Shilpa Das Gupta, SOC/MA ‘18, has a long running history of broadcasting and communications work. After developing an impressive career as a radio DJ, and producer, Das Gupta sought even more intellectual growth, moving from India to the US to complete her higher education. While her day job is AU’s E-Learning Support Services manager, she has branched out with her hit podcast Ohh, Folk!!, where she shares the lesser-known folktales of the world, along with the history and culture of the people from which these tales evolved. Her podcast is now charting in the top 50 global folklore podcasts, available on all major streaming services.

Das Gupta’s passion and love for sharing folktales is explicit in her conversation with Media in the Mix. “Growing up in India, folktales have always been part of my life, in some way or the other,” she said. “We had long nights of power cuts. And those were the nights when children used to flock together and listen to stories from grandparents.” Das Gupta emphasized the importance of folktales and the culture they carry with them; detailing how the folktales she studied shine a light on the cultural, historical, and social matters of the localities that created each story.

At heart, Das Gupta makes clear, her goal is to research and educate. Das Gupta was quick to share some lessons she learned in SOC’s Strategic Communication MA program, with current students, saying, “The more lucidly you can present [your research] to the larger audience, the better it is, because the core idea of good research is how well it serves the community.... how well it serves the people.” Das Gupta additionally encouraged students to create content, acknowledging that “content is the king, we all know” – another piece of advice that she models in her current work, as a cultural researcher for her folktale-centered podcast.

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Grounded in deep admiration of storytelling and its reflection of human nature, Das Gupta hopes the research she puts into the podcast will ideally become part of learning on a larger scale. “I really hope, if in any way possible, I can take my podcast and make it part of learning curriculum,” Das Gupta shared. “At least through this podcast, if people can learn more about the world, I think that’s where it will be the most fulfilling for me.”  

Throughout her conversation with Media in the Mix host Grace Ibrahim, Das Gupta provides insight into the dedicated process of truly thoughtful content creation. She offers a refreshing view on change, whether about moving across the world, experiencing significant cultural shifts, or career changes outside of her comfort zone. Completely ad-free, Das Gupta’s passion project is gaining traction and admiration, and for good reason - her clear love for her podcast work has a contagious effect on listeners “Just working and meeting people from across the globe gives me so much joy and happiness,” she gushed, “I think everybody should have some experiences like this, because it enriches you, it evolves you as a person.”