The Swaddle

Dr. Priyanka Basu, performance studies scholar, is in conversation with Anahita Sachdev, producer at The Swaddle, on 19th century farcical literature, Bengali oral traditions and art as a form of protest.

Dr. Swati Moitra, cultural studies scholar, is in conversation with Anahita Sachdev, producer at The Swaddle, on reading cultures, women's travel in the 19th century and the potential of femslash fanfiction.

Dr. Manisha Pathak-Shelat, communication studies scholar, is in conversation with Shrishti Malhotra, producer at The Swaddle, on social media use among India's adolescents and what it means to be media literate in today's digital environment. At c. 5.30, Dr. Swati is referring to Gaganendranath Tagore's work.

Dr. Inderpal Grewal, gender and sexuality studies scholar, is in conversation with Anahita Sachdev, producer at The Swaddle, on the first modern Indian travelogues, Pandita Ramabai's advocacy for Indian widows, and media portrayals of honour killing.

Dr. Harleen Singh, literature and gender studies scholar, is in conversation with Shrishti Malhotra, producer at The Swaddle, on understanding the different perspectives through which the story of the Rani of Jhansi have been told.

Dr. V.S. Elizabeth, legal historian, is in conversation with Shrishti Malhotra, producer at The Swaddle, on the problems with how Indian criminal law frames sexual violence, judges' perceptions of domestic violence, and what feminist jurisprudence entails.

Dr. Urvashi Aneja, founding director at Tandem Research, is in conversation with Shrishti Malhotra, producer at The Swaddle, on how Big Tech shapes public discourse in India, the power asymmetry between Big Tech creators and consumers, and why AI isn't a magic bullet that will address all our problems.

Dr. Chaitanya Lakkimsetti, sociologist, is in conversation with Shrishti Malhotra, producer at The Swaddle, on how the AIDS epidemic changed the Indian state's relationship with sex workers, and the problems with the moral panic around bar dancing in Maharashtra.

Dr. Mytheli Sreenivas, historian and gender studies scholar, is in conversation with Shrishti Malhotra, producer at The Swaddle, on women writing about the need for desire in marriage in Tamil magazines, the complicated impact of modern property laws, and the Dravidian nationalist vision for casteless marriage in colonial South India.

Dr. Pavithra Suryanarayan, political scientist, is in conversation with Shrishti Malhotra, producer at The Swaddle, on understanding how Brahmin elite 'hollowed out' state capacity in colonial India, and why Indians vote to protect status interests.

Anja Kovacs, Director of the Internet Democracy Project, is in conversation with Shrishti Malhotra, producer at The Swaddle, on using the feminist idea of consent to prevent data misuse, how anonymity can empower women online, and why we need to reimagine how data governance works.

Dr. Rajni Palriwala, sociologist, is in conversation with Shrishti Malhotra, producer, on understanding the relationship between migration and marriage, and why middle class Indians hesitate to outsource childcare.

Dr. Shakuntala Banaji, media studies scholar, is in conversation with Shrishti Malhotra, producer at The Swaddle, on understanding fake news as propaganda, and probing the role of social media in political community formation.

As filmmakers challenge highly controversial amendments to the Cinematograph Act, The Swaddle team discusses the history of the censor board in India, and whether we really need it.

Dr. Usha Raman, Communication Studies researcher and professor, is in conversation with Shrishti Malhotra, producer at The Swaddle, on cyberfeminism, algorithm biases, and reimagining the internet.

This week, we discuss how rom coms depict dream jobs, “I don't dream of labour” memes, and the downfall of girlboss culture.

As Indians come down on Nikhil Kamath for beating Vishwanathan Anand at chess with the help of a computer, The Swaddle team dissects what we think of cheating, and whether cutting corners can ever be a good thing.

Dr. Amrita Nandy, independent researcher and writer, is in conversation with Shrishti Malhotra, producer at The Swaddle, on the romanticisation of maternal sacrifice, perceptions of voluntary non-mothers, and the imposition of caregiving on women.

This week we discuss birth strikers, climate change, and the ethics of having more children. 'Respectfully Disagree' is The Swaddle Team's weekly podcast series, in which we get together to discuss and dissect the issues we passionately differ on.

As class 12 board exams get cancelled around the country, we discuss Math test nightmares, the pressures attached to exam scores, and whether there is a point to school exams at all.

Dr. Sapna Desai, public health specialist at Population Council, is is conversation with Shrishti Malhotra, producer at The Swaddle, on why adolescent girls avoid seeking care for sexual health issues, the curious case of early hysterectomies in India, and how we need to do broaden our understanding of women's reproductive health.

This week, we discuss depictions of trauma in pop culture, the difference between adversity and trauma, and why we're quick to dismiss people's traumatic experiences.

Dr. Sharmila Rudrappa, sociologist, is in conversation with Shrishti Malhotra, producer at The Swaddle, on the problems with media portrayals of commercial surrogates, the emotional labour that surrogacy entails, and what it means for commercial surrogacy to be feminist.

