Radio Haanji Podcast

Tonight’s Blood Moon — Australia’s Last Red Moon Until 2028: Everything You Need to Know
Step outside tonight, look up, and witness a masterpiece that won’t return to Australian skies for nearly three years.
On the evening of Tuesday, 3 March 2026, our Moon will shed its silver-white glow for a deep, dramatic coppery red. This is a total lunar eclipse—famously known as the Blood Moon.
In a recent episode on Radio Haanji 1674 AM, host Ranjodh Singh shared the essential guide for the Punjabi and Indian community across Australia. From the science to the spiritual connection, here is your roadmap to tonight’s sky.
What is a Blood Moon? (The Science of "All Earth's Sunsets")
A Blood Moon occurs when Earth slides directly between the Sun and the Moon. While Earth blocks most direct sunlight, our atmosphere acts like a lens, bending red and orange light toward the Moon.
The Poet’s View: Scientists say it’s a shadow; poets say the Moon is being bathed in the light of every sunrise and sunset happening on Earth at that exact moment.
Tonight, the Moon will sit in the constellation Leo. If you have binoculars, look closely near the "Lion’s paws" to see the Moon glowing in its full, majestic red.
The Eclipse Timeline: When to Look Up
The entire event lasts over five hours, but the "magic hour"—totality—lasts just 58 minutes. This is when the Moon turns that iconic deep red.
Exact Totality Times by City
Save this table or screenshot it so you don't miss the peak!
City
Totality Begins
Totality Ends
Notes
Melbourne / Sydney / Hobart / Canberra
10:04 PM
11:02 PM
Partial eclipse starts 8:50 PM
Brisbane
9:04 PM
10:02 PM
Partial eclipse starts 7:50 PM
Adelaide
9:34 PM
10:32 PM
Moon rises already eclipsed!
Darwin
8:34 PM
9:32 PM
Great overhead views
Perth
7:04 PM
8:02 PM
Dramatic "Red Moonrise" on the horizon
Export to Sheets
Pro Tip: If you are in Perth or Adelaide, the Moon will rise while already red. Find a spot with a clear view of the Eastern horizon for a stunning photo opportunity!
No Gear? No Problem!
Unlike a solar eclipse, which requires those fancy glasses, a Blood Moon is 100% safe to watch with the naked eye.
No telescope needed: It’s bright enough to see from your balcony or backyard.
Let your eyes adjust: Step outside 20 minutes early to let your vision adapt to the dark.
The "Dark Sky" Bonus: During totality, the Moon dims so much that stars normally hidden by moonlight will suddenly pop into view.
Laal Chand (ਲਾਲ ਚੰਦ) — A Global Bond
There is a special emotion tied to a Chandra Grahan. For our Punjabi and Indian families in Australia, tonight isn't just about astronomy; it’s about connection.
As you stand in a park in Melbourne or a backyard in Sydney, remember that your family in Punjab, Haryana, or Delhi is looking up at that very same Moon. It is a rare moment where the sky reminds us that no matter how many thousands of miles lie between us, we are all under the same roof.
Wait, what if I miss it? If you skip tonight, you’ll be waiting a long time. The next total lunar eclipse isn't until New Year’s Eve, 2028. Don’t let "busy" get in the way of "beautiful!"
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At Radio Haanji, we believe in keeping our community connected—to the stars, to our roots, and to each other. Whether it’s scientific wonders like the Blood Moon or the latest news affecting Punjabi families in Australia, we are your voice.
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Radio Haanji 1674 AM | Punjabi Podcast | Broadcasting from Melbourne, AustraliaListen free at haanji.com.au | Available on Spotify & Apple PodcastsServing the Punjabi community across Melbourne · Sydney · Brisbane · Australia · Worldwide

Indian Updates — Tuesday, 3 March 2026 | Bengal's Electoral Battlefield, Hola Mohalla, Haryana's Budget and Punjab's Crisis Response — Analysis on Radio Haanji 1674 AM
Today's edition of Indian Updates on Radio Haanji 1674 AM brings together five stories that, on the surface, look entirely unconnected — but which, taken together, paint a revealing picture of the forces that are defining India's political and social landscape in early 2026. Journalist Preetam Singh Rupal, who covers Indian politics and community affairs closely, unpacks each of them with the context and consequence they deserve. This is not a bulletin. This is Indian current affairs analysis — for the community that cannot afford to miss what is happening back home.
West Bengal 2026 — Shah's Parivartan Yatra and the Battle That Will Define Indian Politics This Year
With West Bengal assembly elections less than six months away, Union Home Minister Amit Shah has launched the BJP's most intensive statewide electoral campaign in the state's history — a sprawling Parivartan Yatra covering more than 5,000 kilometres, 63 major rallies and 282 smaller gatherings, culminating in a grand Modi rally at Kolkata's Brigade Parade Ground. Shah's visit to South 24 Parganas and multiple other districts this week signals that the BJP is treating Bengal 2026 not as an opportunity but as an obligation — a mission it believes it is four to five percentage points away from delivering.
The political arithmetic Shah cited is worth understanding carefully. The BJP's trajectory in Bengal has been steep: from 2 Lok Sabha seats in 2014 to 18 in 2019, from 3 assembly seats in 2016 to 77 in 2021, and 12 seats with 39 per cent vote share in the 2024 general election. Shah claims the party is leading in 143 assembly constituencies with over 40 per cent vote share — a foundation from which, with the right swing, a majority becomes arithmetically achievable. He has been equally explicit about what he believes will drive that swing: infiltration, corruption and the alleged dynastic ambitions of Trinamool Congress.
The "Bhaipo" barb — a reference to TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, CM Mamata Banerjee's nephew — has become the centrepiece of the BJP's narrative. Shah is framing the 2026 election not as BJP versus TMC but as the people of Bengal versus a family that is treating the state as a private inheritance. Whether that framing resonates will depend on whether voters conclude that their anxiety about corruption and infiltration outweighs their reservations about the BJP's own record on governance in the states it controls.
Mamata Banerjee's counter-positioning has been equally sharp. The CM has accused Shah of weaponising religion for electoral gain — citing his attack over the construction of a mosque modelled on Babri Masjid by a recently expelled TMC MLA — while simultaneously inaugurating temples, which Shah mocks as political opportunism. Bengal 2026 is going to be loud, divisive, and consequential. For the Indian diaspora watching from Australia, this is the election that will either confirm or comprehensively shatter the BJP's ambition to transform every major Indian state into saffron territory.
Hola Mohalla and the Question of Faith in Modern Punjab — Dhami Speaks at a Loaded Moment
Hola Mohalla, the great Sikh festival of martial spirit and community solidarity established by Guru Gobind Singh at Anandpur Sahib in 1701, begins its three-day celebration on Wednesday, 4 March 2026. The Punjab government and the SGPC have worked this year to ensure the event remains what it was always intended to be — a spiritual and cultural gathering, kept deliberately free of the partisan political speeches that have increasingly crept into its periphery in recent years, and which were formally banned by the Sikh high priests through a religious edict in 2018.
Against this backdrop, SGPC President Harjinder Singh Dhami — the five-time president of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee — has issued a statement on the question of religious conversion in Punjab that has drawn fresh attention. Dhami's position, consistent with the SGPC's longstanding institutional concern, is that sustained missionary activity targeting economically vulnerable Sikh families represents a threat that requires both community mobilisation and legal protection. The SGPC has previously campaigned for a Freedom of Religion Act in Punjab — a law that would criminalise coercive or deceptive conversion methods while leaving sincere religious choice undisturbed.
The question of religious conversion is one of the most sensitive and politically volatile in modern Punjab, touching as it does on the community's sense of identity, its history of sacrifice, and its anxieties about the erosion of Sikh numbers and culture. That it is being raised again at the beginning of Hola Mohalla — the festival most deeply associated with Sikh solidarity and martial readiness — is not accidental. For Punjabis in Australia, particularly those with family in rural Punjab where missionary activity is most concentrated, this is a story with direct resonance. The question of how to protect faith without compromising civil liberties is one that no government or religious institution has fully resolved, and Dhami's statement is best understood as the latest intervention in a debate that has no clean resolution.
