POPULARITY
5 episodes with Balakot
4 episodes with Balakot
2 episodes with Balakot
2 episodes with Balakot
2 episodes with Balakot
2 episodes with Balakot
2 episodes with Balakot
2 episodes with Balakot
3 episodes with Balakot
This week on Hafta, Newslaundry's Abhinandan Sekhri, Raman Kirpal, Manisha Pande, Jayashree Arunachalam and Shardool Katyayan are joined by retired Brigadier Kuldip Singh.In this tense news week, we begin by dissecting India's Operation Sindoor and strikes on terror camps in Pakistan on May 7. “Neither side, particularly India, wants a full-scale war,” says Brigadier Singh, referring to past confrontations like the Uri and Balakot strikes. He adds, “This time, the strike is far greater in intensity and in the number of targets.” Jayashree, acknowledging public sentiment but questioning the nature of response, says, “What we're seeing right now feels more like muscle-flexing.”Shardool highlights how the United States and Western nations are responding differently to the current crisis compared to earlier years. “The U.S. is far less interested now…One reason is that they don't need Pakistan the way they did before.”Manisha points out that Operation Sindoor marks a shift in the Indian government's stance. She says what it signals is that the government “now has a clear intention: to state unambiguously that Pakistan is the enemy”.This and a lot more. Tune in!Timecodes00:00:00 – Introductions 00:05:03 – Headlines 00:13:25 - Operation Sindoor and escalating tensions between India and Pakistan00:48:22 – Brig. Kuldip's recommendations01:29:40 – Letters01:42:25– RecommendationsCheck out previous Hafta recommendations, references, songs and letters Produced and recorded by Priyali Dhingra and Ashish Anand. Production assistance by Tista Roy Chowdhury.This episode is outside of the paywall for now. Before it goes behind the paywall, why not subscribe? Get brand-new episodes of all our podcasts every week, while also doing your bit to support independent media. Click here to subscribe. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On April 22, 2025, 26 people were killed in a dastardly attack in Pahalgam, Jammu & Kashmir. In this episode of Worldview with Swasti, Dr. Swasti Rao, consulting editor and foreign policy expert, discusses with Lt Gen Raj Shukla (retd), former Army Commander and member of the UPSC, to examine the aftermath, the patterns of provocation by Pakistan, and the strategic implications of China's growing assertiveness. They discuss why India was unprepared, how the Balakot effect has faded, and why our doctrine must evolve to regain escalatory dominance. #kashmir #kashmirterrorattack #pahalgam #modi #indianarmy #pakistan #jammuandkashmir --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Produced By: Mahira Khan
What exactly is air defence? At its core, it intercepts incoming aerial threats such as aircraft, drones, or missiles. But, achieving this requires sophisticated technology and coordination.So, why do you need a wide range of air missile systems? What different air defence systems do we have, and is the Russian-made S-400 system, hailed for its advanced capabilities and 450-kilometer range, our best?Host Dev Goswami and Shiv Aroor explain the concept, with Shiv elaborating on the country's multi-layered air defence, which consists of concentric protective circles with varying ranges and capabilities.The two look at the many surface-to-air based air defence systems that are operated by the Indian military and illustrate how the setup functions in real time. The episode also examines the complicated interplay between the Indian Army, Air Force and Navy when it comes to the command and control of these varied systems.Also on this episode is an unsparing examination of the unfortunate incident of an Indian air defence system shooting down the military's own helicopter, leading the deaths of six Indian Air Force personnel and one civilian the day after the Balakot airstrike. What went wrong on that fateful day? This episode brings you the answers. Tune in!Produced by Anna PriydarshiniSound mix by Sachin Dwivedi
The Indian Air Force is preparing for a significant upgrade with the upcoming test of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)'s Astra Mark 2 air-to-air missile. This missile, capable of hitting targets up to 130 km away, is a game-changer for India's air combat capabilities. The DRDO has been developing these missiles since 2001 to engage distant targets effectively.In this episode, Dev Goswami and defence expert Shiv Aroor discuss the importance of long-range missiles like Astra Mark 2 for modern air battles and why India needs them. They also reflect on the post-Balakot skirmish, which took place on 27 February 2019. India faced challenges in maintaining its position despite the Pakistan Air Force's (PAF) anticipated retaliation after the Balakot airstrike. The podcast analyses the dynamics of the skirmish and identifies the reasons that pinned India down.This and more in In Our Defence!Listen in!Produced by Anna PriyadarshiniSound mix by Sachin Dwivedi
