Top podcasts of the year that you must listen to if you haven’t already

Mukesh Mills in Colaba. Pic Courtesy/@passportandpizza

For the horror enthusiasts

An actress is getting ready for her next shot in a green room at Mukesh Mills in Colaba. Suddenly, she hears loud cries for help. Suspicious, she heads towards the door but it's jammed. Within moments, her body feels like it is set on fire and she can hear her bones breaking. Podcaster Aman Parkar, famous for his haunted stories from across Mumbai, and at times, from around the world, brings spine-chilling experiences shared by his followers and acquaintances to his video podcast - each nearly 10 to 15 minutes long. If you're one who prefers to stay up at night, mulling over life after death; this desi horror podcast will give you your spooky midnight fix.

Log on to @amaanparkar on Instagram

Dads on duty

It's a modern world, and many fathers are now not only aware of the importance of being as active in a child's life as a mother, but are also increasingly insisting on it. This podcast invites dads who are either primary caregivers of their children, or share the role equally with their wives. They discuss their most prized memories as fathers and their struggles and jugaad ideas, as an Indian parent. With each episode nearly 40 minutes to an hour's duration, we think that there is something for everyone in this podcast that teaches family values and priorities.

Log on to Dadsense with Subhasish Mishra on Spotify

Straight out of the underworld

Host Stephanee Soo

If the perfect night plan is a TV dinner, where you immerse yourself in Hindi crime shows, we suggest you take your interest to a global level. Rotten Mango is a video podcast where the host Stephanee Soo narrates unexplained criminal activities from across the world and deep dives into the psychology of the criminal based on backed data from the police or the courts. Sometimes, she links it to something as dreamy as a Cinderella castle; and how that narrative birthed a serial killer.

Log on to Rotten Mango on YouTube

Cartoon conspiracies

Jenny and Nurse Joy are theorised as Pokémons. Pic Courtesy/Youtube

It is only when you grow up that you realise that some cartoon shows you enjoyed as children were far deeper than your kiddie brain could have comprehended. This video podcast by two American brothers is full of one-minute episodes, where they reveal theories and unknown facts of cartoons some of us have grown up watching. The hosts, Drew and Randy Wentworth, roll out at least two such videos daily, and have covered famous characters like Tom and Jerry, Sonic, Spongebob, The Fairly Oddparents and Mario, among others. This writer's favourite conspiracy is how Nurse Joy is actually a Pokémon, and the last stage of evolution of Chansey.

Log on to @wentworthbros on Instagram

Business heads, listen up!

(From left) Actor Rana Daggubati, host Kishore Biyani, business tycoons Harsh Lal and Aadit Palicha in a conversation. Picture Courtesy/Youtube

The key to a successful business is unlearning, and it is aptly pointed out in this podcast where some of the most successful Indian businessmen and entrepreneurs share their experiences about the race to the top. Each episode, hosted by Kishore Biyani, CEO and founder of conglomerate Future Group, clocks in at nearly an hour. This podcast aims at bringing to the forefront the competitive and rapidly growing markets of the country, and how, to make your place in this world of constant change, one should be open to the concept of unlearning. Young entrepreneurs, don't miss this one.

Log on to Unboxing Unlearning on Spotify