Haryana Budget 2026-27 — Saini's Rs 2.23 Lakh Crore Vision and What It Means for the Region
Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini presented his second full budget as Finance Minister on Monday, tabling a total outlay of Rs 2,23,658.17 crore for 2026-27 — a 10.28 per cent increase over the revised estimate of Rs 2,02,816.66 crore for 2025-26. It is a budget that carries the unmistakable fingerprints of a government that won a third consecutive term against expectation and now faces the task of delivering on a 217-promise manifesto while managing a state whose fiscal deficit is projected at Rs 40,293.17 crore, or 2.65 per cent of GDP.
The headline announcements tell their own story about the government's priorities. A dedicated power distribution company for the agriculture sector — Haryana Agri DISCOM — is the standout structural reform, designed to give farmers more reliable electricity supply independent of urban and industrial demand. A 20 per cent reservation in Haryana Police recruitment for Agniveers returning from the Indian Army signals the state's attempt to address the employment anxieties that the national Agnipath scheme generated when it was launched. A Rs 100 crore Green Climate Resilience Fund and World Bank support totalling Rs 2,716 crore for the Haryana Clean Air Project reflect the growing pressure on state governments to demonstrate environmental commitment. And the establishment of an Anti-Terrorist Squad — with provisions for women commandos — is a law enforcement signal that carries particular weight in a state that shares a long border with Punjab and has its own exposure to cross-border security dynamics.
For the Punjabi-speaking and Haryanvi communities in Australia, the Haryana budget matters most through its agriculture provisions. Additional incentives for farmers who shift away from paddy cultivation, expanded water access and the promise of the Yamuna cleanup mission speak to the rural economy that tens of thousands of Australian families still have deep financial and emotional ties to. Whether the numbers actually reach the people they are intended to reach is a question that every Haryana budget has raised and rarely answered fully.
The Gurdaspur Encounter and the Court That Is Asking the Right Questions
The death of 19-year-old Ranjit Singh in a police encounter near Gurdaspur on 26 February has evolved from a local law enforcement matter into one of the most politically charged accountability questions in Punjab today. A court in Gurdaspur has now issued orders that go to the heart of what happened — directing all police officials involved in the encounter, including the SSP Gurdaspur, the SHOs of Dorangla, Behrmapur and Puranashala, and CIA Incharge Gurmeet Singh, to provide their phone numbers to the investigating officer and telecom companies. The companies have been directed to preserve call data records for 20 to 28 February. The court has also ordered GPS location data to be preserved, CCTV footage near the incident site to be secured, and a three-member medical board to be constituted to examine whether CIA Incharge Gurmeet Singh's gunshot wound was genuine or self-inflicted.
The background to this case is important. On 22 February, Punjab Police ASI Gurnam Singh and Home Guard Ashok Kumar were found dead with gunshot wounds at a checkpost in Adhian village, approximately two kilometres from the Pakistan border. Police subsequently arrested three young men — Ranjit Singh (19), Inderjit Singh (21) and Dilawar Singh (19) — claiming they had acted at the behest of Pakistan's ISI. Ranjit was shot dead in what police described as an encounter after he allegedly escaped custody and opened fire. His family flatly disputes this account. His mother, Sukhjinder Kaur, says her son was picked up from home for questioning and was subsequently shot. The family has refused to accept his body. His uncle has demanded a CBI probe. Congress MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa has written to Home Minister Amit Shah, and multiple political parties across the spectrum have called for an independent investigation.
This is a story with layers that go well beyond any single encounter. Near the Pakistan border, in a district with a history of cross-border infiltration and ISI-linked activity, the line between national security justification and procedural opacity can become dangerously thin. The court's decision to order preservation of phone call records, GPS data and CCTV footage before they can be altered or deleted is precisely the kind of judicial intervention that accountability requires. Whether the investigation that follows will be conducted with genuine independence, or whether the outcome will be shaped by the political pressures pulling in multiple directions, remains to be seen.
Punjab's Helpline — A Government That Picked Up the Phone When It Mattered
When Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann — who is currently receiving medical treatment — established a 24x7 helpline and control room for Punjabis stranded in the Middle East war zone, it was a straightforward act of governmental responsibility. But in the context of a crisis this scale, the simplest acts carry the greatest weight.
Punjab has an enormous diaspora in the Gulf. Tens of thousands of Punjabis work in the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain — in construction, hospitality, healthcare and domestic services. When Operation Epic Fury began and flights were suspended, airports closed and roads became dangerous, these families were suddenly stranded without clear options and without a government contact point they could call. Mann's announcement on Monday provided that contact point: 0172-2260042, 0172-2260043, and a WhatsApp number at +91 94787 79112 for immediate support.
NRI Affairs Minister Dr Ravjot Singh confirmed the government was receiving a high volume of calls, particularly from Punjabi tourists stranded in Central Asia and the Gulf. The minister also urged the central government to facilitate evacuation promptly, a call that echoes the position taken by Lok Sabha Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan the previous day. For families in Australia with relatives working in the Gulf, this is the number to save and to share. The fact that Punjab's government moved quickly to establish this contact — in a week when New Delhi was still trying to calibrate its diplomatic response — is a moment worth acknowledging.
Why Indian Updates on Radio Haanji Is Essential Listening for the Indian Diaspora
For Punjabi and Indian families settled in Australia, keeping track of India's moving parts — its state elections, its religious festivals, its budget announcements, its court orders, its border encounters — is both a priority and a genuine challenge. The sheer volume of Indian news makes it difficult to know what is significant and what is noise. That is precisely the problem that Indian Updates on Radio Haanji 1674 AM is built to solve.
As Melbourne's premier Indian community radio station and one of the best Punjabi podcasts in Australia for current affairs, Radio Haanji brings you journalism that goes below the headline — analysis that gives you the context to understand, not just the event to react to. The Indian current affairs podcast that knows what matters to the NRI community is not the one with the most stories. It is the one that picks the right stories and tells them with depth and honesty.
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Radio Haanji 1674 AM | Punjabi Podcast | Broadcasting from Melbourne, AustraliaListen free at haanji.com.au | Available on Spotify & Apple PodcastsServing the Punjabi community across Melbourne · Sydney · Brisbane · Australia · Worldwide

Today Updates — Tuesday, 3 March 2026 | World, Australia and India News Podcast on Radio Haanji 1674 AM
Tuesday morning brings one of the most consequential news days of 2026, and host Gautam Kapil is on Radio Haanji 1674 AM to cut through the noise and bring the Punjabi and Indian community the facts that matter most. From a Middle East war entering its fourth day to a historic diplomatic reset between India and Canada, today's episode of Today Updates covers the full picture — world, Australia and India — in one essential daily listen.
World Updates — A War That Is Reshaping the Global Order
The United States and Israel launched a fresh and intensified round of strikes on Iran overnight Tuesday, marking the fourth consecutive day of Operation Epic Fury. President Donald Trump addressed the nation via CNN, telling anchor Jake Tapper that the US military is "knocking the crap" out of Iran, and that the "big wave" is yet to come. On the question of how long the war will last, Trump said the military had originally projected four to five weeks to terminate Iran's military leadership, but suggested the operation was running ahead of schedule. Trump also left open the possibility the conflict could run significantly longer. Speaking separately, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth sought to reassure critics that the campaign would not become an endless war, stating: "This is not Iraq. This is not endless. This operation is a clear, devastating, decisive mission."
