The new Arts & Culture column, “Artist Statement” features the artistic passions and preoccupations of the Smith community and beyond. In our first article, Isabelle D’Amico ’23 writes about Amrita Acharya ’22 and her podcast, “413 Ethnography.” Not only do you learn about the process of producing the podcast, but you also get a sense of Acharya’s infectious energy — how she comes to be so invested in the Northampton community she ardently documents.
Amrita Acharya ’22 describes her weekly radio show, “413 Ethnography,” as an “exploration of Western Mass niches.” Every Saturday afternoon, Acharya brings in a Pioneer Valley Local to interview. “413” was previously broadcasted over the 91.9FM WOZQ airwaves but is now a biweekly podcast posted on The Sophian website.
“I get to know the guests over a few months,” Acharya said. “This means following them to important places in their lives, meeting family and friends who are important and collecting experiences with them… The show isn’t an interview, but a culmination of a series of interviews woven into a live conversation.”
She interviews painters, musicians, skaters, gardeners, Department of Public Works workers and more. One guest didn’t wear shoes. One attends an Ivy League university. Another never uses phones. When I ask her about these locals, she talks about them casually but intimately, often with admiration. These people, now her friends, have names like Ruvie-aka-God’s-Wisdom. Small Paul. Beans. Bucket Hat Guy. Jesus. Chris. Bob. Jared. Tuna. Blanche. Elliotte.
Acharya seems to be attracted to the weird and eclectic. To find more guests, she asks people, “Who is the strangest person you know?” But she also simply meets people on the street, trying to scope out the locals.
These guests are anomalous. Fascinating. And, for some reason, they have all let this determined, intelligent and deeply curious Smithie into their lives.
Acharya writes about the formation of the broadcast, “Like in any method of storytelling there needs to be a consistent logic in the way you write your story.” Although no two episodes are ever the same, she formulates a narrative to present. First the guests are introduced and Acharya explains their meeting. Then they will discuss any/all aspects of who they are. She occasionally plays relevant music or lets them play their instruments.
The conversations flow as Acharya presses on about guests’ family, upbringing and connection to the Pioneer Valley. From spending time interviewing and researching each guest prior to the live show, she is able to ask more in-depth and personal questions. Some shy away from these direct questions with witty remarks. Others carefully and articulately wonder out loud. Both are equally entertaining.
What is perhaps more intriguing than “413”’s eclectic guests is Acharya herself. Born and raised in Manhattan, New York, Amrita sits on her house council and competes on Smith’s squash team. She attends city council twice a month (for fun) and is especially interested in Northampton’s Transportation and Parking Commission. She goes for runs, often to the airport. She’s trying to become the announcer for Smith’s home basketball games as she likes watching contact sports. She is funny, charismatic and her happiness is infectious. She throws parties with themes like “Flip Phone” (think 2000’s electronic waste land). She reads history books and biographies of architects.
Amrita seems to utilize everything and anything. I tell her I am an art major and she advises me to go to the town dumpster to find materials for my assignments. She then inspires me to use virtual reality in the imaging center for my final project.
She is thoughtful and empathetic. When reflecting on the perpetual motion of her life she said, “Sometimes you mistake being busy for being happy… When I do have a still moment, it becomes, like, ‘what do I do?’”
Although her upbringing in such a metropolitan environment may have led her to lead a busy life, I speculate that the anonymity of New Yorkers is what makes her interested in the distinctly unique inhabitants of Western Mass. Furthermore, I think her astute ability to observe how humans interact within and connect to the areas they inhabit is what makes the show so interesting. The connections between space and people, loosely construed, define “413.”
“I’m interested in the relationship my guests have with Western Mass, ecologically, musically, architecturally…” She sees the 413 community as an interconnected and overlapping web of communities. “It has become part of my social life.”
Listening to each broadcast, I am amazed at how easily they flow. Amrita navigates and meanders 120 minute conversations, often with laughter from both her and the guest. She tells me, “We get caught up in conversation.” Acharya always invites the guest post-show to dinner with her and her friends.
Both Amrita and her show are special. They offer a personal insight into the life of a local, but also into the mind of a Smithie. After spending time with Amrita and listening to 413, I began to consider the relationship between space and people.
What does it mean to be going to school in this specific place on earth? What does it mean to navigate campus, classes, dorms, dining halls, downtowns and more? How and where am I spending my time? What does it mean to be apart of this larger Western Mass community? This country? This world?
Amrita has done a wonderful job expressing and sharing her admiration of this place and people we all experience. Simply put, I highly recommend listening to “413 Ethnography” and to the host herself, Amrita Acharya.
To find older 413 episodes, search through the showreels on http://mixlr.com/wozq919fm/. For upcoming broadcasts or recent shows, check the Sophian website, https://thesophian.com, and Instagram, @thesophian.
