Roshan Abbas' new podcast looks at how the creative community is dealing with the current crisis

So, What Do We Do Now explores how the creative community is dealing with the quarantine crisis
Abbas' new podcast is making a mark
Abbas' new podcast is making a mark

There’s no pause for the creative community even with the entire industry being locked indoors. Roshan Abbas has come up with a very timely and crucial new Spotify podcast titled ‘So, What Do We Do Now,’ which delves into how the music and creative industry is coping with the lockdown crisis. The first episode featured indie sensation Ankur Tewari, culture professional Rashmi Dhamani and actor Quasar Padamsee who talked about how the cancellations of shows affected them.

“I initially planned only a few episodes, but now the community of creators are asking so many questions that I feel it could go on endlessly. My minimum run is going to be 52 episodes,” Roshan reveals. We got the podcaster to share some details about the interesting outing.

Tell us how, So, What Do We Do Now was conceived. 

I’ve been evangelising podcasting for a while and now that everything is in lockdown, I was eager to do something topical for the creator community. Audio is the easiest, fastest, and cheapest way to communicate, and I had been experimenting with Spotify's Anchor app for a while, which is probably the easiest way to make a podcast for anyone.

What are some of the issues you plan to focus on?

My first topic was how the creative industry would find a livelihood, despite the challenges. Up next is how to manage anxiety and loneliness from home. A few other topics we are planning to cover are, collaborating online, finding a 24x7 routine, exercising from home, ways to make money online, telling a great story. We've also got a few fun suggestions, such as singles in the time of a lockdown, living with parents or boomers etc. 

Tell us how you zeroed in on the line-up of guests

I am really blessed to have access to multiple industries as I’ve had over 10 different careers. So, for the first episode I got Ankur Tewari, who I knew had to cancel a series of US concerts, and Quasar Padamsee, who had trouble with planning shows for his theatre group.   

A look at the podcast's last line-up
A look at the podcast's last line-up

You've played a crucial role in cultivating the Indian podcast culture. How does the current crisis impact the podcast scene?

Podcast is the theater of the individual mind. The truth is that in today’s day and age we all can be creators of content. And we need simple tools. Being cooped up at home means there is a time you will also get visual fatigue from staring at the screen. This is where audio plays a wonderful role. In the west, there is a podcast on everything -whether you want to be bored till you go to sleep, or be hooked to the best of narrative fiction, documentaries, thrillers, horror, there is no dearth of formats. 

A tip for aspiring podcasters, especially if they're trying to make themselves heard amid the crisis?

If you listen, people are asking questions all around. Find an unanswered gap, address it, and watch your content grow with listeners!

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