Spotify recently concluded its first creator-based programme, Esho Podcast Sikhi, targeting aspiring podcasters from Bengal. A competition run in association with Patra Bharati, it aimed at identifying and providing a platform for high-potential audio content creators. Over 300 participants were trained by notable content creators and podcasters over a period of four weeks, at the end of which three winners were chosen. All the participants used Anchor, a Spotify tool to create and distribute podcasts, to hone their audio content skills. With the growth and boom of the audio medium and audio streaming, Spotify’s content continues to attract regional bases and audiences with popular ones like Sunday Suspense Bangla and Gaurav Bolchi already gaining solid traction on the app. The winners of Esho Podcast Sikhi were felicitated and awarded by Mir Afsar Ali, Sujoy Prosad Chatterjee, Gaurav Chakrabarty and Esha Chatterjee.
“Podcasts are massive across the world right now, but it is still very nascent when it comes to original podcasts being produced in Bengali. In the course of working on my podcast, I have had to explain what a podcast essentially is to many people. But at the same time, I am very happy with the reception and crazy amount of feedback on social media, where people who were completely uninitiated have downloaded Spotify to listen to my podcast. I hope this takes off in a huge way because the audio medium hasn’t been explored outside the brilliant and legendary Sunday Suspense, which has shown us the way. On screen, we often have constraints when it comes to budget and the vision, whereas the audio medium gives us the liberty to explore. I hope this grows,” said Gaurav Chakrabarty.
“I started with radio back in 1994, and it has been 28 years in this space. This has been a very special playground for me. I have tried to dabble in a lot of other things, but all the feedback that I have been blessed to receive has been more prolific owing to my work in the audio realm. People relate to audio, and take active interest in it, and we have always had this healthy habit of storytelling in our families, where there has been a dadu or a thakuma who gifted us with these stories. The habit has only developed. Despite the onslaught that has occured with the arrival of OTT and other visual mediums, I personally can never compromise with this space, where I would listen to something that gives me a rich audio experience. And that is where the field gets broader for creators. They can talk about things they want to without thinking of censorship. Your content has to be curated in a way you hold your audience’s attention in this age where patience is crucial. I want to thank Spotify for giving this platform where creators can continue creating,” said Mir.
“We have to concentrate on regional languages to make something big out of India. We are a publishing press primarily, and in tandem with the response we get from the books that we publish in Bangla, we got the confidence with Spotify backing us up, to come up with an event of this sort. I firmly believe with the reception we have had and the prize money that the winners received, new regional content will be generated with gusto and the upcoming seasons of this will be bigger,” said Esha Chatterjee, head of marketing, Patra Bharati.
