Routes to Grassroots Sun, 11 Oct 2026 16:38:48 -0400 https://routestograssroots.org en-us © 2026 Routes to Grassroots yes 07d7d96e-38be-56ad-88a2-7c36427a1034 channelaid@gmail.com Sonika episodic false Routes to Grassroutes where we trace Personal Journeys into Collective Action


For some, this journey begins with a memory. For others, with a moment of injustice they could not ignore. Sometimes it begins in their own neighborhood, and sometimes in a community far from the life they once imagined for themselves.

Routes to GrassRoots is a podcast featuring conversations with people whose personal journeys led them to grassroots action and community-driven change. We’ll speak with organizers, activists, volunteers, social entrepreneurs, and changemakers about the experiences that shaped them, the communities that changed them, and the choices that turned concern into commitment.

In a planet upended by war, strife, injustice and darkness; one where we often find ourselves in dispair  complaining, much like Frodo from Tolkein’s world  "I wish it need not have happened in my time," to which the wise Galdalf replies "So do I, and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us."


We hope you join us in this quest, and give a little bit of your time to discover pathways to building a different, brighter, world. 

]]> Buzzsprout (https://www.buzzsprout.com) Sonika channelaid@gmail.com https://storage.buzzsprout.com/0uw8q0fpn07iyopwwefdwds6w396?.jpg Routes to Grassroots https://routestograssroots.org Anand Param Aravinda Pillalamarri Sonika Sethi Episode 1. Kalpana on "A Woman of No Consequence" Episode 1. Kalpana on "A Woman of No Consequence" Kalpana Karunakaran is an academic, a writer, an activist, and a teacher at IIT Madras, where she researches gender, poverty, and labor movements. She has written a stunning book, ironically titled A Woman of No Consequence, which is the subject of our conversation, where she turns her anthropologist’s lens on her family’s written treasures, specifcally those of her grandmother, Pankajam. 

Through this conversation we dive deep into the topic of moving in the world as a woman. We look at how the questions of a woman's work, her worth and consequence have changed - or more importantly have remained the same - over the past 100 years or so. The scope may sound vast and technical but the conversation unfolds like a fireside chat between friends sharing a warm cuppa. 

You can order a copy a book at Thriftbooks here. 

For more check out some reviews of Kalpana's book: 

https://www.thehindu.com/books/review-of-kalpana-karunakarans-a-woman-of-no-consequence/article70698242.ece

https://www.hindustantimes.com/books/reviewa-woman-of-no-consequence-by-kalpana-karunakaran-101786123580573.html

If the conversation moves you enough to write a comment - note that we have a giveaway for the first 5 commenters on this episode. 

This podcast is made possible by Association for India’s Development or AID, a 501(c)3 charitable organization advancing sustainable development, social justice and disaster relief in India. You can find more about AID's work at www.aidindia.org






 


]]> Kalpana Karunakaran is an academic, a writer, an activist, and a teacher at IIT Madras, where she researches gender, poverty, and labor movements. She has written a stunning book, ironically titled A Woman of No Consequence, which is the subject of our conversation, where she turns her anthropologist’s lens on her family’s written treasures, specifcally those of her grandmother, Pankajam. 

Through this conversation we dive deep into the topic of moving in the world as a woman. We look at how the questions of a woman's work, her worth and consequence have changed - or more importantly have remained the same - over the past 100 years or so. The scope may sound vast and technical but the conversation unfolds like a fireside chat between friends sharing a warm cuppa. 

You can order a copy a book at Thriftbooks here. 

For more check out some reviews of Kalpana's book: 

https://www.thehindu.com/books/review-of-kalpana-karunakarans-a-woman-of-no-consequence/article70698242.ece

https://www.hindustantimes.com/books/reviewa-woman-of-no-consequence-by-kalpana-karunakaran-101786123580573.html

If the conversation moves you enough to write a comment - note that we have a giveaway for the first 5 commenters on this episode. 

This podcast is made possible by Association for India’s Development or AID, a 501(c)3 charitable organization advancing sustainable development, social justice and disaster relief in India. You can find more about AID's work at www.aidindia.org






 


]]> Sonika Buzzsprout-19849486 Fri, 02 Oct 2026 12:00:00 -0400 3199 1 1 full false Episode 0. Introduction to Routes to Grassroots Episode 0. Introduction to Routes to Grassroots Sonika Buzzsprout-19892038 Wed, 30 Sep 2026 22:00:00 -0400 57 full false