The Times Of India Podcast

Author and security analyst Sudeep Chakravarti - a long-time observer of the Maoist rebellion - explains what the Indian state really needs to do to end Maoism completely. 

Even as the central government plans to conduct a caste census across the country, Karnataka has data on the socio-economic data of backward castes in the states for nearly a decade that it hasn't released fully. Political analyst and author Sugata Srinivasaraju explains the partial release of data and why the state may have inspired caste-based reservations in India in the past, it hasn't done very well with the current survey's data. 

Strategic affairs analyst Manoj Joshi decodes the ceasefire between India and Pakistan, how much both sides gained and lost with Operation Sindoor, the role the US played, China's role in the conflict and what it means for the future of ties between the two nations. 

Commodore (retd) C Uday Bhaskar, director of think-tank Society for Policy Studies, talks about the significance of Operation Sindoor, what will decide how high tensions go between India and Pakistan and which country will decide if Pakistan escalates things.

A conversation with Amitav Ghosh, after the release of his latest book Wild Fictions, in which he tells us about the turning point for him as a writer and more

Suhas Palshikar, co-director of electoral think-tank Lokniti and an eminent political scientist, explains what this Maharashtra electoral verdict means for the future of opposition parties and why the BJP would want to get rid of its allies in the state.

Eminent historian and author Ramchandra Guha talks about his latest book 'Speaking with Nature' about individuals who could be called India's first environmentalists, documenting noble failures, and whether environmentalists are destined to be ignored.  

First, Sanjay Kumar from Lokniti-CSDS talks with Alka Dhupkar about what a Lokniti-MIT SOG survey says about political parties' prospects in the upcoming election.  Then, co-director of Lokniti and eminent political scientist Suhas Palshikar explains why this election won't sort out the political chaos in the state. He also explains why this election will be a very high-stakes one for two leaders. 

The killing of former Maharashtra minister Baba Siddique has raised questions about the revival of gang violence in Mumbai. Rashmi Rajput, who writes on crime and investigating agencies for The Economic Times, explains the impact of the killing and how it changes things in a city that had gotten used to not hearing about extortion calls. 

Journalist Sukanya Shantha was recently thanked by the Supreme Court for her reporting on caste-based labour practices and caste-based segregation in many of India's prisons. She speaks with Alka Dhupkar and Arun George about how caste determines what you do in jails, why these practices still exist and the challenge with ending them.   

Political scientist Suhas Palshikar explains the issues with the Prime Minister turning up at the Chief Justice's residence for Ganeshotsav. He also explains the problem with judges and government employees talking about links with the RSS and what it means for the RSS to be making statements that seem to target the PM. 

Shakir Mir, who writes on Jammu and Kashmir for TOI+ and other publications, talks about why this year's assembly elections are so important in the region despite full statehood unlikely to be restored any time soon. He explains why there's so much enthusiasm for this election and which parties are expected to make an impact.

Patruni Chidananda Sastry talks to Labanya Maitra about the challenges of being a drag queen and parent and dealing with the hate that comes with publicly acknowledging one's unconventional choices.

Bina Paul - one of the founding members of the Women in Cinema Collective - talks about the fallout of the Justice Hema committee report on the Malayalam film industry. She explains why the report matters, why sexual harassment is rampant in the film industry and what needs to be done now to correct things.

Supreme Court lawyer Disha Wadekar explains the apex court's latest verdict that deals with the contentious subject of sub-quotas within reservations for scheduled castes and scheduled tribes. She also decodes the Supreme Court's handling of reservations over the decades and what's worrying about multiple judgements regarding reservations. 

Vijayendra Mohanty - better known as Vimoh online - talks about why influencers and content creators are seeking clarity over a proposed law that is reportedly set to limit who can say what on platforms like YouTube and social media.   

At least 100 people have died due to heatwaves in the country this year. Aditya Pillai, who researches extreme heat-related policies at Sustainable Futures Collaborative, explains why we need to prepare for worse heatwaves in the coming years, the challenges of making plans to deal with heat and what might be the best options before us. 

Political scientist and chief editor of Studies in Indian Politics, Suhas Palshikar, had explained his and Yogendra Yadav's campaign to have their names removed from re-edited NCERT textbooks. He also explains his concerns with how the textbooks were edited and why parents should also read their kids' textbooks.

Dr Arun Gupta from Nutrition Advocacy in Public Interest explains how we need to regulate our packaged food better so that we're not just eating sugar .

At least nine people were killed when terrorists attacked a bus filled with pilgrims in Jammu's Raesi district. Shakir Mir - who writes on Jammu and Kashmir - explains the spike in terror attacks in Jammu and what security officials are saying about what they might indicate.

Patricia Mukhim, Editor of The Shillong Times, explains why it will be an uphill task to achieve peace in Manipur, a year after clashes broke out in the state. 

Political scientist Suhas Palshikar talks about the role the allies could play in the functioning of the new government, how Narendra Modi could deal with unfamiliar coalition politics and the impact on upcoming state polls. 

Senior Fellow at Centre for Policy Research and political scientist Neelanjan Sircar explains why BJP lost what it thought were its strongholds and whether the INDIA coalition had a chance at forming the government.  

TOI Plus political columnist and author Sugata Srinivasaraju decodes the 2024 poll verdict, Rahul Gandhi's success and the BJP's limited success in southern states despite a concerted push. 

Great-grandson of MK Gandhi, Tushar Gandhi talks to TOI's Alka Dhupkar about the influence of the Mahatma beyond India's borders and his enduring appeal. 

