Advertise on podcast: Kalki Presents: My Indian Life

Kalki Koechlin, Bollywood star and host of My Indian Life, joins the Dear Daughter podcast to read the letter she has written for her young daughter. She chooses to pass on advice for navigating beauty standards, after her daughter came to her admitting that she didn’t feel pretty. Kalki discusses the expectations on women to conform to a certain appearance, particularly as they age, and the pressures she has faced in her acting career to remain youthful. What advice can she give her daughter for navigating a world obsessed with beauty? Dear Daughter is an award-winning podcast from the BBC World Service about love, life, family, and raising children. It is the brainchild of Namulanta Kombo, a mother on a quest to create a ‘handbook to life’ for her daughter, through the advice of parents from all over the world. Each episode, a guest reads a letter they’ve written to their children (or their future children, or the children they never had) with the advice, life lessons, and personal stories they’d like to pass on. Expect extraordinary true stories, inspirational advice for parents, and moving accounts of families, relationships and raising daughters. In the current season, Dear Daughter: Stars, Namulanta hears from parents who are all ‘stars’ in their field. Why did TikTokker Mama Seebz go from telling her children to stop scrolling to becoming a content creator herself? What can The Receipts podcaster Audrey Akande teach her daughter about friendship break-ups? And why exactly did Bridgerton actor Adjoa Andoh lurk around building sites while pregnant? For more episodes like this one, search for ‘Dear Daughter’ wherever you get your BBC podcasts or go to www.bbcworldservice.com/deardaughter

“I’m in love with the mountains.” Savita was an inspirational climber, who had scaled Mount Everest. At the age of 26, she was tragically killed in an avalanche in the Himalayas. She was interviewed by Kalki Koechlin before she died. This special episode tells Savita Kanswal’s story – of the girl who had to hike to and from school, who realised her dream of climbing the world’s highest mountain. #MyIndianLife

A male belly dancer, a theatre artist and the man who wants to go to Mars. It’s the My Indian Life reunion. They all appeared in previous episodes of My Indian Life - what happened next in their lives? Is Gadhadar Reddy any closer to reaching Mars? Is Mallika Taneja returning to the stage with Thoda Dhyan Se, or Be Careful? And how has Eshan Hilal’s career progressed? How did they all cope with the Covid pandemic? They all join Kalki and talk about their plans for the future. #MyIndianLife

Meet the river walker. Siddharth Agarwal wants to understand India’s rivers and the people who live along them. He has walked and cycled along thousands of kilometres, taking the time to talk, learn and help as he travels. He tells Kalki: “I told my friend that I want to do this a lot more and I told him I want to walk!” #MyIndianLife

Her father said, “Give back to people”. Now, Archana Soreng is fighting climate change and representing her tribe and India on the world stage. She is one of seven members of the United Nations Secretary General’s Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change. Archana, who belongs to the Kharia tribe, was raised respecting the forest and living sustainably. She vowed to carry on her father’s work to make a difference for their indigenous community. #MyIndianLife

He was bullied at school and told to “be more masculine”. Now, Shubham Choudhary’s mission is to help others challenge gender stereotypes. After working with schools, he helps the LGBTQ+ community access health care, acting as a liaison with hospitals and doctors. #MyIndianLife

“I’m not against religion, only those who cause harm in the name of religion.” Suyash Toshinwal says he debunks myths and superstitions. He wants everyone to discover “rational thought”. #MyIndianLife

Singing for a casteless society – the rapper using the power of his voice and words. Arivu was shunned for his musical ideas as a schoolboy and then became a star. He says he is speaking out for generations of oppressed Dalits. #MyIndianLife

A car crash changed the course of her life. Now Avani Lekhara is a gold medallist. “When I hold the rifle I’m in the zone” – the life of a Paralympic shooter. Avani discovered a new talent and a will to win. #MyIndianLife

Bullied for being “big” – an actor’s journey to body positive influencer. “Why is it so shocking if a non-size-zero person wears a bikini?” How TV star Rytasha Rathore became a role model for other young women. #MyIndianLife

He’s the famous gamer with 33 million subscribers, but none of them know who he is. Total Gaming says he thinks he knows how Spider-Man feels - his identity is hidden from the world. #MyIndianLife

Her job is to “deliver bitter truths in the hope that they lead to better lives.” Tanya is a private detective. There was the student who she followed to an unexpected place, the fiancé who couldn’t give up his dream and the husband whose affair had potentially put his life at risk. #MyIndianLife

We’re returning with our third season! Kalki Koechlin is back, meeting more young Indians with remarkable stories. New episodes will include the private detective who says everyone has a secret, and a famous gamer with 33 million subscribers, who has a secret of his own. There’s also the Paralympic gold medallist, Avani Lekhara. After a car crash changed the course of her life, she discovered a new talent and a will to win. What’s it like to be young and Indian in the 21st century? Season 3 begins on 5 November 2022. #MyIndianLife

A listener emailed us about breaking-up. It was tough, so it’s time to talk about love. Students chat about relationships with Kalki and poet Priya Malik. This is the season finale and Kalki reveals how she has dealt with the relationship rollercoaster. Please send us your stories for future episodes: [email protected] And let us know what you think. #MyIndianLife

The first human on Mars - that’s Gadhadar Reddy’s goal, and he’s working on the technology to take him there. He launched a space tech company after people told him he could never do it. Now Gadhadar has made the Red Planet his next mission. “If you set a goal, say something audacious, the universe finds a way to make things happen.” Send us your stories: [email protected] Let us know what you think of our podcast. #MyIndianLife