Qatar became the most dramatic single battlefield outside Iran on Tuesday. The Qatar Emiri Air Force shot down two Iranian Su-24 fighter-bomber aircraft — the first Iranian crewed aircraft confirmed destroyed in air-to-air combat since the war began. Qatar also intercepted seven ballistic missiles and five drones on the same day. Over the course of the conflict to date, Qatari forces have intercepted 63 missiles and 11 drones, with two missiles reaching Al Udeid Air Base — the key US installation near Doha — and one drone targeting an early warning radar system. Iran also targeted energy infrastructure, with drones striking a power plant in Mesaieed and a QatarEnergy facility at Ras Laffan Industrial City. The Ras Laffan attack forced Qatar's state energy firm to halt liquefied natural gas production, causing benchmark European and Asian wholesale gas prices to surge by 39 to 50 per cent in a single session.
Britain, France and Germany issued a joint statement declaring they were ready to take defensive military action against Iran if required. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer confirmed that the US had been granted access to British military bases for defensive strikes on Iranian missile launchers, emphasising that this was a defensive, not offensive, posture. France's Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot went further, stating that France was "ready" to defend Gulf countries and Jordan against Iranian attacks. Germany, meanwhile, clarified it had no intention of participating offensively, with Foreign Minister Wadephul saying Berlin did not have the military resources to do so. The death toll from Operation Epic Fury inside Iran has climbed to at least 555 people. Four US service members have now been confirmed killed in Iranian retaliatory strikes. Iran's Foreign Minister has indicated that a new supreme leader could be announced within days.
Australia's Parliament in Session as the Middle East Crisis Dominates
Australia's federal parliament is in a scheduled sitting week from 2 to 5 March, the third House sitting week of the 48th Parliament's 2026 autumn session. The Middle East conflict is expected to dominate question time and committee discussions, particularly given the approximately 115,000 Australians who remain in affected countries across the region. Foreign Minister Penny Wong has been working to assist stranded Australians as airlines including Emirates, Etihad and Qatar Airways continue to cancel services and multiple countries maintain closed airspace. The government's focus remains on consular support and monitoring options for evacuation if conditions deteriorate further.
The crisis has also struck Australian wallets directly. Fuel analysts and economists are warning that petrol prices at Australian pumps could rise by 30 to 40 cents per litre in the coming weeks as global crude benchmarks continue climbing toward and potentially beyond $100 per barrel. AMP Chief Economist Shane Oliver has noted that every $10 increase in international oil prices adds roughly 10 cents per litre to Australian pump prices. Motorists in Melbourne and Sydney were already reporting longer queues at service stations over the weekend, with some Australians filling up in anticipation of further rises. For Punjabi and Indian families in Australia, many of whom have relatives working in Gulf countries including the UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, the situation carries both an economic and deeply personal weight.
India — A Historic Reset with Canada, and a Diplomatic Tightrope on Iran
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney completed a landmark bilateral summit in New Delhi on Monday, formally launching negotiations for a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement — a full free trade deal — between the two countries. The Terms of Reference were signed by India's Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal and his Canadian counterpart Maninder Sidhu in the presence of both prime ministers at Hyderabad House. The two sides set a target of concluding the agreement by the end of 2026, with bilateral trade targeted to grow from approximately $9 billion currently to $50 billion by 2030. As part of the summit, Canada's Cameco signed a $2.6 billion uranium supply agreement to support India's civilian nuclear energy programme, while HCL Technologies agreed to open new AI centres in Calgary, Mississauga and Vancouver. The deal marks a historic turnaround after two years of severely strained relations triggered by the 2023 Nijjar assassination dispute. For the Indian diaspora in Canada — including tens of thousands of Punjabi Canadians — the reset carries enormous practical significance for immigration, trade and community ties.
On the Iran war, Modi issued his first formal public statement on Monday, calling the situation in West Asia "a matter of deep concern for India" and reiterating that all disputes must be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy. Modi spoke by phone with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, urging an early end to hostilities and emphasising civilian safety as a priority. He also called UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Bahrain's King Hamad. India strongly condemned Iranian strikes on the UAE and expressed full solidarity. However, the government has yet to issue any formal statement on the killing of Supreme Leader Khamenei — a deliberate silence that has drawn sharp criticism from the Congress party. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh called the government's response a "betrayal of India's values, principles and interests", while other opposition voices including Priyanka Gandhi described Khamenei's killing as "despicable". Opposition parties also noted the politically sensitive timing of Modi's two-day Israel visit, which concluded less than 48 hours before Operation Epic Fury began.
Protests were also reported across Jammu and Kashmir following Khamenei's death, with demonstrations taking place in Budgam, Bandipora, Anantnag, Pulwama and at Lal Chowk in Srinagar. J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah appealed for calm while confirming his government was coordinating with the Ministry of External Affairs over the safety of Kashmiri students in Iran. Similar protests were reported in Lucknow, Delhi, Bihar, Telangana and Karnataka.
Your Daily Connection to World, Australia and India News
In a week when events are changing by the hour, Today Updates on Radio Haanji 1674 AM is the one constant you can rely on. Gautam Kapil cuts through the volume of global news every weekday morning and delivers what the Punjabi and Indian community in Australia actually needs — verified facts, clear context, and coverage of the India angle that no other Australian daily news podcast provides.
Whether it is the latest developments in the Middle East, the impact of global oil prices on your household, or breaking diplomatic news from New Delhi, Today Updates is the free Punjabi podcast online that keeps you informed before your day begins. As Melbourne's leading Indian community radio station, Radio Haanji 1674 AM remains committed to giving the diaspora a trusted, daily voice in an uncertain world.
Listen to Today Updates — Free, Anytime, Anywhere
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Radio Haanji 1674 AM | Punjabi Podcast | Broadcasting from Melbourne, AustraliaListen free at haanji.com.au | Available on Spotify & Apple PodcastsServing the Punjabi community across Melbourne · Sydney · Brisbane · Australia · Worldwide

The Little Voices Keeping Punjabi Culture Alive in Australia — Laughter Therapy | Tuesday, 3 March 2026 | Radio Haanji 1674 AM
Ask any Punjabi parent in Australia what they quietly worry about when raising children in a new country, and the answer comes quickly — that their children will grow up not knowing who they are. Not knowing the language. Not knowing the bolian their nani sang, the bujaratan their dada loved, or the chutkule that made every family gathering fall apart in laughter. On Tuesday morning, Laughter Therapy on Radio Haanji 1674 AM answered that fear in the most joyful way possible — one young caller at a time.
A Morning Ritual That Means More Than It Looks
To a stranger, Laughter Therapy might sound like a simple morning show where children call in and share jokes. And on the surface, that is exactly what it is. But spend a few mornings listening on Radio Haanji 1674 AM and something else becomes clear — this is a programme that is quietly doing the work of cultural preservation that no classroom, no textbook and no government policy can fully replicate.
When a child growing up in Melbourne calls into this show and speaks in Punjabi — confidently, naturally, with chutkule and bolian rolling off their tongue as though they were born saying them — they are doing something their community has been trying to do for generations in diaspora. They are proving that it is possible to be fully Australian and fully Punjabi at the same time. That the two identities do not compete. That laughter is a language that crosses every border without losing a single word in translation.
Hosts Ranjodh Singh and Sukh Parmar held that space with warmth and energy on Tuesday morning, and the community showed up in full voice.
The Faces Behind the Voices — This Show's Most Loyal Young Stars
Every great show has its regulars — the familiar voices that listeners look forward to hearing, the personalities that give a programme its soul. On Laughter Therapy, those voices belong to the children, and Tuesday's episode was graced by some of the most enthusiastic young participants this show has.
Among those who called in and made the morning brighter were Gurpal Singh, Mannat, Fateh Singh, Manraj S Aujla, Aarza, Jasmine Kaur, Bani Kaur, Asees Kaur, Ronish, Basant Lal, Narinder Sahmi, Ramanpreet Jassowal, the Benipal Brothers, Sehib Sanwar and Kismat — young members of the Punjabi community in Australia who have become familiar and beloved voices on Radio Haanji 1674 AM.
These are not just callers. They are regular participants who show up week after week, episode after episode, giving this show its heartbeat. Some are bold and confident, some are sweet and measured, but every single one of them brings something real — the kind of authenticity you simply cannot script or manufacture. They call in with their chutkule, their bolian, their bujaratan, their energy, and their absolute willingness to make every person listening smile before their day has properly begun.
