Sohini Sengupta — The Artist Who Turned Down Sacred Games | Expressions | The New Indian Express

Sohini Sengupta — The Artist Who Turned Down Sacred Games | Expressions | The New Indian Express

She grew up eating Satyajit Ray's sandwiches, sleeping in the homes of legends, and still had to fight for every single role. Sohini Sengupta, National Film Award winner, Sangeet Natak Akademi Awardee, and the Heart of Nandikar, opens up about what it truly means to be an artist from the inside. In this episode of Expressions, Sohini talks about discovering herself on stage through Arthur Miller, the invisible cost of being the director's daughter, why she turned down Sacred Games and Yash Raj Films, and how theatre became her anchor through divorce, body shaming, loss, and self-doubt. She also reflects on her late mother, Swatilekha Sengupta's extraordinary discipline, the mystical dimension of fine arts, and why India is still catching up on giving women equal ground on screen and on stage. ABOUT SOHINI SENGUPTA A National Film Award winner for Paromitar Ek Din 2000 and recipient of the Sangeet Natak Akademi's Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar 2007, she helped establish Naataca, the Nandikar Academy of Theatre and Communication, in honour of her late mother. In 2026, she was named a Devi Awardee by Indulge and The New Indian Express. Known for emotionally complex roles across stage, Bengali cinema, television and OTT, Sohini is an acting teacher who has made Naataca a living institution. She splits her time between active performance, directing, and nurturing the next generation of theatre artists. FEATURED IN THIS EPISODE * Sohini Sengupta - National Award winner, Sangeet Natak Akademi Awardee * Rudraprasad Sengupta - Theatre director, her father * Swatilekha Sengupta -  Artist and musician, her mother * Nandikar - Theatre collective * Naataca - Academy of Theatre and Communication * Satyajit Ray - Filmmaker * Arthur Miller - Playwright * Saptarshi Maulik - Husband  ABOUT EXPRESSIONS Expressions is a series of unhurried, honest conversations with the people quietly shaping India's sport, culture, and consciousness. Less spectacle, more substance the stories behind the stories, told without filters.

Priya Mascarenhas — 47 Years of Winning, 91 Countries & a Garden Full of Memories | Expressions

She grew up on a coffee plantation, studied art in Rome, and spent 56 years building a life with the man she loved. Priya Mascarenhas, an entrepreneur, gardener, and winner of the Javarayya Rolling Shield for 47 consecutive years, opens up about the discipline behind a lifelong passion, the loneliness of loss, and why a small garden done right will always beat a grand one done carelessly. A quietly extraordinary conversation about love, legacy, and the things we keep. What you'll learn from this episode• How Priya built a 47-year winning streak at the Bangalore Horticultural Society and why she walked in and rewrote the competition categories to make it fair• The hands-on philosophy that runs through everything she does: gardening, cooking, running a business, and raising a family across two very different worlds• Why small gardens often outshine grand ones and the simple principles that make plants thrive (including which ones to stop fighting and let go)• The real reason high-maintenance exotic plants keep dying in Indian homes, and what Priya grows instead now that she travels more• What 56 years of marriage, 91 countries, and a 150-year-old ancestral home teach you about holding on to the things that actually matter

7 Years. No Bribe. | Dr. Shukla Bose | Expressions Podcast

Some people change jobs. She changed lives. Dr. Shukla Bose walked away from a 26-year corporate career, invested her life savings, and built free schools for over 2,000 street, slum, and orphan children in India. She volunteered with Mother Teresa. She waited seven years for school permission rather than pay a single bribe. She walked away from a large donation that came at the cost of her values. In this episode of Expressions, she shares what true poverty really means, what humility looks like up close, and why she believes every single child  no matter where they come from  has the power to change the world. What You Will Learn From This Episode * Why true poverty is not about money — it's about the mind * What Mother Teresa taught her about humility, dignity & love * How Parikrama puts well-being before marks — and still gets 97% results * Why she waited 7 years for school permission and never paid a bribe * How to build something meaningful without compromising your values * Why children from slums often have more potential than privileged kids * How a 7-year-old boy quietly transformed a hardened criminal in prison About Dr. Shukla Bose & Parikrama Humanity Foundation Dr. Shukla Bose is the founder and CEO of Parikrama Humanity Foundation, Bangalore. After a 26-year corporate career, she invested her life savings to build free schools for street, slum, and orphan children. Today, Parikrama runs 4 schools and a junior college, serving over 2,000 first-generation learners with 1,700+ alumni who are now engineers, doctors, nurses, and entrepreneurs. Dr. Shukla holds a PhD in poverty of mind and volunteers with Mother Teresa for seven years during her college years in Calcutta. Learn more: https://parikrmafoundation.org/

