NEW RADIO SHOW DISCUSSES ALL THINGS RELATED TO LOVE
by MITA MISTRY
NETFLIX series Indian Matchmaking isn’t the only new dating show in town.
Newly launched radio show Up Your Game sees Meera and Jaya team up to discuss all things associated with finding love. The show that is available globally on Rukus Avenue radio gives dating tips, tackles taboos and has important discussions associated with love, romance and finding a partner.
The bubbly British duo aim to use their platform to empower women to live their best lives and open up a communication channel between the sexes. Both are hopeful everyone will connect with the show, including older listeners.
Eastern Eye caught up with Meera and Jaya for a free-flowing conversation about their new show, romance, nightmare dates, finding love in lockdown and how to up your game.
Tell us about your show Up Your Game?
Jaya: Our show is about all things related to love and dating. We have different guests every week that discuss their journeys. We also have our Ask The Auntie G section, which is our desi take on an agony aunt. We have fun on our show, but also discuss important topics the Asian community need to face like interracial marriage, gay rights and colourism. We hope to create a platform for our community, where we have open and honest discussions that help elevate us all.
Tell us about other subjects you cover?
Meera: We touch upon relevant and relatable topics such as dating in lockdown, speaking to celebrity guests about having a relationship in the public eye, to name a few. While the show is about dating, we also look at other aspects like not being in a rush to get into a relationship or feeling pressured to get married. We will hopefully create positive change by talking about important issues.
What is the secret of upping your game?
Jaya: Being open minded and wanting to grow. Meera: Self-love! If you love yourself and know your worth, things start to change for the better.
Do you both use any personal experiences as a guide for the show?
Jaya: Of course! I am a wise old auntie and Meera is a hopeless romantic in search for love, so we deffo have a lot of stories to share.
What according to you is a common mistake people make during dating?
Meera: We have our own preconceived ideas, meaning we reflect how we want someone to be onto them. We have to start taking people for how they are, not how we want them to be.
What top dating tips would you give?
Meera: Stop playing games. Say how you feel, don’t think for the other person, be yourself and communicate. Let’s uncomplicate dating.
Jaya: Know you are the sh*t and dating you is a privilege. Confidence and self-love is everything.
Have you had nightmare dates?
Jaya: How much time do you have? My worst date lasted about three seconds. I got my friend to drop me off after a studio session. My date showed up with a creased white t-shirt with food stains and some Sports Direct shorts. Like make some effort man! Oh, and he smelled weird. I immediately texted my friend and asked him to pretend there was an emergency so I could leave.
Meera: Yes! I went on a date in LA last year – the guy turned up with a bottle of milk, wearing a stained t-shirt and sweatpants, and didn’t have his shoes fully on. It was downhill from there.
How do you escape a nightmare date?
Meera: Just be honest, say the date isn’t going well and leave.
What do you think of the latest Netflix series Indian Matchmaking?
Meera: While I don’t agree with the comments made in relation to colourism, how a woman should be the one to change, etc., it’s showing what happens. If anything, it should spark conversations within the community and hopefully, change the mentality. Otherwise, there were some relatable positives, such as a grandmother telling her grandkids not to rush into marriage. It also shows women as modern and driven, who happen to be looking for a partner via a matchmaker, and why not! I also liked that aunty Sima matched an older woman with a younger man, which we don’t always see. It shows the good and bad. It is reality TV and kept me entertained.
Jaya: It is absolutely hilarious. I watched the entire series in a day. Sima is so entertaining and I love that they have so many different characters on the show. From the rich kid and picky/stubborn girl to the super independent feminist. I’m looking forward to season two.
How do you know you have met the right person?
Meera: I haven’t met him yet, but I feel like you get a positive vibe from the get-go. You have common interests/ goals and it’s someone you can build and grow with. They complement your life – you don’t need them, but you want them. You both add value to each other’s lives.
How can people find love during this lockdown?
