On this episode, Farhad & Sunetro talk about their favourite and most inspiring Queer icons from pop culture- Indian and Foreign. They share the amazing work done by these icons and their contribution to empowering the lives of the queer community. Top ones include Madonna, Lil Nas, Lady Gaga, RuPaul, Sridevi, Usha Uthup, and some more. Listen in!You can follow Farhad on his Instagram handle: @theqr8rYou can follow Sunetro on his Instagram handle: @glitterbuggedYou can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: IVM Podcasts - Apps on Google Play or iOS: ‎IVM Podcasts, or any other podcast app.You can check out our website at https://shows.ivmpodcasts.com/featured

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Q for Queer Icons

If you have ever wondered about saving money, had second thoughts about starting a business, or were low on confidence lately, then this episode is for you. We have an entrepreneur, visiting faculty, consultant and writer on board who shares their experiences, and gives us some inside information into the world of queer person owned businesses and the challenges.They also talk about the various projects undertaken in the heartlands of the country that posed very different challenges- the solutions to which weren't taught in BSchool, and how they navigated through it. Manish is the Founder/CEO of their consulting firm AUM Konglomerate. They're also associated with Oppia Foundation, and have been visiting faculty with various colleges across India. Find Manish on Instagram: @pocketmoneysh You can follow Farhad on his Instagram handle: @theqr8rYou can follow Sunetro on his Instagram handle: @glitterbuggedYou can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: IVM Podcasts - Apps on Google Play or iOS: ‎IVM Podcasts, or any other podcast app.You can check out our website at https://shows.ivmpodcasts.com/featured

ft. Manish Vyas, Entrepreneur

Joining us on the pod, is Unnati Bhardwaj- an independent mental health practitioner. They highlight the loopholes in the mental health industry especially when it comes for queer individuals, and potential dangers to mental health by people and practitioners who might do more harm instead of offering solutions. They discuss various situations that are tricky to deal with- community politics, social media activism, working for unsupportive brands while being queer/ ally, maintaining boundaries, productivity guilt, etc and shares tips on coming out safely. Unnati is a Queer Affirmative Mental Health Practitioner with a Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology. They have experience working with children and young adults of various socio-economic backgrounds, and also volunteered for a Suicide Prevention Helpline – Samaritans Mumbai. Unnati believes in the mind-body connection, and integrates it into their practice to create more intuitive mental healthcare strategies. They have previously managed a Mental Health project that provided free counseling to about 10,000 underprivileged school children across the suburbs of Mumbai. They are currently running their independent practice and can be reached at @therapywithunnati on Instagram.You can follow Farhad on his Instagram handle: @theqr8rYou can follow Sunetro on his Instagram handle: @glitterbuggedYou can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: IVM Podcasts - Apps on Google Play or iOS: ‎IVM Podcasts, or any other podcast app.You can check out our website at https://shows.ivmpodcasts.com/featured

ft. Unnati Bhardwaj, Mental Health Practitioner

Stepping into a room full of people knowing you are different, is an act of courage. In a world where each one is unique, being different in terms of societal labels, makes the world a bit more complicated for them and navigating the imposter syndrome can be tough. In this episode, Farhad and Sunetro discuss the inferiority and superiority complexes that we deal with on a daily basis. You can follow Farhad on his Instagram handle: @theqr8rYou can follow Sunetro on his Instagram handle: @glitterbuggedYou can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: IVM Podcasts - Apps on Google Play or iOS: ‎IVM Podcasts, or any other podcast app.You can check out our website at https://shows.ivmpodcasts.com/featured

C for Complexes

Pop Culture has been very inclusive and welcoming of beautiful stories from the Queer community and it is a breath of fresh air to see those heart-warming moments light up the screen! And in today's episode, we have a look at the portrayal of sex in these stories, on screen. Which shows/movies get them right? What are Farhad & Sunetro's favourite picks?You can follow Farhad on his Instagram handle: @theqr8rYou can follow Sunetro on his Instagram handle: @glitterbuggedYou can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: IVM Podcasts - Apps on Google Play or iOS: ‎IVM Podcasts, or any other podcast app.You can check out our website at https://shows.ivmpodcasts.com/featured

Q for Queer Sex in Pop Culture

It's your little nest. You might not own it but at the moment you live in it. You've made it up according to your personality and that's where you thrive. Your own little world in a big city. How is it to live alone? Cooking, Cleaning, Work, Pets, Bills, Maintenance...a whole bunch of things to manage single handed. Like a one-person army in training. In this episode, Farhad & Sunetro talk about their experiences of living alone in the big cities. You can follow Farhad on his Instagram handle: @theqr8rYou can follow Sunetro on his Instagram handle: @glitterbuggedYou can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: IVM Podcasts - Apps on Google Play or iOS: ‎IVM Podcasts, or any other podcast app.You can check out our website at https://shows.ivmpodcasts.com/featured

