The journey began on a school bus, when two 13-year-old girls, Rytasha Rathore and Ayushi Amin, decided to sit next to each other. “OK, it is not quite that romantic,” laughs Rathore. “It took us two years to even start speaking to each other,” concurs Amin. You can listen to the rest of their tale — how they became BFFs, how they define adulthood, and when they first felt like grown-ups — on the first episode of their podcast, Agla Station Adulthood , out now on IVM Podcasts.
The duo has come a long way since. Rathore is now a freelance actor/model and vociferous body positive Instagram influencer, with close to 70,000 followers. Amin, on the other hand, is in the trade and commerce industry. They already have a second episode out, which dropped earlier this week, called Adulting 101 . “You know, the consummate struggles of paying bills, handling responsibilities and still having the kind of social life that we all covet,” Rathore says. Women in their 20s and 30s everywhere will relate to the tone, which ranges from good-natured ribbing to frank observations.
Worlds collide
The show itself came about quite organically, say the hosts. A guest stint on Cyrus Broacha’s podcast, Cyrus Says , introduced Rathore to IVM co-founder, Kavita Rajwade. Incidentally, Rajwade had been looking to create a podcast that gave a platform for female voices. “Rytasha fit that part, given her opinion on body image and the way she slams societal beauty norms. Ayushi came on board for the pilot, and since she was just as bold and unapologetic, I was convinced that their chemistry will make for some very interesting conversations,” explains Rajwade.
The medium itself is novel territory for the girls. While Amin was initially nervous, Rathore insisted they “chat like we normally do”. For the first season, they’re aiming at 12 to 15 shows that speak to millennial listeners. “It might be a hit with some older individuals as well, giving them an insight into what we are really going through,” shares Amin. As of now, guests are not on the cards. “Ayushi and I just cannot get enough of each other,” quips Rathore.
The aim of the podcast is to tell listeners that whatever problem they have, they are not alone. Rathore’s goal is to create a safe space for honest conversations. “Our generation also has the highest pressure to be successful, woke, decent, politically correct... We can all grow together, and hopefully, make the world a better place,” she says, of her Utopian dream. For Amin, if you listen to an episode and “feel even minutely reassured about what you’re going through”, then they’ve done what they set out to do.
Listen to Agla Station Adulthood on ivmpodcasts.com
