Sonia Mehta's writing journey as a children's author

During the Cold War, the US sought allies to support it during the war against the Soviets. Pakistan was one of those allies. In exchange, Pakistan received financial aid and military support from the US. How did the state of Jammu and Kashmir become an unintended recipient of trouble during this cold war?Source material for my research1. 'India after Gandhi' by Ramachandra Guha2. Sarah Paine's lectures on the ⁠'War for India⁠'3. How to constrain the Pakistani Jihadi Complex - research piece by Pranay Kothasthane from Takshashila Institution4. Tarekh Fatah's '⁠The Bloody Partition seen through a Pakistani's eyes'⁠Read other pieces by ⁠Sangeetha on the 'Lighter Side'⁠ on Substack.Drop your questions or comments via email to [email protected]

When the British left India in 1947, they decided to leave one lasting impression - divide the lands between two factions that had different views of the world. The partition of India and Pakistan had a large impact on the hills and valleys of Jammu and Kashmir. The most recent massacre in Pahalgam in Apr 2025 has left many of us wondering - why a conflict that began in 1947 still remains unresolved? I went back to the pages of Ramachandra Guha's 'India after Gandhi' to find answers to some of my questions. This episode is part 1 of 3, where I narrate the story of how this conflict began in 1947. Source material for my research1. 'India after Gandhi' by Ramachandra Guha2. Sarah Paine's lectures on the 'War for India'3. William Dalrymple's piece 'The Great Divide'4. Article in Awaz the Voice by Saquib Salim 'When brothers were pitted against each other'5. Tarekh Fatah's 'The Bloody Partition seen through a Pakistani's eyes'Read other pieces by Sangeetha on the 'Lighter Side' on Substack.Drop your questions or comments via email to [email protected]

Pope Francis, a man who embraced the need for environmental protection, a man who sought to undo some of the past damages done to indigenous tribes across the world, a man who tried hard to help immigrant refugees, recently passed away. The 1.4 billion Roman Catholics across the world now need a new leader. How will they elect their next leader? 11-yr old Dheer from Surat, India tries to find out more about this. Explore more1. Listen to the episode recommended by Dheer - about refugee Olympics2. We have a newsletter for kids and families about current affairs. You can read recent posts here for free.3. If you are 8-14 years old and would like to join this podcast, (just like Dheer did), write to us via email at [email protected]. 4. We have a printed magazine for kids about news stories, written through comic strips. To ⁠⁠⁠⁠buy our most recent edition for INR 399/-, please click here⁠⁠⁠For any comments or questions, please write to Sangeetha at [email protected]

If you ever wondered if there was any place on earth without mosquitoes, or about how big the largest library on earth looked like, or about where you would bump into the most number of English speakers in the world - you have landed upon the right podcast episode.This summer special features a quiz between two sixth graders (Advik and Devansh). More things to check out1. Listen to the episode on Captain Underpants and its author 2. Listen to the episode on wheat and lemon in Yemen3. To join Sangeetha as a young cohost on a podcast episode, ⁠⁠⁠please register here⁠⁠4. We publish news stories for children as a children's magazine. To ⁠⁠⁠buy our most recent edition for INR 399/-, please click here⁠⁠⁠For any comments or questions, please write to Sangeetha at [email protected]

In this episode, we review a book ‘the Immortals of Meluha’ by Amish Tripathi. This is the first book in a 3-part series, and is based on Lord Shiva. Earlier this month, a group of kids signed up to read this book along with me, and we got together at the end of the month, to discuss what we felt about the stories, the characters, the author’s writing style and the opinions of some critics. Co-hosts: Prakriti (11 yrs), Agastya (12 yrs), Smyan (10 yrs), Shambhavi (15 yrs)Additional info1. More about the book 'Immortals of Meluha'2. To join Sangeetha as a young cohost on a podcast episode, ⁠⁠please register here⁠3. We publish news stories for children as a children's magazine. To ⁠⁠buy our most recent edition for INR 399/-, please click here⁠⁠For any comments or questions, please write to Sangeetha at [email protected]