Jaya: Dating apps are a great way to get to know people during lockdown. Our first episode saw us discuss this topic and interview Natasha Sandhu, who is the celebrity ambassador for the app Love at First Swipe, which has some really cool features. I would highly recommend you try it.
There are lot of options today from dating apps to social media and matchmaking, but what is the most effective?
Jaya: When it comes to love and finding someone, one rule doesn’t fit all. I always say that dating should be fun and one must enjoy the journey. It’s not about finding a husband. Stay open minded, try different things and see what works for you. If all else fails, DM us and the Auntie Gs will help you.
What are some of the taboo issues in dating we should confront?
Jaya: There are so many, but ones that hit home most for me is encouraging women to find out who they are rather than worry about who they should marry. Women in the Asian community are put under so much pressure when it comes to marriage. We are brought up with the message that ‘we must compromise’ in marriage and life. But men are not taught the same. This idea that our life goals should be about finding a man is ridiculous. I want to encourage women to live their life according to what they want, not their parents or society. I want to take away the stigma that women are cursed with, for being free spirited and confident.
Why should we tune into your radio show?
Meera: It’s a relatable take on dating and relationships from two females in their 30’s. We share funny, personal stories, along with some notable guests. We also have great advice segments and solve dilemmas sent by listeners. We want listeners to think of us as those aunties we all wished we bumped into at weddings, who tell you to live life on your own terms and pass no judgement. We’re giving a new meaning to the term auntie Ji.
Eli Lilly had announced a steep price rise of up to 170% for Mounjaro.
A new discount deal with UK suppliers will limit the increase for patients.
Pharmacies will still apply a mark-up, but consumer costs are expected to rise less than initially feared.
NHS pricing remains unaffected due to separate arrangements.
Eli Lilly has agreed a discounted supply deal for its weight-loss drug Mounjaro, easing fears of a sharp rise in costs for UK patients. The new arrangement means that, from September, pharmacies and private services will face smaller wholesale increases than first expected, limiting the impact on consumers.
Why the price rise was announced
Earlier this month, Eli Lilly said it would raise Mounjaro’s list price by as much as 170%, which could have pushed the highest monthly dose from £122 to £330. The company argued that UK pricing needed to align more closely with higher costs in Europe and the United States.
Discount deal for UK suppliers
The revised agreement will see the top-dose price set at £247.50 for suppliers. While pharmacies and private providers will still add their own margins, the increase for patients is now likely to remain under 50% for higher doses, and even lower for smaller doses.
Eli Lilly confirmed:
“We are working with private providers on commercial arrangements to maintain affordability and expect these to be passed onto patients when the change is effective on 1 September.”
Impact on consumers
Around 1.5 million people in the UK are currently on weight-loss drugs, with more than half using Mounjaro. Most of these patients—around 90%—pay privately through online services or high street pharmacies.
Prices vary between providers, depending on the level of lifestyle and dietary support offered alongside the injections.
Olivier Picard of the National Pharmacy Association said:
“This rebate will mitigate some of the impact of the increase, but patients should still anticipate seeing a rise in prices from 1 September.”
NHS pricing unchanged
The deal does not affect the NHS, which has secured its own heavily-discounted price for patients prescribed the weekly injection.
Mounjaro works by helping patients feel fuller for longer, reducing food intake and supporting weight loss of up to 20% of body weight.
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The Department of Health said the rollout would reduce missed days at nursery and school, cut time parents take off work, and save the NHS about £15 million a year. (Representational image: iStock)
CHILDREN in England will be offered a free chickenpox vaccine for the first time from January 2026, the government has announced.
GP practices will give eligible children a combined vaccine for measles, mumps, rubella and varicella (MMRV) as part of the routine childhood vaccination schedule. Around half a million children each year are expected to be protected.
The Department of Health said the rollout would reduce missed days at nursery and school, cut time parents take off work, and save the NHS about £15 million a year. Research estimates chickenpox in childhood leads to £24 million in lost income and productivity annually.
