From The Marginlands
From The Marginlands with Prem and Arati takes unabashed deep-dives into uncomfortable environmental issues. We converse with carefully curated guests on the art of telling stories about the environment and on climate change as it manifests around the world.
Episodes
27 episodes
When Rains Fail, What Should The City Do? Vishwanath Suggests ...
The 2026 monsoon is failing, the Cauvery catchment is running dry, and the reservoirs feeding Bengaluru are alarmingly low. So Arati Kumar-Rao and Prem Panicker call back the one person who can tell us what it means: S. Vishwanath, who first ar...
What Are The Real Risks To Our Health? We Ask Dr. Soumya Swaminathan
Most people in health pick a lane — clinician, researcher, or policymaker. Dr. Soumya Swaminathan has been all three for forty years: a paediatrician who became a leading TB and HIV researcher, then the WHO's first-ever Chief Scientist, steerin...
Why Care About the Environment? (When People Are Being Killed) -- Mahesh Rangarajan
A young person once asked: why care about nature when people are dying in Gaza? Environmental historian Mahesh Rangarajan gives the long answer — why the choice between people and the planet was always false.In previous episodes of this...
If A City Forgets Itself, What Lies Ahead? We Ask Harini Nagendra
n this episode of From The Marginlands, Arati Kumar-Rao and Prem Panicker speak with ecologist and writer Harini Nagendra about the lost ecological memory of Bengaluru — a city once shaped by lakes, wetlands, trees and commons that sustained bo...
What is life like in the Sundarbans? Annu Jalais Weighs In
In the second episode of Season 2 of From the Marginlands, Arati Kumar-Rao and Prem Panicker speak with environmental social anthropologist Annu Jalais, whose 27+ years of research in the Sundarbans reveals a world far more complex than standar...
Air, Water, Food, Health: Our Future In Whose Hands?
Dia Mirza needs no introduction. And yet, the person who shows up in this conversation is not quite the one her public life has made familiar to us. Yes, she is the longest-serving UNEP Goodwill Ambassador India has had, and yes, she carries th...
Cheetahs, Tigers, People, & Forests: Raza Kazmi Walks Us Into India's History
In this season-ending episode of From The Marginlands, Arati and I dive deep into Indian forests, not just as ecosystems but as archives of memory, power, and change. Our guide into this layered terrain is Raza Kazmi, who helps us explore how h...
WHAT IS IT LIKE FOR HUMANS & LEOPARDS TO SHARE LANDSCAPES? WE ASK VIDYA ATHREYA
Leopards live far closer to us than most of us realise — not just in forests, but across farms, villages, and city edges. In this episode, Arati and Prem speak with Dr. Vidya Athreya, one of India’s leading carnivore ecologists, about why leopa...
Do We Still Need Wildlife Films? Kalyan Varma Weighs In
Award-winning filmmaker and photographer Kalyan Varma joins Arati and Prem on From the Marginlands to explore what it means to document the natural world today. From the ethics of filming a vanishing wilderness to the uneasy rise of AI-generate...
What Are We Doing To The Mountains? Ft. Manshi Asher
Each monsoon, the Himalayas make headlines for floods, landslides, and loss. But what if these aren’t “natural” disasters at all, but the result of choices we keep making? In this episode, Arati and Prem speak with environmental researcher Mans...
ICYMI!
Prem & Arati look back at episodes, pulling out key issues from each.
How Are The Ganga River Dolphins Doing?
Nachiket Kelkar, Head of Riverine Ecosystems and Livelihoods at the Wildlife Conservation Trust, shares his experiences and insights on the Ganges River, particularly focusing on the ecological changes observed in Bihar over the years.
So What Is Going On In Great Nicobar?
This conversation delves into the Great Nicobar Project, a massive infrastructure initiative at the southern end of the Nicobar Islands, focusing on its economic viability, ecological impact, and the implications for indigenous communities. Pan...
Ed Kashi & Julie Winokur: The Long Frame -- Stories That Outlast Time
Photojournalist Ed Kashi and documentary filmmaker Julie Winokur have spent decades telling urgent, human stories — from climate injustice to ageing, migration, and forgotten coastlines. In this episode of From the Marginlands, Arati and Prem t...
The Truth About "Wastelands" | Dogs | Diseases | Wildlife: Ep 12 Ft. Abi Vanak
In this episode, Dr. Abi Tamim Vanak discusses the misclassification of vital ecosystems as "wastelands" in India. Championing the importance of recognizing Open Natural Ecosystems (ONEs), and the role of pastoralists in managing these landscap...
Busting The Afforestation Myth: Ep 11: ft. Pradip Krishen
In this episode, featuring ecologist Pradip Krishen, Prem and Arati explore the restoration of ecosystems. Pradip shares his journey and insights into the importance of native plants, observation, and community involvement in restoration effort...
Ep 10: How to tell slow burn environmental stories
This episode focuses on the importance of environmental storytelling, emphasizing the need to go beyond surface-level reporting and explore deeper narratives that connect individual experiences to broader community and global contexts. Prem and...
From The Marginlands Episode 9: Ft. Dr Roxy Koll
In this episode, Prem and Arati discuss our warming oceans with Dr. Roxy Mathew Koll, a climate scientist and winner of the prestigious National Science Award, in 2024. What are the implications of increasingly intense and frequent marine heat ...
From The Marginlands: Ep 8: The State Of India's Environment
In this episode, Prem Panicker and Arati Kumar-Rao discuss significant updates regarding environmental incidents off the coast of Kerala. The conversation then turns to The State Of India's Environment through Figures, a study released by the C...
From The Marginlands Episode 7: Shipwreck off Kerala Coast
On May 23, 2025, the MSC Elsa 3, a 28-year-old container ship, left Vizhinjam Port for Kochi, carrying 640 containers—13 of them packed with hazardous cargo, including calcium carbide, a chemical that can ignite with a spark. Less than 24 hours...
From The Marginlands Ep 6 Ft. Yuvan Aves
In this episode, Arati and Prem dive into the heart of Bangalore’s flood crisis and the intricate dance between humanity and nature. We unpack the city’s recent flooding woes, echoing themes from our previous conversation with S Vishwanath on u...
From The Marginlands E5 Ft Vishwanath (Zenrainman)
In this episode, Arati Kumar-Rao and Prem Panicker explore the intricate relationship between visual storytelling and the narratives behind images, particularly in the context of nature and rivers. They discuss the importance of language in nat...
From The Marginlands Ep4: Ft. Pranay Lal
In this episode, Aarti Kumar Rao and Prem Panicker focus on the ongoing extreme heat waves and their implications. They critique the media's coverage of the issue, highlighting a lack of urgency and depth in reporting. The conversation explores...
From The Marginlands Episode 3
In this episode, Arati Kumar-Rao and Prem Panicker navigate the complexities of grief following Arati's recent loss of her mother. They reflect on the profound influence of Arati's mother on her life, particularly in storytelling and communicat...
