BBC News is all set to go Live with the ‘Drama Queen’ series produced and presented in Urdu and in Hindi by the BBC’s India-born journalist, Samrah Fatima, from Saturday, 16th April weekly. She has created a podcast that brings voices from both India and Pakistan, discussing, in two language versions, deeply rooted social issues that straddle both countries. Her guests are drama queens each in their own way, who make fuss, speak out and stand out.
The new five-part podcast series, running on multiple platforms, hears out to those who have refused to be victims, who have pushed back when friends and family wanted them to conform, and who have found new ways to forge a path for themselves – on their own terms.
Published weekly, on the BBC News Hindi and BBC News Urdu websites and YouTube channels, the series then will be available on request. Short versions will feature on the BBC News Hindi and BBC News Urdu social-media platforms. Both language versions will also be available on audio streaming platforms Spotify and Apple. In Hindi, the series will also be available via the digital audio platforms Gaana and JioSaavn, on Indian FM radio stations Misty (in Siliguri and Gangtok) and Tomato FM (in Kolhapur), via the JioChat and DailyHunt apps and the JioCinema streaming service. The Urdu version also will be available via Patari, the audio streaming service.
Samrah stated, “We all need to understand the root causes of anguish and hidden depression that many of us are silently dealing with every day. As someone who believes in holding hands and listening to people when they need to be heard, I hope this podcast can help us share in other people’s challenges – and overcome ours.”
Commenting on the issues discussed, She further added, “It’s been 75 years since India and Pakistan became two separate countries. But the emotional and cultural issues, due to not sharing and dealing with pain alone, are still common on both sides of the border. With Drama Queen, we have brought up these common issues – to introduce ourselves to each other with the idea of sharing and caring.”