For parents of these children, hearing your son or daughter's voice on radio — speaking Punjabi, being celebrated by their community — is one of those moments that stays with you. And for the children themselves, being a regular participant on Australia's favourite Punjabi comedy podcast is something they will carry with pride for the rest of their lives.
The Adults Who Refuse to Be Left Out
The second segment of Tuesday's Laughter Therapy proved once again that laughter has no age limit. Adult members of the community joined Ranjodh Singh and Sukh Parmar to keep the energy alive and the smiles coming. The themes were the same — warmth, humour, community, the simple joy of connecting over shared culture — and the response from callers was everything this show is built on. By the time the episode wrapped up, Tuesday had been thoroughly sorted.
This is what makes the free Punjabi podcast from Radio Haanji 1674 AM different from anything else available to the Indian community in Australia. It is not a news programme. It is not an advice show. It is a daily reminder that your community is here, it is well, and it is laughing together — and that you are invited to be part of it every single morning.
Why a Comedy Podcast for Kids Is One of the Most Important Things on Australian Radio
The Punjabi community in Australia is one of the fastest growing, most vibrant South Asian communities in the country. And yet, when it comes to media that genuinely serves Punjabi children — content in their language, celebrating their culture, giving them a platform and a voice — the options are almost nonexistent. Laughter Therapy fills that space in a way that no other comedy podcast for kids in Australia comes close to doing.
Beyond the laughter, beyond the chutkule and the bujaratan and the bolian, what this show is doing is telling an entire generation of Punjabi Australian children that their language is beautiful, their culture is worth sharing, and their voice belongs on the airwaves. That message, delivered every single weekday morning on Radio Haanji 1674 AM, is one of the most meaningful things community radio can do.
This is why Laughter Therapy is not just the best Punjabi podcast in Australia. It is one of the most important ones.
Listen Free — Every Weekday Morning on Radio Haanji 1674 AM
Laughter Therapy is completely free to listen to, live every weekday morning, and available on demand on all major podcast platforms.
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Radio Haanji 1674 AM | Punjabi Podcast | Broadcasting from Melbourne, AustraliaListen free at haanji.com.au | Available on Spotify & Apple PodcastsServing the Punjabi community across Melbourne · Sydney · Brisbane · Australia · Worldwide

When Two Worlds Fall Apart — A Conversation on Marriage, Separation and the Silent Suffering of Children | Nani Ji Podcast on Radio Haanji 1674 AM
Some conversations need to be had, even when they are uncomfortable. In a deeply thoughtful episode of the Nani Ji Podcast on Radio Haanji 1674 AM, host Vishal Vijay Singh sat down with Dr. Harpreet Shergil for an honest and compassionate discussion about one of the most quietly painful realities in our community — the breakdown of marriages, the silent suffering it leaves behind in the hearts of children, and the difficult truth that a life lived together in bitterness can be just as damaging as one lived apart. This is a conversation that touched many hearts, and it deserves to be heard by every couple, every parent, and every family.
The Children in the Middle — The Ones Who Never Asked for Any of It
When two people decide they can no longer live together, the announcement is made between adults. But the ones who carry the weight of that decision the longest are often the ones who had no say in it at all — the children.
When parents separate, children who are in the middle of parental conflict can feel insecure, confused, and guilty. That guilt — the quiet, irrational belief that a child somehow caused the collapse of their parents' world — is one of the most enduring and damaging emotional burdens a young person can carry. It does not announce itself loudly. It lives in a child's hesitation to make friends, their reluctance to trust, their sudden withdrawal from things they once loved.
Children whose parents are divorced tend to have a higher risk of developing mental health disorders compared to children who come from intact families. The effects of divorce on a child's mental health can vary, from anxiety and depression to declining academic performance and social difficulties that follow them well into adulthood. Research published in the International Journal of Social Science and Humanity confirms this pattern consistently — parental conflict and family instability are among the most significant predictors of mental health struggles in children, regardless of culture or geography.
When a child lives primarily with their mother, they grow up missing the particular warmth and security of a father's presence — his voice, his laughter, his way of making them feel safe in the world. When they live with their father, they miss their mother in a way that no amount of weekend visits can fully repair. Children are not designed to live with that absence as a permanent feature of their daily life. They adapt, certainly — children are resilient. But adaptation is not the same as being whole. And parental divorce and separation can have negative short and long-term effects on children, from decreased mental health and wellbeing, to reductions in educational attainment.
There are the practical ruptures, too — the school moves, the changed neighbourhoods, the new financial pressures that follow a family split, the awkwardness of school events where both parents sit on opposite sides of the room. Divorce often leads to significant changes in family structure and dynamics, which can have a direct impact on the psychological well-being of children. And in communities like ours — where family is not just a unit but an entire ecosystem of grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and shared history — the fracture of a marriage does not stay between two people. It ripples outward, touching every relationship the child has ever known.
When Staying Together Becomes Its Own Kind of Prison
In the same conversation, Dr. Harpreet Shergil raised a truth that many in our community have lived but few have heard spoken aloud openly: that a marriage kept intact purely for appearances, or out of fear, or for the sake of the children, can sometimes cause as much harm as one that ends.
This is not an argument for giving up. It is an acknowledgment that two people sharing a roof while sharing nothing else — no warmth, no respect, no kindness, no genuine connection — are not truly together in any way that matters. And the children living inside that silence know it. They feel the tension at dinner. They hear what is not being said. They watch their parents become strangers to each other, and they quietly learn that this is what love looks like.
Children and adolescents whose parents had an unhappy relationship but were not divorced experience more depressive and anxiety symptoms, non-suicidal self-injury, and suicide risk than other peers. This is one of the most confronting findings in modern family psychology — that in many cases, children in families with unhappy marriages may be chronically exposed to parental conflict, potentially increasing the risk of mental health problems more than divorce itself.
The adults in a toxic marriage suffer deeply too, in ways that are rarely acknowledged because the shame of a troubled marriage leads many people to suffer in silence. Negative verbal and nonverbal exchanges with a spouse that persist over time might incur permanent autonomic, endocrine, and immunological changes. The body does not distinguish between emotional pain and physical danger — it responds to chronic marital conflict with the same stress hormones it would produce in response to a physical threat. Men who were unhappy in their marriages had almost double the risk of having a stroke and a 21% higher risk of dying from any cause compared to those who were satisfied in their marriages.
A toxic marriage can affect your mental and physical health more than perhaps any other factor in your life. It leads to confusion, anger, sadness, depression, anxiety and social isolation — a loneliness that is in some ways more painful than being truly alone, because it is experienced while standing next to someone who was supposed to be your closest companion. Individuals who stay in unhappy marriages tend to have lower self-esteem, overall health, happiness, and life satisfaction. They lose themselves gradually, quietly, in a relationship that has become a performance rather than a partnership.
What Is Missing — And What Can Be Found Again
The central message of this episode of the Nani Ji Podcast was not one of despair. It was one of possibility. Dr. Harpreet Shergil and Vishal Vijay Singh kept returning to a simple, profound truth: most marriages do not break because the love was never real. They break because the love was never tended to.
Respect is the foundation that holds everything else together. Not the performative respect of public gestures, but the daily, quiet, private respect of listening when your partner speaks, of not dismissing what matters to them, of choosing kindness even on the days when you are tired and frustrated. In our community, we talk about izzat — honour — in relation to the world outside our homes. But the izzat that matters most is the izzat we show each other behind closed doors, when no one is watching.
Acceptance is equally essential, and equally undervalued. We enter marriages with an image of who our partner should become, and we spend years quietly resenting them for not becoming that person. Acceptance does not mean surrendering your needs. It means seeing your partner clearly — their strengths and their limitations — and choosing them anyway. It means understanding that the person you married is a complete human being, not a project.