Mon Nimrod Brokman — The Mind Behind India's Biggest Sporting Wins | Behavioural Foresight | Expressions Podcast

The mental performance coach behind some of India's most-watched sporting moments finally steps out of the shadows. Mon Brokman breaks down how he trains champions like Lakshya Sen and HS Prannoy to stay calm at heart rate 170, why high-arousal athletes like Kohli and Nadal often struggle most off the court, and how anyone — athlete or not — can rewire their mind for pressure using methods rooted in neuroscience, Vipassana, and battlefield psychology. What you'll learn from this episode * The "simple clarity" framework Mon uses to keep elite athletes calm when most people freeze — and how you can apply it before any high-pressure moment of your own * How exposure-based training rewires panic at heart rate 170 — the same method behind Lakshya Sen's biggest comebacks, explained step by step * The "mental currency" principle: why less noise equals more performance, and how to start training your mind from home with zero tools or apps * Why high-arousal personalities like Kohli and Nadal often struggle most off the court — and the recovery framework Mon uses to prevent burnout and addictive behaviours * The case for Vipassana as the ultimate performance edge — straight from a former soldier who's seen world podiums, war zones, and boardrooms #MonBrokman #LakshyaSen #HSPrannoy #MentalPerformance #SportsPsychology #BehaviouralForesight #ExpressionsPodcast #Bangalore #IndianAthletes #MindCoach #Olympics #Vipassana #Biopeak #PerformanceCoaching #SportsPsychologyIndia About Mon Nimrod BrokmanBorn to two Olympians in Israel, Mon spent 12 years in Olympic-style fencing and commanded search-and-rescue operations in the Israeli Special Forces before moving to India a decade ago. He now runs Behavioural Foresight, a multidisciplinary mental performance lab in Bangalore that blends neuroscience, biofeedback, fMRI, and ancient Eastern practice to coach Olympians, IPL captains and tour-level golfers.

Wilma Rodruigues discusses India's garbage crisis & real solutions | Saahas Zero Waste | Expressions Podcast

Wilma Rodrigues, Chief Transformation Officer of Sahas Zero Waste, joins us in an eye-opening conversation on this week’s episode of the Expressions Podcast. In the chat, we dive deep into India's waste management crisis and the systemic solutions that actually work. Tune in to learn how one woman's 1983 moment sparked a 25-year movement transforming waste management across India, why bulk waste generators hold the key to solving India's garbage crisis, and the uncomfortable truth about waste-to-energy plants and why they're failing cities like Delhi, Gurgaon, and Bangalore. Wilma also shares quick, practical home-composting solutions we can easily incorporate into our daily lives. Further, we also learn how decentralised waste systems work better than mega-infrastructure in cities like Indore & Pune. Also, listen to real stories of dignity – how Sahas Zero Waste transformed informal waste workers into salaried employees. In this episode, you'll learn: * How the Solid Waste Management Rules Notification of April 2026 defines bulk generators * Why is bulk waste generator accountability important * Why investing in home composting is a sustainable way forward * What are Kasa Rasa communities * How decentralised collection models will be helpful * A clear explanation of RDF technologies like pyrolysis, gasification, and incineration.   * An understanding of windrow composting & bio-mining methods * Observations from the Okhla landfill failure case study * The idea behind and progress made by Pune's SWACHH model * Importance of resource recovery tracking & circular economy frameworks About Wilma RodriguesWilma Rodrigues is the founder of Saahas and the Chief Transformation Officer of Saahas Zero Waste, a social enterprise. An alumna of St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai, she is a former journalist with the Times of India and Business World.She has received numerous accolades, including the Best Social Entrepreneur award from the Namma Bengaluru Foundation and the FICCI Indian Circular Economy Award. She has successfully integrated zero-waste systems for global giants such as Microsoft, Accenture, Goldman Sachs, IKEA, and Coca-Cola.