Ajay Bisaria is a commentator on international affairs and a Distinguished Fellow at the Observer Research Foundation. He joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1987 and, in a career spanning thirty-five years, dealt with some of India's key economic and security relationships. He served as Indian high commissioner to Pakistan from 2017 to 2020. He has been Indian high commissioner to Canada (2020-22), and India's ambassador to Poland and Lithuania (2015-17). He has also represented the country at the World Bank in Washington DC and in embassies in Berlin and Moscow. He has served in various capacities in the Ministry of External Affairs, Department of Commerce, and the Prime Minister's Office, where he was a key aide to Prime Minister Vajpayee from 1999 to 2004. He has a Bachelor's Degree in Economics from St Stephen's College, Delhi University, an MBA from IIM Calcutta, and a Master's Degree in Public Policy from Princeton University. Ajay Bisaria's book 'Anger Management: The Troubled Diplomatic Relationship between India and Pakistan' is out. Order your copy here: https://www.amazon.in/Anger-Management-Troubled-Diplomatic-Relationship/dp/9393852758
pWotD Episode 2464: Fighter (2024 film) Welcome to popular Wiki of the Day where we read the summary of a popular Wikipedia page every day.With 198,101 views on Tuesday, 30 January 2024 our article of the day is Fighter (2024 film).Fighter is a 2024 Indian Hindi-language action film directed by Siddharth Anand, based on a story he wrote with Ramon Chibb. Produced under Viacom18 Studios and Marflix Pictures, the film stars Hrithik Roshan, Deepika Padukone and Anil Kapoor, and serves as the first installment in a planned aerial action franchise. The film was announced on 10 January 2021. The pre-production was delayed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Principal photography finally began in November 2022 with filming proceeding in various schedules across Assam, Hyderabad, Jammu and Kashmir and Mumbai, and wrapped in late-October. Real life Indian Air Force cadets worked for the film. The film has references to 2019 Pulwama attack, 2019 Balakot airstrike and 2019 India–Pakistan border skirmishes. The film's soundtrack album composed by Vishal–Shekhar consists of five songs. Satchith Paulose serves as the film's cinematographer. The visual effects are handled by DNEG.Fighter was originally scheduled for a theatrical release on 30 September 2023 but was delayed due to production delays. It was theatrically released on 25 January 2024, coinciding with the Republic Day weekend.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 01:54 UTC on Wednesday, 31 January 2024.For the full current version of the article, see Fighter (2024 film) on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm Olivia Neural.
The 2019 Balakot airstrike was a significant military operation conducted by the Indian Air Force in response to the Pulwama terrorist attack. This marked the first time since the 1971 War that Indian aircraft had conducted an airstrike on Pakistani soil.The strike targeted a Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terror camp in Balakot, Pakistan. The Indian Mirage-2000 fighter pilots carried out the airstrike, aiming to eliminate terrorist threats.The following day, the Pakistan Air Force retaliated with a strike in the Rajouri sector of Jammu. In the ensuing aerial battle, India claimed to have shot down a Pakistani F-16 fighter aircraft while losing a MiG-21, with its Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman captured after ejecting over Pakistani-held territory. Later, he was repatriated.The aftermath of the airstrike saw controversies, including unverified news in the newsrooms and conflicting reports. The duo, Dev Goswami and Shiv Aroor recount their experiences covering the event. They discuss the preparations for the airstrike and the controversies surrounding the strike; for one, the Indian Air Force has confirmed "hitting targets," but there is no official estimation of casualties — if any — yet, and Pakistan's response, exploring claims that they intentionally missed targets in India to avoid escalating to an all-out war.Shiv Aroor and co-author Rahul Singh have also covered the detailed account of the Balakot airstrike, including planning, execution, and aftermath in their book 'India's Most Fearless.'Listen in as we bring you the inside and unearthed details of the two tense days!Produced by Anna PriyadarshiniSound Mix by Kapil Dev Singh
Afghanistan Moves to Claim 34 of Paksitan Balakot 2.0 Talks Scare Pakistan Sumit peer
What was the messaging of the exercise ? What's the experience in an airstrike exercise? Why does Abhishek call it “vague”? What was the larger aim of this exercise? The grouping of these nations, how is that determined? And what are the few interesting things that Abhishek lists, which he says, the Indian airforce wont state out officially, tune in to know!
