From The Suburbs To The Sea: A Podcast Explores Mumbai's Hidden Worlds

A podcast called ‘Marine Lines: Mumbai's Hidden Worlds, from the Suburbs to the Sea’ is trying to reach out to citizens through a series of humorous, engaging and thought provoking interviews exploring the city's ecosystem and ecology. The podcast, co-created by Ministry of Mumbai’s Magic (MMM) and DeadAnt Studio, is hosted by Indian journalist and writer Raghu Karnad and has quite the line-up of renowned guests ranging from Bollywood stars and artists to climate activists and marine life conservation experts.

The podcast is a part of a series of programmes conceptualised by Ministry of Mumbai’s Magic to create a conversation around Mumbai’s rich wetlands and drive citizen action in favour of Mumbai’s rich biodiversity. The programmes include Harita the Green Footprint fellowship for the youth to champion solutions for the city's public parks, a podcast to build a healthy climate discourse in the city, a series of creative tactics that bring attention to Koli community’s role as caretakers of the city's coastline.

The podcast explores different aspects of Mumbai, highlighting the city’s engagement with wildlife, secret corners, and the challenges ahead. From sharing interactions between leopards and domestic pets; the important role parks serve in providing a space for human intimacy; examining the future for the city's fisherman; or asking what the Bombay Slug is, the series aims to focus on the city's incredible ecosystem and contemplates the future.

The first episode titled ‘Sharks, Sea Slugs and Other Neighbours’ has Shaunak Modi of Coastal Conservation Foundation discussing the plethora of species that reside amongst the 20 million human inhabitants of Maximum City. 

Other key guests featured are actor Dia Mirza, with whom Karnad explores the importance of sustainable living. Author, journalist and film critic Anupama Chopra discusses how the city's coastline is represented on film. Artist Sameer Kulavoor talks about how we see the city, the different parts of the city and how they can inspire creativity. And Amitav Ghosh asks what is next, how climate change is affecting the city, the impact of cyclones and what will happen when ‘the big one’ finally comes.

Alongside examining what the city has to offer and how we can help support the natural environment, the podcast also opens a conversation on the mental impact our environment has on us as inhabitants. Can a city grow without becoming psychologically difficult for its people?

According to a release, MMM will pilot a hyperlocal initiative that creates a people’s biodiversity register for Bhandup Pumping station by engaging local communities to deliver it to the decision makers. MMM has also launched a virtual gallery of artworks submitted to their project ‘Make Art for Mumbai’s Mangroves’ to raise awareness about Mumbai’s unique green ecosystems.

The podcast is available on all key platforms including here.