A photo with sled dogs of Greenland wading through knee-deep water, surrounded by pristine glaciers and mountains, has gone viral. The scientist who took this photo realised that most people who saw it on social media found the picture scenic, but he realised that something about the picture was scary. If the same place were photographed year after year, we would notice all that is unusual. Aesthetics aside, these photos would show us a changing trend in many corners of the earth. Climate change is real. If you want to find out exactly what about the photo is scary, listen to the episode where middle-schooler Darsh solves this puzzle.Explore More1. To join Sangeetha as a young cohost on a podcast episode, ⁠please register here2. To listen to the episode on healthy foods for children, please click here3. We publish news stories for children as a children's magazine. To ⁠buy our most recent edition for INR 399/-, please click here⁠4. To view the photo of sled dogs that has gone viral, please click here5. For any comments or questions, please write to Sangeetha at [email protected]

Darjeeling's zoo recently got a rare upgrade. Its zoo will serve two purposes: on one side, it will house creatures that tourists can visit and watch as they stroll around; on the other side there will be something rare and new housed in these premises. This makes it the first of its kind in India. This episode is along the lines of a 20-questions game, where 13-year old Sathwik joins the host Sangeetha, asks a series of questions and finds out what is rare and new in this zoo.Explore More1. To join Sangeetha as a young cohost on a podcast episode, please register here2. To listen to the episode on S.Korea with more dogs on strollers than babies, please click here3. We publish news stories for children as a children's magazine. To buy our most recent edition for INR 399/-, please click here4. For any comments or questions, please write to Sangeetha at [email protected]

India's SPADEX (Space Docking Experiment) mission, led by ISRO, aims to demonstrate autonomous docking between two spacecraft. It is sort of like a hug in an orbit in space. This skill is critical for future lunar bases, satellite servicing, and space stations. Think of it like high-tech Lego in space—snapping parts together perfectly! A big step for India's space adventures, given India's ambitions for deep-space exploration.Other interesting things1. We write a weekly newsletter on current events and news stories that help kids and families appreciate the world around us. It is called 'Lighter Side' and is free.⁠⁠ Check it out here⁠⁠.2. If you are aged between 8-14 and would like to speak on this podcast channel, please drop us a note via email at [email protected]. Our children's magazine 'Bag of tales - 2024' can be purchased here. It costs INR 399/-.⁠⁠Order it here.4. To support us and keep the production of this podcast ad-free, ⁠you can buy us a cup of coffee here

Captain Underpants is a super popular book series that has sold more than 80 million copies all around the world. Kids love its funny jokes and surprising story twists. The author, Dav Pilkey, wasn’t always great at reading or sitting still—he had something called dyslexia (a reading disorder) and ADHD (which makes it hard to focus). But as a kid, he used his time while he was sent out of class to draw funny pictures and tell stories to his friends. Instead of letting challenges stop him, he turned them into something awesome!Young guests: Agastya (12 yrs), Darsh (10 yrs), Dhruv Agarwal (11 yrs), Dhruv Gandhi (11 yrs), Dhyan (11 yrs), Nayra (10 yrs), Satwik (12 yrs)Explore More1. Our children's magazine 'Lighter Side: Bag of tales - 2024' costs INR 399/-.⁠⁠Order it here.2. If you are aged between 8-14 and would like to speak on this podcast channel, please drop me a note via email at [email protected]. I write a weekly newsletter on current events to help kids and families make sense of the world with greater ease. It is called 'Lighter Side' and is free.⁠⁠ Check it out here⁠⁠.4. Support our show ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠by buying us a cup of coffee⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Project Tiger was launched in the 1970s in India. There was much fanfare, wildlife reserves were created and tiger protection became important to the Indian government. While Project Tiger stopped the killing of tigers, these big cats did not grow in numbers that much. But that trend changed in 2010. For the first time, between 2010 and 2022, tiger numbers nearly doubled, from ~1700 to over 3600. This has happened despite a rise in India's human population and a decline in forest area. How did India achieve this? What lessons can other countries learn from India's practices?Co-hosts: Devansh (10 yr old), Eesha (14 yr old)Check these out as well1. Story of Saroj Raj Choudhury and how he raised Khairi, alongside pictures of the family2. Podcast series on India's wildlife stories3. I write a weekly newsletter on current events and stories like the tiger resurgence in India. I'd like to help kids and families to appreciate the world around us. It is called 'Lighter Side' and is free.⁠ Check it out here⁠.4. If you are aged between 8-14 and would like to speak on this podcast channel, please drop me a note via email at [email protected]. Our children's magazine 'Bag of tales - 2024' can be purchased here. It costs INR 399/-.⁠Order it here.