On February 26, 2019, fighter jets of the Indian Air Force bombed a terrorist camp in Balakot, Pakistan. The Balakot airstrike – as the operation came to be known – was the first time since the 1971 war that Indian warplanes attacked a target inside Pakistan. The cross-border bombing raid was in response to the February 14, 2019 Pulwama terror attack in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed. The already-high tensions between Delhi and Islamabad escalated even further after Pakistan responded to the Balakot airstrike with an attempted air raid of its own and the subsequent capture of an Indian Air Force pilot by Pakistan. On the 48th episode of In Our Defence, host Dev Goswami and “Def-Savvy” recall their experience of covering those tensed few days as journalists. With the benefit of four years of hindsight, the duo talks about some of the key takeaways of the Balakot airstrike and the consequent developments that pushed the two nuclear-armed neighbours to the brink of war. Tune in! Produced by Anna Priyadarshini Sound mix by Kapil Dev Singh
Over the last three decades, cross-border violence between India and Pakistan has been interspersed with periods of relative peace. Until 2003, ceasefires along the Line of Control and International Border in Jammu and Kashmir (in 1949, 1965, and 1971) were preceded by war between India and Pakistan. On the night of November 23, 2003, an announcement of a unilateral ceasefire, starting on Eid-ul-Fitr, was made by then prime minister of Pakistan Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali. Following this, during their weekly call, the Director Generals of Military Operations or DGMOs from the two countries agreed on a ceasefire along the Line of Control, International Border, and Actual Ground Position Line. And so, the ceasefire came into effect from 25 November 2003.Given the violence of the previous 14 years, the ceasefire was a welcome move. The years between 1989 and 2003 saw cross-border violence touch record levels. 2001 and 2002 saw 4,134 and 5,767 ceasefire violations respectively by Pakistan, as reported by India. Thus, the ceasefire resulted in a stable border and immediate relief for civilians. According to some reports, there was not a single ceasefire violation between India and Pakistan between 2004 and 2006, while others report that the number was negligible. The larger change in India-Pakistan relations following the institution of the composite dialogue process also enabled different confidence-building measures on the LoC, such as the opening of passenger routes on the Poonch-Rawalakot and Srinagar-Muzaffarabad axes, enabling bus traffic and eventually cross-border trade. The period also saw the completion of border fencing on the LoC as a measure to prevent infiltration. From 2007 onwards, ceasefire violations began to rise, intensifying after 2013. The larger relationship too started to see tensions due to terror attacks in India, civil-military dynamics in Pakistan, cross-border retaliatory actions such as the surgical strikes in 2016, and the Balakot airstrikes in 2019. In 2020, India reported 5,133 CFVs on the border. A reaffirmation of the ceasefire through a DGMO conversation and a subsequent joint statement by India and Pakistan in February 2021 was a major effort to arrest this trend.--Episode ContributorsArun K. Singh is a nonresident senior fellow at Carnegie India. He has extensive experience across the globe, including as India's ambassador to the United States, Israel, and France. Throughout his distinguished career in the Indian Foreign Service spanning thirty-seven years, he has served during pivotal periods in key global capitals and was instrumental in shaping India's policies, notably the continued progress in the U.S.-India relationship, India's closer ties to Israel, and the formulation and implementation of India's policies related to Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iran, including in the period following 9/11.Surya Valliappan Krishna is the associate director of projects and operations at Carnegie India. His research interests are India-Pakistan relations, border security, and cross-border violence. In particular, he works on the nature and dynamics of cross-border violence and its impact on civilian communities.--Additional ReadingBordering on Peace: Evaluating the impact of the India-Pakistan Ceasefire by Surya Valliappan KrishnaCaught in the Crossfire: Tension and Trade Along the Line of Control by Surya Valliappan KrishnaSending the Right Signal: Telecom Connectivity along the Line of Control by Surya Valliappan KrishnaMental Health on the Line (of Control) by Surya Valliappan Krishna--
In this episode, we speak to Air Mshl Anil Khosla, who recently retired as Vice Chief of Air Staff. Besides his experiences as a young officer, we focus on the role he played in the Doklam stand-off (when he was C-in-C Eastern Air Command) and the strike at Balakot (when he was Vice Chief). We also discuss the pros and cons of indigenous vs imported weapons platforms, the future of air war, and the Air Force's talent strategy, among other things.Air Mshl Khosla's profile is here: http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/Database/15871His blog can be found here: https://55nda.com/blogs/anil-khosla/00:00:00 Introduction00:01:00 Initial journey into IAF00:13:14 Doklam incident00:16:01 How to deal with China00:19:09 Balakot00:28:46 Maintain a tech edge00:43:46 Future of air war00:53:30 Finding talent for the IAF
Aadit Kapadia is joined by Manan Bhatt, a veteran with the Indian Navy. They discuss the legacy of Gen Bipin Rawat and the tragic crash that resulted in the death of Gen Rawat, his wife Madhulika Rawat and many officers. They also discuss Manan's book on Balakot and how india avenged pulwama. They discuss the stories of various soldiers and the approach that the Indian forces took.
