Over2Shailaja

I am Shailaja Chandra, a former IAS officer with a career spanning over 50 years, and this is my podcast – Over2Shailaja. I am here neither to talk about my career or my achievements. Instead, I bring you real-life stories which remain and are even more relevant today. The subjects will interest every thinking individual directly or indirectly. But whether the podcast narrates larger concerns or just recount heart-warming stories, my tone will remain chatty. Tune in!

Last refreshed: July 26th, 2025 at 5:05 PM ⓘ

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Episodes

Delhi's Air Pollution is Back But is There Any Hope Without Draconian Measures?

Every winter, Delhi and its surrounding NCR regions become the smog capital of the country. The toxic combination of stubble burning, vehicular, industrial and household emissions, construction activities, garbage burning, Diwali crackers — all of this makes this city into an unbreathable, uninhabitable and hazardous gas chamber. But air pollution is not just a Delhi-centric problem. Out of the most polluted cities in the world, 21 happen to be in India. Six Indian cities are among the top 10 po...

Nov 05, 2021•41 min•Ep. 9

Child Marriages Still Persist in India, What Can Change it For The Better?

The controversial Rajasthan Compulsory Registration of Marriage Amendment Bill has once again brought the problem of child marriages in the limelight. The bill which had made registration of all marriages, including child marriages mandatory, was recalled shortly after it was passed as it triggered endless criticism. But since we are on the subject of child marriage, let’s face how deep rooted this problem is. The depraved and illegal practice of child marriage prevails and persists in many Indi...

Oct 22, 2021•36 min•Ep. 8

Between Unsubstantiated Claims & Authentic Ayurveda, What Should Consumers Know?

Ayurveda has been a part of our daily rituals for generations. Apart from being a system of medicine, it extends its sweep to agriculture, animal health, diet, beauty, and rejuvenation. This sector especially saw a noticeable growth ever since the onset of the pandemic, with an upsurge of interest in Ayurveda and its capacity to ward off infections by building immunity (Ayurveda, however, is not a cure or remedy for COVID-19). Be it by using home remedies, decoctions, chyawanprash , herbs like a...

Oct 08, 2021•46 min•Ep. 7

Despite Ample Sunshine, Why Isn't India Advancing in Rooftop Solar Power?

With climate change events and pollution creating havoc year after year, it is in our vested interest to push renewables, non-polluting energy sources like solar and wind to be able to reduce our dependency on thermal power. But where does the country stand in terms of its solar power availability? India’s national solar mission was launched in 2010, when just 10 megawatts of solar power existed. The aim was to increase that to a meagre 20 gigawatts by 2020. In 2015, this low target was raised t...

Sep 24, 2021•39 min•Ep. 6

Between Health Crisis & Insurance – What Challenges Does The Middle Class Face?

The last eighteen months of the COVID-19 pandemic have impacted the life of millions of Indians. Spurred by this terrible health crisis, thousands of people found themselves face to face with emergency hospital admissions and the maze of pills and insurance payouts that follow. Excluding the organised sector and those who come under Ayushman Bharat, a minimum of 36-50 crore have no or minimal insurance cover. Even those who have invested in insurance policies found them falling short of their re...

Sep 10, 2021•37 min•Ep. 5

India Gave Its Best at Tokyo Olympics, But How Can We Be A Global Force in Sports?

With a gold, two silvers and four bronzes, the Indian team has given the country the highest medal tally ever in Tokyo Olympics 2020. Not just that, we have seen some record-breaking moments from our athletes with the Indian Women’s Hockey Team playing its first-ever Olympics semi-finals. Celebrations were in order. But once we saw the dozens of medals being won by other countries, the joy and satisfaction quickly became a story of a glass half-full or half-empty — depending on the mood. The hal...

Aug 27, 2021•37 min•Ep. 4

The Kathak Dancer Who Dons Many Hats — Meet the Multifaceted Shovana Narayan

It’s not easy to combine different aspects of one's personality seamlessly but Shovana Narayan does exactly that and more. Not only is she a Padma Shri Award-winning Kathak dancer but also a member of the civil accounts service of the Government of India and a European diplomat’s wife. I got the chance to narrate the anecdotes of her life which led her to where she is now – a stellar Kathak performer and a vivacious storyteller. In the second episode of the Over2Shailaja , I chat with Shovana Na...

Aug 13, 2021•25 min•Ep. 3

India's Population Can Be An Asset, But Are We Implementing the Right Policies?

India's young population is the envy of a fast-ageing world. By 2040, as many as 1.3 billion people from across the world will be over 60 years of age. This means that the dependency ratio – that is the need to avail support from younger people – will grow, as older people will need assistance from the younger population. India is superbly placed to be able provide that kind of manpower to so many countries. Our population alone will become a huge resource for the world, but are we designing pol...

Jul 30, 2021•28 min•Ep. 2

Introducing Over2Shailaja

Jul 29, 2021•2 min•Ep. 1

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