L for Living Alone

Our guests today have been empowering fellow queer persons via their organisation and they speak to Farhad & Sunetro about the trust, their personal journey, experiences faced and heard of along the way, pronouns, how can the world be more inclusive, what is right and what is wrong with reference to the laws and narratives, and much more. Francis Fernandes is the Co-founder and Chairman of Goa Rainbow Trust. He is a 26 year old openly gay man residing in Borim, Goa for the last nine years. He also identifies as androgynous (in terms of gender expression) and homoromantic demi sexual (an identity that lies on the asexuality spectrum). We'd mostly hear him belting out songs as he loves to sing, and also enjoy reading books (depending on the mood) and writing poetry, both of which were fairly recent discoveries. He is currently pursuing writing, and until now, has published a book in the poetry genre titled Music To My Poetry.He likes to believe that as human beings, we are all an integral part of a rainbow which has such a relatable symbolism — we are all a shade of colour; and when we come together, we become that beautiful band that stands for “unity in diversity.”Chris Fernandes is the CEO & Founder of Goa Rainbow Trust. They are 39 years old and identify as a trans man residing in Mapusa.They did a diploma in the hotel industry and then nursing too. They love music, nature and animals. They believe that every human should "live and let live" irrespective of caste, culture, rich, poor, orientation, colour and religion. Respect is very important. And that's the reason why Goa Rainbow Trust is formed "Fight towards humanity embracing diversity".Find Goa Rainbow trust: Website | InstagramYou can follow Farhad on his Instagram handle: @theqr8rYou can follow Sunetro on his Instagram handle: @glitterbuggedYou can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: IVM Podcasts - Apps on Google Play or iOS: ‎IVM Podcasts, or any other podcast app.You can check out our website at https://shows.ivmpodcasts.com/featured

Ft. Chris Fernandes, Co-founder and Chairman of Goa Rainbow Trust & Francis Fernandes, CEO & Founder of Goa Rainbow Trust

We are all little control freak when it comes to our personal lives. And sometimes it leads to unpleasant situations, and sometimes even funny ones. Listen in to Farhad & Sunetro talk about their experiences. You can follow Farhad on his Instagram handle: @theqr8rYou can follow Sunetro on his Instagram handle: @glitterbuggedYou can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: IVM Podcasts - Apps on Google Play or iOS: ‎IVM Podcasts, or any other podcast app.You can check out our website at https://shows.ivmpodcasts.com/featured

Ep 86: H for Hang Ups

There are 2 kinds of people in the world. One, who are looking forward to getting back to social life once things open up, and the other, who just want it to stay in the lockdown life forever. What do hosts Farhad & Sunetro think? Tune in to find out!You can follow Farhad on his Instagram handle: @theqr8rYou can follow Sunetro on his Instagram handle: @glitterbuggedYou can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: IVM Podcasts - Apps on Google Play or iOS: ‎IVM Podcasts, or any other podcast app.You can check out our website at https://shows.ivmpodcasts.com/featured

Ep 85: R for Re Entering a post-Covid World

To err is human and there is no escape to awkward and oops moments. Tune in to this episode where Farhad & Sunetro talk about things that went wrong, things that could go wrong, when you and your partner get cozy. You can follow Farhad on his Instagram handle: @theqr8rYou can follow Sunetro on his Instagram handle: @glitterbuggedYou can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: IVM Podcasts - Apps on Google Play or iOS: ‎IVM Podcasts, or any other podcast app.You can check out our website at https://shows.ivmpodcasts.com/featured

Ep 84: O for Oops Moments

We often talk about representation and pop culture. One major contribution that works behind the scenes here is that of the casting department. Them deciding to look for queer actors, actually considering them for the role, training them and respectfully treating them throughout the process. In India, casting has been known in a not so good light but the scenario is changing. To shed more light on this, we invited one of the top casting directors of India- Kavish Sinha. He owns an agency named On My Kayroll and has credits in works like The Office India, Laakhon Mein Ek, Apharan, Kaafir, Hasmukh, Undekhi, Out Of Love, etc. He talks to hosts Farhad & Sunetro about his journey into casting, an actor's life, the casting process, typecasting, the struggles of aspiring actors, and a lot more. You can follow Kavish on Instagram:@kavishsinha | @onmyayroll You can follow Farhad on his Instagram handle: @theqr8rYou can follow Sunetro on his Instagram handle: @glitterbuggedYou can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: IVM Podcasts - Apps on Google Play or iOS: ‎IVM Podcasts, or any other podcast app.You can check out our website at https://shows.ivmpodcasts.com/featured

