From adoption to Kashmir blackout, Suno India is voicing issues that matter

Padma Priya

Born and raised in the city of pearls, Hyderabad, Padma spent a significant part of her childhood in Delhi as well. "It was pretty fun with a fair share of crushes, heartbreaks, backbiting friends," she jokes. She was 13 when her family moved to Trinidad and Tobago. "I spent a year and a half there. My stay at this beautiful Caribbean island country opened me to different cultures. And Trinidad and Tobago share a historical connection with India. That got me hooked to its history."

She shares her own snippets of history about the word podcast. Fifteen years ago, The Guardian writer Ben Hammersley while writing about audible revolution, coined the word "podcast", and since then, this digital audio platform has grown by leaps and bounds. In India, given the digital penetration, the growth is slated to be exponential.

In June this year, PWC projected an upward curve for podcasts in India with listener numbers set to increase 34.5 percent by 2023.

But why did the team behind Suno India choose this medium? "We did not want to get lost in the wave of YouTube channels. Today, there are videos of all lengths going down our throats. They feed us information in snippets but don't capture the nuances. And, given the attention-deficit world we live in, it’s less likely for anyone to watch a one-hour video unless it is a matter of their interest. Hence, we decided to offer a platform that encourages active listening," she says, highlighting another advantage with audio – anonymity.

"For instance, many of the topics chosen by Suno India are very sensitive. Not everyone wants to put their face to their story and this is where audio helps." Some of the topics they have covered include climate change, the Kashmir internet blackout, and body shaming.

After having dabbled into audio stories for her previous organization Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), Padma acknowledged the scope podcasts offer in terms of comfort, weaving a narrative or building a story. MSF, which translates to Doctors Without Borders is a Nobel Peace Prize-winning organisation that provides medical assistance to people affected by conflict, epidemics, disasters, or exclusion from healthcare.

Talking of her five-year journey with MSF, Padma says, "I met such incredible and high-spirited people that it kept my hope alive. As journalists, we are always at risk of vicarious trauma, and that can sometimes take a toll on our mental health, but what kept me going was a belief that – as long as there are kind people and people who put humanity first than cast, creed, religion – the world will not fall apart."

Entrepreneurship is demanding. There are caveats to it that no one talks about, for instance, dealing with failure or balancing professional aspirations and family. Padma agrees, "It's very challenging but a huge learning experience! It is very recent that we have got great advisers to help us navigate through the start-up space in India."

Calling themselves a multigenerational platform, Padma and the entire team of Suno India aims to scale up the business in the coming years, including creating more content for children of different age groups and in various languages.