Matsyanyaaya #1: What Does Pakistan’s Cadmean Victory in Afghanistan Mean for IndiaBig fish eating small fish = Foreign Policy in action— Pranay Kotasthane(This is a draft of my article which appeared first in Times of India’s Tuesday, August 23rd edition.)Taliban's takeover of Kabul is forcing India to reassess its aims and objectives concerning Afghanistan. Of primary interest is the impact of this development on Pakistan. On this question, two views have come to light over the last few days.The first view cautions against the increase in terrorism from Pakistan. The recommendation arising from this view is that India needs to coalesce anti-Pakistan factions in Afghanistan. The counter-view focuses on the inevitability of a split between the Taliban and Pakistan. The assumption being that once the Taliban assumes political control over Afghanistan, it is bound to take some stances that will go against the interests of its sponsor. The recommendation arising from this view is that India should sit back. It should let things unfold because Pakistan's victory is a Cadmean one — it comes with massive costs for Pakistan's economy, society, and politics.Which of these two divergent views is likely to play out? To understand what the Taliban's victory means for Pakistan — and hence India — it is useful to model Pakistan as two geopolitical entities, not one. The first entity is a seemingly normal Pakistani state, presumably concerned first and foremost with the peace and prosperity of its citizens. The second entity is what my colleague Nitin Pai has named the Pakistani military-jihadi complex (MJC). Comprising the military, militant, radical Islamist and political-economic nodes, the MJC pursues domestic and foreign policies to ensure its survival and dominance. For the MJC, positioning and defeating the existential enemy — India — is key to ensure its hold over the other Pakistan.Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan will be perceived differently by these two Pakistani entities. The non-MJC Pakistan would be worried about the Taliban's march to power. It would fear the spillover of terrorism inside its borders, orchestrated by groups such as the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan. Politically, a powerful Taliban would pose the threat of breathing new life in the Durand Line question. On the economic front, the prospect of a dependent Taliban government further draining Pakistan's dwindling resources would be another cause of concern. In short, if this entity were in charge of Pakistan's foreign policy, it wouldn't have doggedly invested in the Taliban.That's quite clearly not the case. Taliban's takeover, on the other hand, is a strategic victory for the MJC. Over the last two decades, it has played a risky game sheltering and guiding the Taliban's actions while also supporting the US in its Afghanistan campaign. When things went wrong, the MJC was able to pass the blame to the other, weaker Pakistan. Recently, it played a role in steering the Afghan Taliban to sign the Doha agreement. It worked over the last two decades to reduce the Indian economic and political footprint in Afghanistan. Given the efforts it has put in, the MJC is sure to perceive the Taliban's comeback as an indisputable victory. This success would bolster the MJC's strategy of long-term commitment to terrorist groups. More importantly, it consolidates its relative dominance over the other Pakistan. How does this affect India?As the MJC's domestic position strengthens, its anti-India aims will grow stronger. There is a possibility of the MJC moving its terror outfits to Loya Paktika in eastern Afghanistan, a hotbed of anti-India activities in the past. This scenario would allow the MJC to use terrorism against India while claiming it has no control over these elements.Many commentators have argued that the world in 2021 will not let off perpetrators of terrorism easily. But they seem to forget that the return of the Taliban illustrates that the opposite is true. As long as terrorism is portrayed as an instrument of a domestic insurgency, the world will continue to look away. For instance, the Taliban continued terrorist attacks inside Afghanistan even as it was negotiating with the US at Doha. And yet, the US, UK, Russia, and China chose to bring the group back in power. Second, to see the MJC threat from the issue of terrorism alone is to miss the bigger picture. By demonstrating the success of its policies in Afghanistan, the MJC would be energised to use other methods of asymmetric warfare against India. More than the means, the Taliban's victory is the reaffirmation of its objectives. What should India do?First and foremost, India must prepare for a reduced economic and diplomatic footprint in Afghanistan. Given the positive role India has played there over the last two decades, a sunk cost fallacy might drive India to make overtures to the Taliban. Such a policy is unlikely to pay dividends. The MJC will ensure that India's presence is severely restricted. In Afghanistan, it would be better to wait for the tide to change. Second, India would need to raise its guard on the Pakistan border. With the perceived threat of Indian presence close to Balochistan going away, the MJC is likely to be more adventurous in using conventional and non-conventional warfare against India. Domestically, it means returning Jammu & Kashmir to near-normalcy becomes all the more urgent. More the discontent there, the easier it would be for the MJC to exploit the situation. Third, strengthen