Mutual support — the willingness to carry each other's weight when the other person's strength gives out — is what separates a partnership from a cohabitation arrangement. Life is genuinely difficult. Financial pressures, health challenges, the demands of raising children, the loneliness of being far from family in a new country — these are real and heavy burdens. A marriage in which both people feel genuinely supported through those burdens becomes a sanctuary. A marriage in which those burdens are faced alone, or weaponised against each other, becomes a source of its own suffering.
Communication — honest, patient, non-defensive communication — is the thread that, when maintained, can prevent most of the fractures that eventually become irreparable. Many couples stop talking about what they really feel long before the relationship actually ends. They replace honest conversation with silence, with anger, with the slow accumulation of grievances that eventually become walls too high to climb. Speaking early, speaking kindly, and listening with genuine intention — these are not romantic ideals. They are practical acts of maintenance that keep a relationship functional and alive.
A Message to Every Couple Listening
If you are in a marriage that is struggling, this episode is not a judgement. It is an invitation. An invitation to look honestly at what has been lost, and to consider whether it can be found again — not through a single dramatic gesture, but through the small, consistent, daily choices to show up with respect, patience and care.
And if you are raising children — as most in our community are — then the greatest gift you can give them is not a perfect marriage. It is a peaceful home. A home where they see their parents treat each other with dignity. Where they learn, from what they witness every single day, that love is not just a feeling but a practice. Where they grow up knowing that two people can disagree, struggle, and still choose each other with warmth and grace.
That is the life this conversation was pointing toward. Not perfect. Not always easy. But real, and full, and worth protecting.
About the Nani Ji Podcast and Radio Haanji 1674 AM
The Nani Ji Podcast is part of Radio Haanji 1674 AM's growing library of community programming, covering topics that matter deeply to the Punjabi and Indian diaspora in Australia — from health and family to culture, current affairs and personal growth. Hosted by Vishal Vijay Singh, the show brings honest, thoughtful conversations to the community in a format that is warm, accessible and always relevant.
Radio Haanji 1674 AM is Melbourne's premier Indian community radio station, streaming live at haanji.com.au and available on all major podcast platforms. As one of the best Punjabi podcasts in Australia, Radio Haanji is trusted by thousands of families across Victoria and beyond to inform, connect and inspire.
Listen to the Nani Ji Podcast — Free, Anytime, Anywhere
Catch this episode and every episode of the Nani Ji Podcast on your favourite platform, completely free.
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Tune in every weekday to Radio Haanji 1674 AM — haanji.com.au — for more conversations that speak to the heart of the Punjabi and Indian family in Australia.
Radio Haanji 1674 AM | Punjabi Podcast | Broadcasting from Melbourne, AustraliaListen free at haanji.com.au | Available on Spotify & Apple PodcastsServing the Punjabi community across Melbourne · Sydney · Brisbane · Australia · Worldwide

Chewing Gum and Microplastics — What Ranjodh Singh Revealed on Radio Haanji 1674 AM That Every Parent Needs to Know
There are things we hand our children without a second thought — a stick of chewing gum being one of them. It is harmless, we assume. Just a little treat. But in a recent episode of his podcast on Radio Haanji 1674 AM, host Ranjodh Singh sat down with some deeply unsettling research, and what he shared has prompted a genuine conversation across the Punjabi and Indian community in Australia. The science, it turns out, tells a very different story from the one printed on the wrapper.
Every Piece of Chewing Gum Is Releasing Thousands of Plastic Particles Into Your Body
The findings that Ranjodh Singh discussed come from two major pieces of research — one led by scientists at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and presented at the American Chemical Society's Spring 2025 meeting, and another published in the Journal of Hazardous Materials, led by Queen's University Belfast.
The UCLA study examined ten commercially available chewing gums — five synthetic and five marketed as natural — and found that every single one of them released microplastics into saliva during chewing. On average, each gram of gum shed approximately 100 microplastic particles, though some pieces released as many as 600 particles per gram. Since a large stick of gum can weigh up to six grams, a single piece alone can release more than 3,000 plastic particles into a person's mouth. A person who chews 160 to 180 pieces of gum per year — a moderate habit by most standards — could be ingesting close to 30,000 microplastics from gum alone, on top of the tens of thousands already entering the body through water, food packaging, and other daily sources.
The Queen's University Belfast study went even further, tracking microplastic release over a full hour of chewing a single piece of gum. The results were striking: over 250,000 microplastic and nanoplastic particles were detected in the saliva of the study participant over that period. Crucially, the researchers found microplastics in every sample collected across the hour — from the first twenty minutes through to the final set — which led them to state that there may be no safe chewing duration. Both research teams noted that the instruments used can only detect particles above a certain size threshold, meaning the actual counts are almost certainly an underestimate. Nanoplastics — far smaller than microplastics and significantly more capable of penetrating human tissue — were likely present in far greater numbers than the studies were able to capture.
Natural Gum Is Not the Answer Either — The Industry's Quiet Problem
When parents and health-conscious consumers started paying attention to what goes into synthetic chewing gum, the market responded predictably. Natural gum brands — using chicle, tree sap, or other plant-based polymers — began positioning themselves as the safe alternative. It is a persuasive argument: plant-based sounds inherently cleaner, more wholesome, less industrial.
The research does not support this distinction. Both the UCLA and Queen's University Belfast studies found that natural gums released microplastics and nanoplastics at comparable levels to their synthetic counterparts. The UCLA team specifically noted their surprise at this finding — they had hypothesised that synthetic gums, whose base is derived from petroleum-based polymers, would release significantly more plastic than plant-based versions. Instead, both types tested positive across the board.
The reason is not fully understood yet. One possibility is contamination occurring during the manufacturing process — machinery, packaging materials, and processing equipment can all introduce microplastics into a product at various stages of production. Another factor is the additives, flavourings, sweeteners and stabilisers blended into the gum base, many of which may carry their own plastic-derived components. Several widely used gum ingredients have also drawn separate health concerns: titanium dioxide, used for whitening, has been linked to cellular damage in the gut; propyl gallate, used as a preservative, has been associated with hormone disruption; and synthetic food dyes found in many coloured gum varieties have raised concerns from public health researchers. The label that says "natural" tells you something about the origin of the base polymer. It tells you very little about everything else in the product.
Why Children Face a Deeper Risk
Adults who chew gum are making an informed choice about a known product. Children are not. And the research emerging on microplastics in developing bodies makes uncomfortable reading for any parent.
Children are more vulnerable to microplastic exposure than adults for a cluster of connected reasons. Their organs are still developing — particularly the liver, kidneys, reproductive system, immune system and brain — meaning that disruptions occurring during childhood can have consequences that extend far into adult life. Stanford Medicine researchers studying microplastics in children have found these particles embedded not just on the surface of tonsil tissue removed from children, but deep within it. In one child's tonsils, visible flecks of Teflon were found under microscope.
Children also ingest and inhale considerably more microplastics per unit of body weight than adults. Research on daily microplastic exposure among children in India found estimated levels reaching 7,375 particles per kilogram of body weight per day — a figure considerably higher than comparable adult estimates. Young children under six are particularly at risk. They inhale up to three times more microplastics than adults relative to body size, engage in frequent hand-to-mouth behaviour, and spend time crawling on floors where microplastic fibres accumulate in dust. When you add a regular gum-chewing habit to this already elevated baseline of exposure, the additional burden is not trivial.
The potential health consequences being studied in children include disruption of the developing endocrine system and hormonal function, inflammation of the digestive tract and liver, impacts on the respiratory system including increased vulnerability to asthma and respiratory infections, and possible effects on neurodevelopment. Animal studies have shown that nano-sized plastic particles can cross the blood-brain barrier — a finding that has elevated concern considerably among paediatric researchers. The Lancet Child and Adolescent Health has described plastics as presenting an urgent threat to children's health, noting that the evidence of harm to multiple organ systems and to hormonal function is robust and growing.