Author and mythologist Devdutt Pattanaik talks about the idea of a non-biological birth across faiths, why the idea exists and how it has been used to shape history. 

Two cases - one in Pune and the other in Uttarakhand - bring to the spotlight juveniles and the criminal justice system again. Sidharth Pillai, co-founder of the Rati Foundation, talks to TOI's Ambika Pandit about the challenges of tackling online sexual abuse that involves teenagers. Then Monica Kumar from the Manas Foundation talks about why the reformation of underage accused shouldn't be ignored. And finally, Gitanjali Prasad from the Azim Premji Foundation talks about what the Pune case reveals about the juvenile justice system. 

At a time the serial Heeramandi is making waves, Manish Gaekwad - who wrote the 'The Last Courtesan' - talks about chronicling his mother's life, the death of kothas in Mumbai and how his mother adapted to life after leaving the kotha.

Political scientist and author Hilal Ahmed from CSDS explains what we get wrong about the Muslim voter and what's wrong with the many preconceived notions that are there about Muslims and politics.   

The Indian cricket board is seeking a new coach for the men's cricket team as Rahul Dravid's tenure winds down. Columnist and author Anand Vasu talks about Dravid's tenure, explains who are the frontrunners to replace him, what sort of candidate the board is seeking and the benefits (and pitfalls) of being Team India's coach. 

Shakir Mir, who writes for TOI Plus on Kashmir, explains the high turnout in the first phase of polling in Kashmir reveals about politics in the region.   

Former RBI governor and IAS officer Duvvuri Subbarao talks his new book, what the civil services need, centre-state clashes over finances and what worries him about India's economy

Former diplomat and minister Mani Shankar Aiyar spoke with Harinder Baweja about why he has always favoured people-to-people ties with Pakistan. He also talks about controversies sparked by statements made by him, and Rajiv Gandhi, and why he thinks they're overblown.

It's been half a century since delimitation or the reorganisation of Parliamentary constituencies took place in India. Former IAS officer and founder of the Lok Satta movement, JP Narayan, spoke with TOI's Alka Dhupkar about the need to reorganise India's electoral map and what needs to be done to ensure no region feels shortchanged.

Editor of The Shillong Times Patricia Mukhim explains why it will be an uphill task to achieve peace in Manipur, a year after clashes broke out in the state. 

The Times of India's Shivani Azad explains the worrying spread of forest fires in Uttarakhand this year and what experts say are the bigger lessons to be learned from such calamities.

Journalist and author of 'H-Pop: The Secretive World of Hindutva Pop Stars' Kunal Purohit explained the emergence and rise of a popular subculture, and its political implications. 

Neelanjan Sircar, senior fellow at Centre for Policy Research, explains why turnouts may be low this election and why the political parties' campaigns feel more low-energy. He also explains the implications of this for the results of this election.

Two actors have already filed cases over fake videos of them endorsing a party during the ongoing elections. Karen Rebelo, deputy editor at fact-checking organisation Boom Live, had decoded how misinformation has evolved over the years in India and why artificial intelligence tools will make it so much harder to detect misinformation.

It turns out packaged baby food and 'health' drinks may have the same problem. Dr Arun Gupta from Nutrition Advocacy in Public Interest explains how we can regulate our packaged food better so that we're not just eating sugar  

Retired diplomat and expert on the Middle East, Talmiz Ahmad decodes the attacks by Iran and Israel and how to read into the pause of hostilities that the two countries seem to have settled for.     

Author and mythologist Devdutt Pattanaik explains why the attempts to make faith and rituals scientific are unnecessary and why being scientific shouldn't mean a discarding of faith.   

Vikram Doctor, one of India's best chroniclers of the food industry, explains why we may pay more for chocolate-based treats this year and whether we are going to face a chocolate apocalypse.

Zeba Sikora from Project 39A at the National Law University in Delhi explains the concerns with the three new criminal law bills that are expected to be implemented later this year and how much they really reform the criminal justice system

Dr Jayesh Lele, honorary secretary general of the Indian Medical Association, talks about why a petition was filed against Ramdev and Patanjali and what action the case should have prompted.  

The screening of 'Kerala Story' has prompted a political furore ahead of elections. Kabir Taneja, who's an author and Fellow at Observer Research Foundation, had explained why Islamic State failed to gain ground in India

Defence minister Rajnath Singh has said India will target its enemies on foreign soil if needed. Professor Rory Cormac from the University of Nottingham, who specialises in the study of covert action, and Ajai Sahni, who is Executive Director of the Institute of Conflict Management, explain the fallout of operations that take place outside India.

Policy analyst and commentator N Sathiya Moorthy explains why the agreement on Katchatheevu island was arrived at between India and Sri Lanka and why the campaign over the island isn't a great political or diplomatic strategy. 

Author and journalist Sudheendra Kulkarni, who worked closely with LK Advani, talks about the lessons the former deputy prime minister's career offers for Indian democracy today. 

Advocate Ramprasad Gupta, whose 18-year-long legal battle over his brother's killing resulted in the conviction of Mumbai 'encounter specialist' Pradeep Sharma, talks to TOI's Sunil Baghel about the challenges he faced.

Trade unionist and human rights lawyer Sudha Bharadwaj, who was arrested in the Elgar Parishad case in Maharashtra, talks to TOI Plus's Alka Dhupkar about her new book (that just won an award), life in jail and why she's still an optimist.