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 things

1. 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 hello@wsnt.in.

3. 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 More

1. 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 hello@wsnt.in.

3. 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 well

1. Story of Saroj Raj Choudhury and how he raised Khairi, alongside pictures of the family

2. Podcast series on India's wildlife stories

3. 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 hello@wsnt.in.

5. Our children's magazine 'Bag of tales - 2024' can be purchased here. It costs INR 399/-.⁠Order it here.

What does it take to write well? Is it about acquiring better language skills or is there a secret recipe for developing intriguing plots, or does it come from consistent writing practice? Sonia Mehta, a children's author with more than 170 published titles to her credit, shares stories from her writing journey.

She has authored both fiction and non-fiction books for children as young as five, and for young adults as well.

More about our guest in this episode

1. Sonia Mehta on Instagram

2. About Sonia Mehta - on Penguin Random House's website

3. Sonia Mehta on Facebook

4. Sonia's published books on Amazon

We publish a weekly newsletter for children about news stories from around the world. You can check it out here.

To support us and keep the production of this podcast ad-free, you can buy us a cup of coffee here

There are startups that solve problems for people - like the ones that help people rent a pet for their Instagram photos. And then, there are startups that solvereal problems - like bringing light into people's homes. Soma Bags is doing just that. This episode carries the story of how its founder Innocent James got the spark of an idea from one of his professors in university. He had seen him sew a small solar panel onto the pocket of his jacket and this had help him keep his smartphone charged through the day.

This episode narrates the story of how James used this idea to bring electricity into the homes of Africans in an affordable manner. This is no charitable venture - it makes profits for his company as villagers are willing to pay for a dependable solution priced at $4-$8 a month.

While rejoicing at these solutions, one should also wonder, if we are exchanging one problem for another?

To BUY our children's magazine 'Lighter side - bag of tales from 2024' (cost INR 399/-) for delivery in India,⁠please click here

Story narrators are the voices that brings stories and characters to life on stage. Both children and adults often stay mesmerised and get a very different perspective to both the plot and the characters, compared to what they get when they read the story. Story narrations help readers think of different plot twists, story endings and even appreciate characters with grey tones. In this episode, Antara Goswami, a story narrator shares how she goes about putting together her narrations, what props she uses and how she scripts these performances.

Also, in this episode, five young guests (aged 8-13) share their questions on story narration with Antara.

1. More onAntara Goswami on Instagram

2. We write a weekly newsletter on current events. It is meant for kids and families to read and appreciate the world around us. It is called 'Lighter Side' and is free.Check it out here.

3. If you are aged between 8-14 and would like to speak on this podcast channel, please drop me a note via email at hello@wsnt.in.

4. Our children's magazine 'Bag of tales - 2024' can be purchased here. It costs INR 399/-.Order it here.

(00:00) Introduction

(01:47) What is story narration

(09:17) Mono-acting

(11:35) Where she narrates

(12:30) Shadow Theatre

(14:55) Writing stories

(16:48) Confidence on stage

(19:21) Favourite story amongst children

Ten young readers from India (aged 8-15) recommend one book from amongst all the books they read in 2024. If you thought all recommendations would hover around the fantasy and adventure genre, be prepared to be surprised.

I have listed below the books they recommended. If you want to hear the whys and the whats of the book, give the episode a listen.

Books recommended

1. Atomic habits by James Clear

2. The Midnight Gang by David Walliams

3. The Immortals of Meluha by Amish Tripathi

4. Sherlock Holmes - A Study in Scarlet by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

5. One More Step : My Journey with the world’s largest contingent of school students to Everest Base Camp by Chandrashekar D P with K V Subramanyam.