None of this means that a child who occasionally chews a piece of gum is in immediate danger. The honest answer from the research community is that the long-term effects of accumulated microplastic exposure remain incompletely understood. But the weight of evidence is moving in one direction, and the precautionary argument for limiting unnecessary additional exposure — particularly for children — is growing stronger with each new study.
What Can Families Do
The first step is awareness, which is exactly why Ranjodh Singh brought these findings to the community on Radio Haanji 1674 AM. Armed with accurate information, families can make more considered choices.
The UCLA researchers offered one practical note: if someone does chew gum, they should chew a single piece for longer rather than cycling through multiple pieces. Their data showed that 94 per cent of the microplastics detectable in a piece of gum are released within the first eight minutes of chewing. Chewing a second piece begins the release cycle again from zero. Fewer pieces means less exposure. Choosing not to give gum to young children — particularly those under ten, whose oral habits and body weight make them more vulnerable — is a reasonable precaution that several health researchers have advocated.
Beyond gum, the broader picture on microplastics suggests it is worth examining the full range of plastic-heavy daily habits: bottled water over tap water where tap is safe, glass or stainless steel food containers over plastic, and minimal use of plastic packaging when heating food. These are not radical changes. They are the kinds of small, practical adjustments that add up over time — and that the Punjabi and Indian community in Australia, deeply attentive to family health and wellbeing, is well-placed to consider seriously.
About Radio Haanji 1674 AM — Melbourne's Home of Indian Community Radio
Radio Haanji 1674 AM is Melbourne's premier Indian and Punjabi community radio station, broadcasting 24 hours a day to listeners across Victoria and streaming live worldwide at haanji.com.au. Hosted by Ranjodh Singh and a rotating team of trusted voices, the station's podcast content spans health, current affairs, culture, music and community programming — all delivered in Punjabi and Hindi for the Indian diaspora in Australia.
Episodes like this one — bringing the latest scientific research directly to the community in an accessible, caring and informative format — are what make Radio Haanji one of the best Punjabi podcasts in Australia for families who want to stay informed and stay healthy.
Listen to Radio Haanji — Free, Anytime, on Any Device
You can catch this episode and every Radio Haanji podcast completely free on all major platforms.
Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5fhykpM6TPzerC2Yr2J1eQ
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Download the Radio Haanji App on Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=callstem.radio.haanji&hl=en_IN
Radio Haanji 1674 AM | Punjabi Podcast | Broadcasting from Melbourne, AustraliaListen free at haanji.com.au | Available on Spotify & Apple PodcastsServing the Punjabi community across Melbourne · Sydney · Brisbane · Australia · Worldwide

Today Updates — Monday, 2 March 2026 | World, Australia and India News on Radio Haanji 1674 AM
Monday morning brings some of the most consequential news the world has seen in years, and host Gautam Kapil is on Radio Haanji 1674 AM to walk the Indian and Punjabi community through every major development — from a catastrophic plane crash in South America to a full-scale military conflict reshaping the Middle East. This is your daily Punjabi news podcast, and today's edition is one you will want to share with your family.
World Updates
A Bolivian Air Force cargo plane carrying 18 tonnes of freshly printed banknotes crashed onto a busy highway near the capital city of La Paz on Friday, killing at least 22 people and injuring nearly 40 more. The military C-130 Hercules aircraft veered off the runway at El Alto International Airport during severe weather, including heavy hailstorm and lightning, and ploughed into vehicles travelling on a major road below. Dozens of cars were destroyed and rescue teams worked through the night to recover victims. In the immediate aftermath, hundreds of people rushed to the crash site to collect the scattered bills that had spilled across the road. Bolivian authorities deployed more than 500 soldiers and 100 police officers to disperse the crowds, and ultimately set the cash alight in a bonfire — declaring the notes legally worthless as they had never officially entered circulation.
The world is waking up to a dramatically changed Middle East this morning. The United States and Israel launched a large-scale coordinated military operation, officially named Operation Epic Fury, on Saturday, targeting Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps facilities, missile sites and nuclear infrastructure across 24 of Iran's 31 provinces. Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed in the strikes — a seismic development that has sent shockwaves through global capitals. Iran responded swiftly and aggressively, launching waves of ballistic missiles and drones targeting US military bases across the region, including the US Navy Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain, US installations in Qatar, Kuwait and the UAE, as well as Israeli territory. The IRGC claimed strikes on 27 US military bases. US Central Command confirmed three American service members were killed and five seriously wounded. Global oil prices surged more than eight per cent almost immediately, raising fears of a wider economic shock. The conflict remains active, with major combat operations continuing as of this morning.
Iran's military escalation extended to a direct challenge to global oil shipping. The IRGC targeted commercial tankers near the Strait of Hormuz — the narrow waterway through which approximately 20 per cent of the world's daily oil supply passes. The US military responded by sinking nine Iranian naval vessels. With the Strait now under threat, energy markets are in turmoil and economists are warning of sustained price rises across the world.
What the Middle East Crisis Means for Australians
The escalating conflict in the Middle East is already having direct consequences for people in Australia. Motorists are being urged by experts to fill their tanks now, as analysts predict Australian petrol prices could rise by as much as 40 cents per litre if global crude prices continue climbing toward the $100 per barrel mark. Long queues were already forming at petrol stations across Melbourne and other cities on Sunday evening, with reports of lines stretching over a kilometre in some locations. AMP Chief Economist Shane Oliver noted that every $10 increase in the global oil price typically adds around 10 cents per litre at the pump for Australian drivers. While Australia does not source oil directly from Iran, domestic fuel prices track international benchmarks, meaning global disruptions flow directly into what families pay at the bowser.
The crisis is also stranding Australians across the region. Foreign Minister Penny Wong confirmed that approximately 115,000 Australians are currently in the Middle East, with major airlines including Etihad, Emirates and Qatar Airways cancelling or suspending services and multiple countries closing their airspace. The Australian government is working to assist those stranded, though the minister acknowledged the significant difficulties in providing consular support when flight options and airspace access remain so severely restricted. On a lighter note for Australians, Delta Goodrem has been officially confirmed as Australia's representative at the 70th Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna in May, performing her new single Eclipse — a moment of cultural celebration amid a turbulent news week.
India's Diplomatic Response to the Crisis
Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a late-night emergency meeting of India's Cabinet Committee on Security on Sunday, attended by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval. The central focus of the meeting was the safety of Indian nationals across the Middle East, the disruption of air travel, and India's diplomatic positioning as the conflict unfolds.
In a carefully worded response, India's Ministry of External Affairs called on all parties to exercise restraint and pursue dialogue and diplomacy, stopping short of any direct condemnation of either side. PM Modi spoke with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, strongly condemning the Iranian strikes on UAE territory and expressing solidarity with the country. Modi also spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, conveying India's concerns over the regional situation and urging an early cessation of hostilities with civilian safety as a priority. India has not issued any formal statement specifically on the killing of Iran's Supreme Leader. The diplomatic balancing act comes days after Modi's state visit to Israel on February 25 and 26, a visit that drew significant domestic political attention once the strikes began two days after his return.
In sport, India gave its cricket fans something to cheer about on a fraught Sunday. Sanju Samson delivered a stunning unbeaten 97 off 50 balls as India chased down 196 to beat West Indies by five wickets at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, in the T20 World Cup 2026 Super 8 stage. The win confirmed India's place in the semi-finals, where they will face England at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium on March 5. The final is set for March 8 in Ahmedabad.
Why Today Updates on Radio Haanji Is Your Essential Daily Listen
On days like today — when the world is moving faster than any single news feed can capture — there is genuine value in having a trusted voice break it all down in your own language, with your community in mind. Today Updates on Radio Haanji 1674 AM does exactly that, five days a week with host Gautam Kapil, covering the stories from across the world, Australia and India that matter most to the Punjabi and Indian community here in Australia.
As Melbourne's home of Indian community radio and one of Australia's most listened-to Punjabi podcasts, Radio Haanji brings you facts without the noise. Whether it is geopolitical crisis, local news that affects your household budget or cricket from back home, Today Updates gives you the full picture every single weekday morning.
