Avani Yaltho, winner of NPR’s 2025 Student Podcast Challenge for high school, is pictured with her recording equipment in her Houston bedroom.
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Opening with the evocative notes of a wooden flute, Avani Yaltho’s podcast The Things We Buried invites listeners on a reflective journey into her family’s heritage. The first words she shares set a nostalgic tone:
“My grandmother says mango trees used to belong to everyone.”
Her story transports audiences to the rural landscapes of Kerala, located at India’s southernmost point, where her grandparents were raised. Through her narrative, Avani examines the cultural and environmental transformations brought on by decades of rapid urban growth and global influences in India.
Among nearly 2,000 submissions, the judges selected The Things We Buried as the grand prize winner in the high school category of NPR’s Student Podcast Challenge, moved by its heartfelt storytelling.
“It beautifully captures the essence of what fades away with time,” remarked B.A. Parker, host of NPR’s Code Switch and a member of the judging panel. “Avani skillfully guides intimate family conversations while engaging the listener in a warm, inviting manner.”
Avani paints vivid images of vibrant communities where homes burst with color and doors stood open to neighbors and strangers alike. Children would eagerly gather beneath the town’s mango tree, waiting for the breeze to drop ripe fruit.
“There were no boundaries, no claims of ownership – just shared laughter, sticky hands, and the pure delight of togetherness,” she reflects in her podcast. “That was the spirit of Kerala.”
Her storytelling often reads like a richly illustrated novel, seamlessly blending interviews with family members to create a unified and compelling narrative.
“Nowadays, many villages are home only to elderly couples,” Avani’s grandfather, Jacob George, shares. “The youth have moved away. The children don’t want to stay in India.”
Her mother, Saira George, adds, “They leave seeking better education and job prospects abroad.”
Avani Yaltho (center) shares a moment with her grandparents, Jacob and Molly George, in their Houston backyard.
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Years ago, Avani’s grandparents were among those young people who left India in search of new opportunities. They eventually made their home in Texas, where they raised their daughter. Now, Avani is a senior at St. Agnes Academy in Houston, representing the second generation of her family born in the United States.
Reflecting on her upbringing, Avani notes how growing older has deepened her awareness of the contrasts between her childhood and that of her ancestors.
“It amazes me that I’ve never picked fruit straight from a garden,” she shared during an interview at her Houston home. “That experience is something I wish I could have had – to witness what life was like before.”
Although Avani has visited India once, the physical traces of her grandmother’s home and the beloved mango tree have mostly vanished, leaving behind only a few bricks and a tree stump. The farmland near her grandfather’s childhood village has been divided into residential plots.
When creating her podcast, Avani collaborated with a cousin in Kerala to capture authentic sounds of children playing outdoors. However, the recordings were often overshadowed by the noise of passing vehicles. Capturing the calls of the koel bird, a species native to the region, proved especially challenging.
“Finding the koel’s song was tough – no one seemed to hear it anymore,” she explained.
Despite these changes, a small piece of home has taken root in Houston. A curry leaf tree, planted years ago by her grandmother’s casual scattering of seeds, now flourishes beside their house. Avani imagines that perhaps a garden might grow there next.
Experience The Things We Buried by listening here.