6. The Harry Potter series by J K Rowling

7. The Island of Dragons (from Geronimo Stilton's Kingdom of Fantasy series)

8. Stellarlune (part of the Keeper of the Lost Cities) by Shannon Messenger

9. Vedas and Upanishads (for children) by Roopa Pai

10. Diary of a wimpy kid series by Jeff Kinney

To BUY our children's magazine 'Lighter side - bag of tales from 2024' (cost INR 399/-) for delivery in India, please click here

(00:00) Introduction

(07:44) Aadya's reco

(08:40) Abdul's reco

(09:47) Agastya's reco

(12:00) Darsh's reco

(15:08) Devansh's reco

(17:17) Kiaansh's reco

(18:27) Maanya's reco

(19:40) Prakriti's reco

(20:45) Shambhavi's reco

(22:28) Zuhair's reco

2024 was a year that marked some interesting achievements in the field of space. Missions to moon have been relaunched by NASA, the International Space Station's ending days have been charted and India's defense systems just tested new missiles. To speak about the space stories that inspired them the most, four primary schoolers joined us to share their views.

1. Order your copy of our book for kids '⁠Bag of stories from 2024' by clicking here.⁠ Each copy costs INR 399/- (we are able to fulfil all orders placed inside India only at the moment)

2. Read our ⁠newsletter for kids ‘Lighter Side’⁠ about space stories and current events

3. To join Sangeetha and speak on this podcast ⁠(kids aged 7-15), register here⁠

4. Follow ⁠What’s new today on Instagram⁠

5. If you have any thoughts or comments, email us at ⁠hello@wsnt.in⁠. We pledge to give your ideas the deep, meaningful consideration that we normally reserve for selecting a dessert.

6. Support us ⁠by buying us a cup of coffee

Paleontologists uncovered that the T-Rex was quite likely way bigger than they had originally thought it was. Based on recent fossil finds and some intelligent computer simulation, it turns out that if we remade Jurassic Park today, we would have had to create a much larger version of the T-Rex. Apart from this scientific discovery, there were lots of other interesting news stories in science and wildlife this year. To speak about these, four primary schoolers shared their picks of the best stories from the year.

Co-hosts: Anina, Chandrika, Smyan and Venkatesh

1.Read the story of why some people think ghosts are real

2. Read the story of how C.V.Raman discovered why the sea was blue

3. Listen to the podcast on how our brains behave when we type vs write

4. Listen to the story of Roger the search and rescue dog from Taiwan

Order your copy of our book for kids 'Bag of stories from 2024' by clicking here. Each copy costs INR 399/- (we are able to fulfil all orders placed inside India only at the moment)

Children come up with ideas and stories like magicians pulling rabbits out of hats—nobody knows how, but it’s endlessly entertaining. It’s a mix of imagination (and maybe a little too much candy). But how can they turn their ideas into a well-written story? Menaka Raman, an award-winning children’s author, joins us in this episode. She chats with five young, budding authors about the tricks in her bag for writing great stories.

1. More about Menaka Raman on her website

2. Follow Menaka on Instagram

3. Follow Menaka on X (formerly known as Twitter)

4. More about the book ‘Bird by Bird’ by Anne Lamott

5. Read our newsletter for kids ‘Lighter Side’ about current events

6. To join Sangeetha and speak on this podcast (kids aged 7-15), register here

7. Follow What’s new today on Instagram

8. If you have any thoughts or comments, email us at hello@wsnt.in. We pledge to give your ideas the deep, meaningful consideration that we normally reserve for selecting a dessert.

9. Support us by buying us a cup of coffee

Neeraj Chopra's gold medal was India's first ever gold medal won by an athlete in Olympics. There was much adulation and rejoicing in the country. Sumit Antil also won a gold for India at the Tokyo Paralympics and successfully defended his title at the Paris Paralympics. For all his deeds, he went unnoticed relatively. This episode captures the story of his journey and challenges. Most importantly, the story captures the essence of what an 8-year old perceives as important / interesting in Sumit Antil's story.

Co-host: Ahaan Krishnam (8-yr old, Bengaluru)

1. More ⁠on volcanoes in Iceland

2. Support our show ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠by buying us a cup of coffee⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

3. Feature in our podcasts ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠(for kids aged 7-15), register here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

4. Read our newsletters 'Lighter Side' ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for kids and families here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

If you have any comments or questions, please email me at hello@wsnt.in