Minister of State for Care, Stephen Kinnock, said: “We’re giving parents the power to protect their children from chickenpox and its serious complications, while keeping them in nursery or the classroom where they belong and preventing parents from scrambling for childcare or having to miss work. This vaccine puts children’s health first and gives working families the support they deserve. As part of our Plan for Change, we want to give every child the best possible start in life, and this rollout will help to do exactly that.”
Dr Gayatri Amirthalingam, Deputy Director of Immunisation at the UK Health Security Agency, said: “Most parents probably consider chickenpox to be a common and mild illness, but for some babies, young children and even adults, chickenpox can be very serious, leading to hospital admission and tragically, while rare, it can be fatal. It is excellent news that from next January we will be introducing a vaccine to protect against chickenpox into the NHS routine childhood vaccination programme – helping prevent what is for most a nasty illness and for those who develop severe symptoms, it could be a life saver.”
Amanda Doyle, National Director for Primary Care and Community Services at NHS England, said: “This is a hugely positive moment for families as the NHS gets ready to roll out a vaccine to protect children against chickenpox for the first time, adding to the arsenal of other routine jabs that safeguard against serious illness.”
The eligibility criteria will be set out in clinical guidance, and parents will be contacted by their GP surgery if their child is eligible.
WHEN broadcaster and journalist Naga Munchetty began speaking openly about her experiences with adenomyosis and debilitating menstrual pain, the response was overwhelming.
Emails and messages poured in from women who had endured years of dismissal, silence and shame when it came to their health. That outpouring became the driving force behind her new book, It’s Probably Nothing, which calls for women to be heard and to advocate for themselves in a medical system that has too often ignored them.
“For so long, so many women haven’t been listened to by the world of medicine,” Munchetty said. “I knew this from my own experience of not being given adequate pain relief, or waiting years for a diagnosis. My motivation was to help women and people who love women to advocate better for women’s health.”
The book blends Munchetty’s personal journey with the voices of other women who have faced similar struggles, alongside expert insights from medical professionals. Its purpose, she said, is clear: to empower people to fight for their health.
“We need to be unafraid of saying how we have been weakened by our symptoms,” the BBC presenter said.
“Too often, we try to keep afloat, keep our head above water, but we don’t want to seem weak. That needs to change.”
Munchetty’s candour is striking. She describes the shame of being told her excruciating periods were “just normal,” leaving her to feel weak and whiny for struggling.
“You might as well have told me people have heart attacks while I’m having a heart attack,” she said. “Debilitating pain is serious — it may not be lifelimiting, but it is life-impacting.”
Her determination to challenge that culture led to her giving evidence in parliament, contributing to what became a Women and Equalities Committee report, published in December 2024.
The report made headlines for its stark conclusion: medical misogyny exists.
For Munchetty, seeing that phrase in black and white was transformative. “It was almost self-affirming,” she said. “We now know it’s there, so we can challenge it. Women can say: I know my body, I know there’s not enough research, and I am entitled to push for answers.”
The parliamentary report went further than acknowledgement. It called for ring-fenced funding for women’s health hubs, better training for GPs, and greater investment in research into reproductive conditions like adenomyosis and endometriosis.
It highlighted how symptoms are routinely dismissed as “normal,” delaying diagnosis and disrupting women’s careers, education and daily lives. Munchetty wrote in her book — referencing the report — that medical misogyny is not about blaming individual doctors, but about challenging a system built on insufficient research into women’s bodies.
“It gives women the language and the confidence to not just be heard, but to insist on being taken seriously,” she wrote.
Her book also tackles the additional barriers faced by women from minority communities, who may be discouraged by stigma or embarrassment from speaking about menstruation or menopause. To them, Munchetty has a clear message: “You are so much more valuable than you realise. If you don’t prioritise your health, you are lessening your ability to hold up everyone around you.”
Those featured in the book are friends, colleagues, charities and everyday women who contributed their stories, many for the first time. “I was surprised at how many friends are in that book with such powerful experiences,” Munchetty said.
