In the latest episode of Parenting Aaj Kal, a Hindi podcast by Much Much Media, listeners are introduced to parents Natasha Badhwar and Afzal Beg, who have chosen to raise their three daughters outside the bounds of traditional education and parenting norms. Titled “Parenting Without Pressure,” the episode explores homeschooling, emotional well-being, and building deep connections within families.
No Ranks, No Rote: A New Parenting Paradigm
Hosted by pediatrician Dr. Vibha Krishnamurthy, the episode offers a candid conversation about raising self-driven children in a results-obsessed world. Natasha, a former NDTV journalist and bestselling author, and Afzal, a seeker and organic farmer, made a conscious choice to step away from Delhi’s elite schools and instead create a life rooted in trust and freedom in Greater Noida.
Their approach? No forced comparisons, no punishments, and no academic pressure. “When I started paying attention to my child,” Natasha shares, “I started listening to my inner child too.”
Homeschooling and Healing
The couple recounts deeply personal stories- from their daughter’s refusal to attend school due to systemic injustice to managing anxiety and sleeplessness without adhering to the “just bear it” mentality. They embraced homeschooling, or “unschooling,” as a path to nurture emotional resilience rather than enforce it through pressure.
Afzal reflects, “Spending time with your children has never been our society’s priority. But children need their parents’ time. That’s the real education.”
A Podcast for Modern Indian Families
Parenting Aaj Kal continues to break ground by tackling mental health, disability, and parenting with care and nuance, especially in Hindi, making it accessible to a wider Indian audience. Produced by Much Much Media, a youth-led, purpose-driven platform, the show blends lived experience with clinical insight.
As Natasha and Afzal’s story reveals, it is not pressure but presence that truly shapes a child’s future. And perhaps, in a country obsessed with competition, that’s the most radical parenting message of all.