You can also catch every episode as a free Punjabi podcast online, making it easy to stay connected no matter where you are in Australia or around the world.
Listen to Today Updates — Free, Anytime, Anywhere
Never miss an episode of Today Updates. Radio Haanji 1674 AM makes it easy to listen live or on demand across all your favourite platforms.
Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5fhykpM6TPzerC2Yr2J1eQ
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Tune in tomorrow morning for the latest world, Australia and India updates with Gautam Kapil on Radio Haanji 1674 AM — haanji.com.au.
 
Radio Haanji 1674 AM | Punjabi Podcast | Broadcasting from Melbourne, AustraliaListen free at haanji.com.au | Available on Spotify & Apple PodcastsServing the Punjabi community across Melbourne · Sydney · Brisbane · Australia · Worldwide
 
 

Laughter Therapy — Australia's Favourite Punjabi Comedy Podcast for Kids on Radio Haanji 1674 AM
Every weekday morning, something magical happens across Melbourne and beyond. Children pick up the phone, dial into Radio Haanji 1674 AM, and fill the airwaves with the purest sound in the world — laughter. Welcome to Laughter Therapy, the most heartwarming Punjabi comedy podcast in Australia, and your family's perfect way to start the day.
What Is Laughter Therapy?
Laughter Therapy is a live weekday morning show broadcast Monday to Friday on Radio Haanji 1674 AM, Melbourne's home of Indian radio and the best Punjabi radio station in Australia. The show is built on one simple, beautiful belief: a day that starts with laughter is a day worth living.
Hosted by Ranjodh Singh and Yash (hosts may rotate on occasion), Laughter Therapy brings together the Punjabi community in Australia for two parts of pure morning joy.
Part 1 — The Kids' Segment: Young listeners call into the studio live and share their world with everyone tuned in. Think hilarious chutkule (jokes), playful bolian (Punjabi folk sayings), brain-tickling bujaratan (riddles), sweet little stories, and the kind of innocent, unscripted chatter that only a child can deliver. It is joyful, wholesome, and completely unpredictable — which is exactly what makes it magical.
Part 2 — The Family and Adult Segment: The spirit continues as adult listeners join the show, keeping the same theme of warmth, humour, and togetherness. The laughter never stops — it simply grows.
Why Laughter Therapy Is the Best Punjabi Podcast in Australia
There is no shortage of content online, but there is a profound shortage of content that feels like home. Laughter Therapy fills that gap in a way that no other Australian Punjabi podcast does.
It is community-powered. The stars of the show are not celebrities — they are your children, your neighbours, your community. Every caller brings a piece of Punjabi culture alive, in real time, every single morning.
It is multigenerational. From the youngest children sharing their first riddle on radio, to grandparents laughing along at the breakfast table — Laughter Therapy speaks to every age. This is truly a Punjabi kids show in Australia that the whole family enjoys together.
It is culturally rooted. Chutkule, bolian, and bujaratan are not just words — they are the living soul of Punjabi culture. In a world where immigrant families work hard to pass their culture to the next generation, Laughter Therapy does it effortlessly, joyfully, and daily.
It is free, live, and accessible anywhere. Whether you are in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, or halfway around the world, you can tune in to this free Punjabi podcast online through Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or the Radio Haanji app.
The Show That Starts Your Day Right
Think about your morning routine. School lunches. Rushed breakfasts. The school run. Now imagine adding five minutes of your child's laughter — not from a screen, but from a radio, in your language, with your community.
That is the Laughter Therapy promise.
As the flagship morning comedy show on Indian radio in Melbourne, Laughter Therapy has become a daily ritual for thousands of Punjabi families across Australia. Parents report that their children look forward to calling in, rehearsing their jokes the night before, and beaming with pride when they hear their voice on air.
This is more than a podcast. It is a confidence builder, a cultural connector, and a daily dose of pure happiness.
About Radio Haanji 1674 AM — Australia's No. 1 Punjabi Radio Station
Radio Haanji 1674 AM is Melbourne's premier Indian community radio station — a 24/7 broadcast home for the Punjabi and broader Indian community across Australia. Broadcasting from Melbourne on 1674 AM, Radio Haanji reaches listeners across Victoria and streams live worldwide at haanji.com.au.
From news and music to celebrity interviews, health shows, and youth programming, Radio Haanji has been serving the community with heart and purpose. Laughter Therapy is one of its most beloved offerings — proof that the best radio is made not in studios alone, but by the community it serves.
As Melbourne's most trusted Punjabi radio broadcaster, Radio Haanji continues to grow its digital footprint through its podcast catalogue, making it the definitive home of the Punjabi radio podcast in Australia.
Listen to Laughter Therapy — Everywhere You Are
You should never have to miss a moment of laughter. Radio Haanji makes it easy to listen to Laughter Therapy anywhere, on any device.
Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5fhykpM6TPzerC2Yr2J1eQ
Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/radio-haanji-podcast/id1687047958
Download the Radio Haanji App on iPhone and iPad: https://apps.apple.com/in/app/radio-haanji/id1439919649
Download the Radio Haanji App on Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=callstem.radio.haanji&hl=en_IN
Frequently Asked Questions
When does Laughter Therapy air?
Laughter Therapy broadcasts live Monday to Friday every morning on Radio Haanji 1674 AM Melbourne. Episodes are also available on demand via Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Who hosts Laughter Therapy?
The show is hosted by Ranjodh Singh and Yash, though hosts may vary on selected days.
Can my child call in and participate?
Absolutely. That is the heart of the show. Children are warmly encouraged to call Radio Haanji and share their chutkule, bolian, bujaratan, or anything that makes them smile.
Is it available outside Melbourne?
Yes. Stream it live on haanji.com.au or listen to episodes anytime on Spotify and Apple Podcasts — from anywhere in Australia or around the world.
Is it free to listen?
100% free. No subscription. No paywall. Just pure Punjabi laughter, every morning.
Is it suitable for all ages?
Yes. Laughter Therapy is designed for the entire family — clean, wholesome, and joyful for children and adults alike.
Join the Laughter Therapy Family
The Punjabi community in Australia is vibrant, warm, and growing. And yet, mornings can feel isolated — especially for families still building their lives in a new country. Laughter Therapy is a reminder that your community is always close, always listening, and always ready to laugh with you.
Tune in. Call in. And let the morning begin the right way — with a smile, a chutkula, and the sound of a child's laughter echoing across Australia's airwaves.
Radio Haanji 1674 AM — haanji.com.au Laughter Therapy — Monday to Friday, Every Morning
Radio Haanji 1674 AM | Punjabi Podcast | Broadcasting from Melbourne, AustraliaListen free at haanji.com.au | Available on Spotify & Apple PodcastsServing the Punjabi community across Melbourne · Sydney · Brisbane · Australia · Worldwide

Indian Updates — 2 March 2026 | India's Diplomatic Crisis, Khamenei's Killing and the Ajit Pawar Probe — Analysis on Radio Haanji 1674 AM
India woke up on Sunday to one of the most consequential moments in its post-independence diplomatic history — and today on Indian Updates, respected India-based journalist Preetam Singh Rupal takes the Punjabi and Indian community through what it all means. Broadcasting every weekday on Radio Haanji 1674 AM, Indian Updates is the programme that goes beyond the headlines, asking the harder questions that news bulletins rarely have time for.
The Weight of Silence — Modi Government's Non-Response to Khamenei's Assassination
There are moments in a nation's history when silence itself becomes a statement of foreign policy. The killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in joint US-Israel military strikes on Saturday is one of those moments — and India's studied silence in its aftermath has become as politically significant as anything the government might have actually said.
What makes this silence particularly difficult to defend is the context surrounding it. Prime Minister Narendra Modi completed a two-day state visit to Israel on February 25 and 26, during which he addressed the Knesset and described India and Israel as "Fatherland" and "Motherland" respectively. Just two days after Modi's departure from Tel Aviv, Operation Epic Fury began. That timing — so precise, so impossible to ignore — has handed the opposition a narrative that the government is finding it extraordinarily difficult to counter.