“It told me all the more that we’re not speaking about it, and that it is sadly so very common.”
At a launch event for the book, contributors, family and experts filled the room with what Munchetty describes as an “electric and inspiring atmosphere.”
She said, “It was full of joy, of women who felt safe to speak up and be heard. This is not a whiny book — it’s a positive book. People felt they were part of making things better, part of this women’s health revolution.”
For Munchetty, writing the book was exhausting, but transformative, she said.
“I never thought I’d be an author. I’m a journalist. But this is journalism — facilitating people’s stories to be told powerfully and truthfully. People trusted me, and I’m proud of that.”
And Munchetty’s aim is for the book to be a tool for change: arming women with the language, confidence and strategies to advocate for their health.
“It’s not easy to admit you need help, and it’s not instinctive for women to prioritise themselves,” she said. “But this book will help you do that. It’s the silent friend who has your back and gives you strength.”
It’s Probably Nothing - Critical Conversations on the Women’s Health Crisis is now available in all good bookshops
The Shree Kunj Bihari Vrindavan (UK) Temple has officially launched its project to establish a grand home for Shree Banke Bihari in London.
The inaugural event, held in Harrow from 4 pm, featured devotional chants, the Deep Pragtya ceremony, and a presentation outlining the temple’s vision. Speaking at the gathering, Shalini Bhargava described the planned temple as “a spiritual home promoting bhakti, unity and seva for generations to come.”
Several dignitaries were honoured at the ceremony, including Cllr Anjana Patel, Mayor of Harrow; Anuradha Pandey, Hindi and Cultural Attaché at the High Commission of India; Kamakshi Jani of the Royal Navy; Councillors Janet Mote, Nitin Parikh and Mina Parmar; Krishnaben Pujara, Chairperson of ALL UK; and Truptiben Patel, President of the Hindu Forum of Britain.
Organisers said the launch marks the beginning of a new spiritual and cultural hub for London’s Hindu community, offering a centre for devotion, learning and community service.
Martin Dickie has announced his departure from BrewDog and the alcohol industry.
He co-founded the Ellon-based brewer with James Watt in 2007.
Dickie cited family time and personal reasons for his exit.
His departure follows recent bar closures as part of a company restructuring.
BrewDog confirmed no further leadership changes will follow.
BrewDog co-founder Martin Dickie has announced he is leaving the Scottish brewer and the wider alcohol industry for “personal reasons.” Dickie, who founded the Ellon-based business with James Watt in 2007, said he wanted to spend more time with his family after more than two decades in brewing and distilling.
Early beginnings
Dickie and Watt launched BrewDog at the age of 24, starting from a garage in Fraserburgh and selling hand-filled bottles from a van at local markets. The company grew rapidly to become one of the UK’s best-known craft brewers.
Leadership changes
James Watt stepped down as chief executive last year after 17 years in the role, moving into a non-executive position as “captain and co-founder.” Dickie’s exit marks another major shift in the company’s founding leadership.
Dickie’s statement
“Leaving BrewDog isn’t easy, but I’m ready to spend less time travelling and spend some more time at home with my young family,” Dickie said. He added: “It has been an honour to have worked with incredible, like-minded colleagues who live in a world of flavour and experimentation. In James Taylor and Lauren Carrol, BrewDog is in very strong hands and I will always remain a massive fan.”
Company response
BrewDog chief executive James Taylor praised Dickie’s contribution, highlighting his focus on product quality, workplace safety, sustainable supplier relationships, and new product development. “Martin’s contributions to BrewDog have been immeasurable,” Taylor said. “His creativity, passion, and relentless drive have shaped our company over the years and inspired countless others in the industry.”
Recent challenges
The announcement comes a month after BrewDog closed ten of its bars, including its flagship Aberdeen Gallowgate site and a Dundee outlet, citing commercial unviability. The company stressed that Dickie’s departure will not result in further leadership changes.