridge the gap between employers and employees. We work to raise awareness about Dignity of Labor through our three pillars, namely, Financial Stability, Awareness and Empathy and Access to Resources. This is a podcast about our various interactions with them through some of the most prominent works of cinema and literature that highlight these...