Dr. Jessica Hinchy, historian at NTU, Singapore, is in conversation with Shrishti Malhotra, producer at The Swaddle, on the colonial "panic" surrounding the hijra community in the 19th century, the circumstances leading to their criminalisation, and the ways in which family became the focus of surveillance under the 1871 Criminal Tribes Act.

This week, we sat down with journalists Kalpana Sharma and Ragamalika Karthikeyan to discuss their experiences of reporting on sexual violence, and what sensitive and intersectional media coverage can look like.

Dr. Asha Nadkarni, literature and gender studies scholar, is in conversation with Shrishti Malhotra, producer at The Swaddle, on the history of eugenic feminism in India and how eugenic thinking underpins transnational surrogacy today.

This week, we unpack why people don't take a 'rebound' seriously, and the problems with how we label romantic relationships.

This week, we discuss our instinct to flee during a crisis, and whether there can be a responsible way to check out.

Dr. Ashwini Tambe, gender studies scholar, is in conversation with Shrishti Malhotra, producer at The Swaddle, on debates around girlhood, age of non-marital sexual consent, and state regulation of prostitution in colonial India.

This week, we discuss our need to apportion blame in a crisis, and whether it leads to true accountability.

Dr. Naisargi Dave, anthropologist, is in conversation with Shrishti Malhotra, producer at The Swaddle, on letter exchange as a form of community building for women loving women in the 1990s, the fraught relationship between the lesbian movement and the autonomous women's movement in India, and why legal rights do not constitute justice.

This week, we debate the dilemmas around celebrities amplifying social justice issues, and what it means to be an 'apolitical' influencer.

Dr. Ishita Pande, historian, is in conversation with Shrishti Malhotra, producer at The Swaddle, on Phulmoni Dasi and the problems with gender justice debates around child marriage in India.

Dr. Prathama Banerjee, historian and political theorist, is in conversation with Shrishti Malhotra, producer at The Swaddle, on the role that demography played in the rise of communal conflict, the masculinist nature of modern politics, and the problems with how we categorise 'tribes' in India.

This week, we discuss Prince Philip, Kobe Bryant, and Rishi Kapoor, and unpack the debates around when it's okay to speak ill of the dead.

This week, we discuss whether it's okay to have a ‘type,' and when having a type crosses into harmful stereotyping.

Dr. Amita Bhide, urban studies scholar, is in conversation with Shrishti Malhotra, producer at The Swaddle, on histories of informal settlements in India, and how the struggling for housing has become political.

Dr. Amina Yaqin, Reader in Urdu and Postcolonial Studies, is in conversation with Shrishti Malhotra, producer at The Swaddle, on understanding Islamophobia, and why the burka is viewed as a symbol of Islamic oppression.

This week, we discuss our love-hate relationship with pop culture from the '90s and early 2000s.

Dr. Mitra Sharafi, legal historian, is in conversation with Shrishti Malhotra, producer at The Swaddle, on why the anti-abortion law was poorly enforced in colonial India, and how forensics took shape at the time.

This week, we discuss ripped jeans, value education in schools, and how mainstream cinema portrays Indian cultural values.

This week, we discuss the moral panic over Bombay Begums, and whether children need to be protected from onscreen depictions of sex.

Dr. Sanjam Ahluwalia, historian at Northern Arizona University, is in conversation with Shrishti Malhotra, producer at The Swaddle, on how middle-class men led India's birth control advocacy in the 19th century, and why reproductive rights is such a fraught issue around the world.

As the world reels from the Meghan and Harry interview, we discuss the relevance of royalty in India, and how our obsession with dynasty impacts Indian society and culture.

Dr. Shampa Roy, literature scholar, is in conversation with Shrishti Malhotra, producer at The Swaddle, about why widows were villains in early Bangla detective novels, portrayals of women criminals in early daroga accounts, and descriptions of zenanas in British women's travel writings.

This week, we discuss conspicuous consumption at Indian weddings, shopping as aspiration, and whether anyone can truly be an ethical consumer.

Dr. Ayona Datta, Professor in Urban Geography in University College London, is in conversation with Shrishti Malhotra, producer at The Swaddle, on understanding infrastructural violence and what it means to make Indian cities safe for women.

This week, we dissect what makes us look down on reality TV and who stands to lose when we consume 'real' drama.

Dr. Maya Dodd, Culture Studies scholar, is in conversation with Shrishti Malhotra, producer at The Swaddle, on prisoners' narratives of the Indian emergency, the role the press played at the time, and how highly publicised deaths have impacted political community formation in India.

This week, we discuss gym culture, conflating thinness with fitness, and the class connotations of a 'fit' body.

Dr. Aarti Sethi, anthropologist at UC Berkeley, is in conversation with Shrishti Malhotra, producer at The Swaddle, on understanding debt, distress and social relations in agrarian societies in India.