Ep. 83: ft. Kavish Sinha, Casting Director, & Owner, On-My-Kayroll

https://ivm.today/iosany other podcast app.We all have our vices in life. Some give us comfort, some give pleasure, and some are a result of influence. Tune in to listen to hosts Farhad & Sunetro discuss some of their sex based addictions. You can follow Farhad on his Instagram handle: @theqr8rYou can follow Sunetro on his Instagram handle: @glitterbuggedYou can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.You can check out our website at https://shows.ivmpodcasts.com/featured

Ep. 82: S for Sex Based Addictions

One of the main reasons why we get through most things in life is our little circle of friends and well-wishers, and therapists. Some, whom we talk to every day, some who check on us occasionally, and some whom we might not speak to regularly but when we do, it is like we have been together forever. They empower us, accept us the way we are, let us be the way we are, support us in endeavors, and their presence just makes life better. Our hosts Farhad & Sunetro talk about some of their best people- friends, family, well-wishers; company to pop champagne with when it's a joyful time and a dependable entity to rest the head upon when things got tough. You can follow Farhad on his Instagram handle: @theqr8rYou can follow Sunetro on his Instagram handle: @glitterbuggedYou can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the new and improved IVM Podcasts App on Androidor iOSYou can check out our website at https://shows.ivmpodcasts.com/featured

Ep. 81: S for Support Systems

It is said that art comforts the disturbed and disturbs the comfortable. And we are so used to seeing photoshopped faces and bodies, and that has disturbed the idea of perfect for us so we feel uncomfortable in our own skin, always chasing that prescribed idea of perfect. In order to bust this myth and take a step towards empowerment via photography, Raqeeb Raza- an artist wearing many hats including photographer, researcher, reporter, writer, scholar-takes us through his journey of finding art in the real, unfiltered, normal faces and bodies. He talks about shedding the self-conscious feeling and feeling like art with whatever accessories we might be blessed with-abs, flabs, dimples, pimples, jawline, double chin, etc. Hosts Farhad & Sunetro also discuss with him the censorship issues across social media platforms and Raqeeb highlights some of the biases that companies have while taking down/ retaining reported posts. And make sure to stay till the end because we have a longer list of amazing recommendations for the upcoming weekend!You can find Raqeeb on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/daintystrangerphotos/You can follow Farhad on his Instagram handle: @theqr8r(https://www.instagram.com/theqr8r/?hl=en)You can follow Sunetro on his Instagram handle: @glitterbugged(https://www.instagram.com/glitterbugged/?hl=en)You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: IVM Podcasts - Apps on Google Play or iOS: ‎IVM Podcasts, or any other podcast app.You can check out our website at https://shows.ivmpodcasts.com/featured

Ep.80: ft. Raqeeb Raza, Artist

Reel life is inspired by real life. But then why is there so much discrepancy in queer representation? Butch female characters for lesbians, effeminate male characters for gays- how inaccurate is that! And why are they given stories that revolve around their 'queerness' and not around the person they are or their other traits? And why almost always do they have unhappy endings? And what are some of the best examples of representation? (btw, Schitt's Creek is a major favorite!) To talk about all this and more, we have Sulagna Chatterji- writer and film-maker, someone who has been in the creator circle for enough time to understand how queer stories are looked at by fellow people in the industry. Tune in as she shares her experiences with Farhad & Sunetro. Sulagna has worked on Alt Balaji's shows- Code M & The Verdict, is the writer of Dice Media's 'Firsts' Season 3, and has a Netflix show coming up next. You can find Sulagna on Social Media as @beingchatterjee on Twitter & Instagram. You can follow Farhad on his Instagram handle: @theqr8r(https://www.instagram.com/theqr8r/?hl=en)You can follow Sunetro on his Instagram handle: @glitterbugged(https://www.instagram.com/glitterbugged/?hl=en)You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: IVM Podcasts - Apps on Google Play or iOS: ‎IVM Podcasts, or any other podcast app.You can check out our website at https://shows.ivmpodcasts.com/featured

Ep. 79 ft. Sulagna Chatterjee, Screenwriter

How do you learn a new language? You start with the alphabet! The ABCD of it all. Two blokes - Farhad Karkaria and Sunetro Lahiri will do exactly that, trying to learn, unravel, uncover and discover a little more about being queer in today's day and age. What's in store? Some laughter, flubs and hearty moments. Tune in to discover the dictionary of all things in life from a queer perspective on GayBCD! New episodes out every Tuesday, starting 24th September.

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