India has long maintained what it calls strategic autonomy — a tradition rooted in the Nehruvian foreign policy of non-alignment and calibrated independence from global power blocs. That tradition has allowed India to simultaneously court Israel, maintain working relations with Iran, and preserve deep economic ties across the Gulf. But strategic autonomy, by its very nature, requires the occasional willingness to publicly disagree with allies. When the US and Israel struck Iran — a country that has been a long-standing partner to India on Afghanistan, on the Chabahar Port project, and on the Kashmir question at the OIC — the government's failure to issue any condolence or public statement on Khamenei's death has drawn condemnation from across the political spectrum.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress leader Pawan Khera, CPI(M) general secretary MA Baby, and J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah are among the voices who have questioned the government's position. Khera described it as a betrayal of India's foreign policy values and a sign that the country has been reduced to silence on matters that directly affect its interests. Whether one agrees with that characterisation or not, the strategic stakes are real: India's investment in the Chabahar Port — a critical corridor bypassing Pakistan to access Afghanistan and Central Asia — now hangs in an uncertain regional climate. The question is not just moral. It is deeply practical.
A Nation Protests — From Kashmir to Karnataka, Grief Over Khamenei Spills Into the Streets
While New Delhi maintained its careful quiet, ordinary Indians did not. From Lal Chowk in Srinagar to Lucknow's Bara Imambara, from Bihar to Karnataka's Chikkaballapur district — where Khamenei himself once visited in 1986 — India's Shia Muslim community poured into the streets in one of the largest expressions of communal grief seen in years.
In Kashmir, where approximately fifteen lakh Shia Muslims live, protests erupted across Budgam, Bandipora, Anantnag, Pulwama and at Lal Chowk itself. J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah made an appeal for calm and confirmed his government was in coordination with the Ministry of External Affairs to ensure the safety of Kashmiri students currently in Iran. The Mirwaiz of Kashmir, Umar Farooq, described Khamenei's killing as brutal and said the people of Jammu and Kashmir collectively condemn the ongoing aggression against Iran.
In Uttar Pradesh's Lucknow, scores gathered near Bara Imambara with photographs of Khamenei. In Delhi, Jharkhand, Bihar and Telangana, similar scenes unfolded. Several Muslim organisations announced multi-day mourning periods, with protests also scheduled for Monday. In Ajmer, the Shia community declared a three-day mourning and suspended all public celebrations. In Karnataka, shops closed voluntarily in Alipura — the village Khamenei visited forty years ago still remembered his presence.
The scale and geographic spread of these protests tells its own story about how deeply the killing has resonated within India's Muslim communities. For the Modi government, these protests create a domestic political pressure that will be difficult to manage alongside its decision to maintain silence at the diplomatic level. It is a tension that Preetam Singh Rupal examines at length in today's episode — the gap between what is happening in India's streets and what is being communicated from India's foreign ministry.
India's Petrol Price Anxiety — The Gulf Crisis Hits the Indian Household
Every geopolitical crisis eventually finds its way to the kitchen table — and the Iran-US war is no exception for Indian families. With global crude oil prices having surged sharply following Operation Epic Fury, and with the Strait of Hormuz — through which roughly a fifth of the world's daily oil supply flows — now under active military threat, economists are warning that Indian petrol and diesel prices could rise significantly in the weeks ahead.
India imports approximately 85 per cent of its crude oil requirements. While India does not import heavily from Iran specifically, it is deeply exposed to global benchmark price movements. Every ten dollar increase in international crude prices translates to a meaningful increase in domestic fuel costs — and with analysts now talking about crude prices potentially approaching and exceeding $100 per barrel, the pressure on Indian households could be substantial. For the Indian diaspora in Australia watching events in both countries simultaneously, this is a moment of double concern: petrol prices here and at home are both in motion, driven by the same conflict.
The government's immediate challenge is twofold. It must manage the economic fallout while simultaneously navigating the diplomatic damage of its silence. Whether it chooses to speak before markets force its hand, or continues its current approach in the hope that the conflict resolves quickly, remains to be seen. Either way, the ordinary Indian family will bear the cost long before any diplomatic statement is issued.
The Ajit Pawar Crash — Jay Pawar Demands Truth as AAIB Report Falls Short
One month after one of the most shocking political tragedies in Maharashtra's recent history, the family of the late Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar is demanding answers that the government's own investigation bureau appears unable to provide — at least not yet.
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau released its preliminary report on Saturday into the January 28 crash at Baramati Airport, in which Pawar, two pilots, a security officer and a flight attendant were killed when their Learjet 45XR came down short of the runway in low visibility and poor conditions. The report confirms what many had feared: the airport was an uncontrolled airfield operating without an Instrument Landing System, without certified meteorological facilities, without a fire unit on standby, and with runway markings that had not been re-carpeted since March 2016. Visibility at the time of landing was reported at three kilometres — well below the five-kilometre minimum required for Visual Flight Rules operations. The cockpit voice recorder captured the words "Oh Sh**t" from the crew in the moments before impact.
Jay Pawar, the son of the late Ajit Pawar, responded to the report on Instagram with barely concealed frustration. He stated that reading the preliminary report caused him deep regret and pain, and that the people of Maharashtra and the families of all five victims deserve not merely formal information but truth, transparency and comprehensive answers. He also raised questions about the Directorate General of Civil Aviation's oversight of VSR Ventures, the charter operator, warning that the problems identified may affect more than just the aircraft involved in this crash.
The AAIB has been clear that the preliminary report assigns no blame and that its purpose is accident prevention. The investigation continues, with flight data and cockpit voice recordings still being analysed with assistance from Honeywell and the United States' NTSB. But for Jay Pawar and for the public watching this case, the preliminary findings have raised more questions than they have answered. How does a VIP government flight end up on an uncontrolled airfield without the infrastructure to safely handle it? Who cleared that airfield for operations on a foggy morning? And is anyone in the civil aviation ecosystem going to be held accountable?
Why Indian Updates on Radio Haanji Is Essential Listening for the Indian Diaspora
For Indians living in Australia, staying connected to what is unfolding back home is both a deeply personal priority and an increasingly complex challenge. The news cycle is relentless. Multiple narratives compete for attention. And it is not always easy to know who is providing context and who is simply generating noise.
Indian Updates on Radio Haanji 1674 AM exists precisely to resolve that problem. As Melbourne's most trusted Indian community radio station and one of Australia's best Punjabi podcasts, Radio Haanji brings in voices from India's journalism community — people who have spent decades covering politics, diplomacy, courts and communities — to give the diaspora a perspective that is grounded, informed and genuinely analytical. This is the Indian current affairs podcast for NRIs who want to understand what is happening, not just be told that it happened.
For the tens of thousands of Punjabi and Indian families who have built their lives in Australia without losing their roots in India, Indian Updates is a daily anchor. Listen free, every weekday morning, and stay connected to the country you came from with the depth and clarity it deserves.
Listen to Indian Updates — Free, Every Weekday on Radio Haanji
Catch every episode of Indian Updates on your preferred platform. Radio Haanji 1674 AM makes it easy to listen live or on demand, wherever you are in Australia or around the world.
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Join Preetam Singh Rupal and the Indian Updates team again tomorrow morning on Radio Haanji 1674 AM — haanji.com.au — for the next edition of India's most trusted daily analysis for the diaspora.
 
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Tune in to Yash and Vishal Da Show on Radio Haanji, Australia’s number one Indian radio station, for an uplifting and vibrant podcast experience! Hosted by the dynamic duo, Vishal Vijay Singh and Yash, this show brings you handpicked music to brighten your day, paired with the latest updates on what’s happening across Australia, with a special spotlight on Melbourne’s vibrant scene. From festivals and cultural celebrations to local events and community stories, Yash and Vishal keep you informed, entertained, and inspired. Join them on Radio Haanji for a perfect blend of music, culture, and connection that celebrates the heart of Australia’s diverse communities.