the partnership with the US. The MJC has always been dependent on external benefactors for its survival. While China is playing that role today, it alone is insufficient to bear the burden. The MJC will be desperate to get the US to finance its ambitions based on its credentials to influence outcomes in Afghanistan. Hence, it's vital that India's relationship with the US must remain stronger than the relationship that MJC has with the US. Finally, amidst the current focus on US failures in Afghanistan, it shouldn't be forgotten that both India and the US need each other to confront the bigger strategic challenge: China.Regardless of the turn that Taliban-Pakistan relations take, an ideological victory for the MJC is bound to have repercussions in India. India must prepare to face the renewed challenge. (This is a draft of my article which appeared first in Times of India’s Tuesday, August 23rd edition.)India Policy Watch: Our Past, Our FutureInsights on burning policy issues in India- RSJA topic we often like to explore here is the history of thought. We cover a fair amount of western philosophy and we have tried gamely to include Indic thought while writing about current issues. In fact, a recurring section on international relations in this newsletter is called ‘matsyanyaya’. I’m no expert but I suspect writing here has helped me with a point of view on the Indian state and its relation to the history of Indian thought. Broadly, I have made three points on this over multiple editions:A nation is an imagined community and any newly independent State had to work on constructing this imagination. This meant they had to make three moves. One, they had to have a modern conception of themselves which was distinct from their past. Two, to make this ‘modernity’ acceptable, they had to present this conception as a ‘reawakening’ of their community. This gave them a link to their past. This past was a living truth for the members of this community and it couldn’t simply be erased. Three, historians were then called in to rewrite the past which served this narrative. This is the classic Benedict Anderson recipe and India is a fine example of using it in 1947. (Edition # 62)The Indian state formed post-independence was based on a radical act of forgetting the past. The Indian constitution wasn’t merely a legal framework to run the state. It was also a tool for social revolution. Society wasn’t trusted to reform itself with the speed that was necessary for India to modernise. It had to be induced from the outside by the state. (Edition #28)The hope was the liberal state would change the society before it could catch up. This hasn’t turned out to be true. Now the society looks likely to change the state in its image. And what’s the society like today? Like Hazari Prasad Dwivedi, once put it: ‘jab dil bhara ho aur dimaag khali hai’. Its heart is full of emotional torment but its mind is devoid of imagination. The society has somewhat vague notions of its ancient glory and civilisational sense of superiority because of it. But it’s not sure of what to make of it in today’s world. (Edition # 118 and Edition #128)So, I was happy to pick up Pavan K. Varma’s new book The Great Hindu Civilisation: Achievement, Neglect, Bias and the Way Forwardwhich as the name suggests covers these grounds. Varma is a former civil servant and a prolific writer whose works I have found tremendously engaging. Over the years he has written on a wide range of subjects - the great Indian epics, Ghalib and Gulzar, the Indian middle class, Kamasutra, Krishna and Draupadi. His last book was a well-researched biography of Adi Shankaracharya that also doubled up as a short introduction to various schools of Hindu philosophy with a special emphasis on Vedanta. Suppressing A Great CivilisationIn The Great Hindu Civilisation (‘TGHC’), Varma makes three arguments based on his deep understanding of ancient Indian texts and his scholarship on Indian history:Argument 1: India is a civilisational state. The achievements of ancient India in philosophy, metaphysics, arts, statecraft and science are unparalleled. These have been lost to us. We must reclaim their wisdom and apply it to our lives. Varma writes:Above all, it is my premise that this Hindu civilisation has few parallels in terms of the cerebral energy invested in it…. It was sustained by the unrelenting application of mind, in every field—metaphysics, philosophy, art, creativity, polity, society, science and economics. Nothing in it was random or happenstance. … When people are ruptured from their heritage, they are essentially rootless, not always lacking proficiency in their specific area of work, but essentially deracinated, mimic people, inured to another’s culture more than their own. Hindu civilisation was based on moulik soch or original thought, where each aspect of creativity was studied, examined, interrogated, discussed and experimented upon in the search for excellence. But when this great legacy was summarily devalued and looked upon as a liability to modernity, it left an entire people adrift from their cultural moorings, lacking authenticity and becoming a derivative people.Argument 2: Marxist historians, western Hinduphobic intellectuals, deracinated Indians and a self-serving Indian elite have long played a charade that there’s hardly anything real as a Hindu civilisation. This has given us a distorted picture of our past, about the impact of Islamic invaders and British colonialism on our culture and has prevented any honest inquiry into the real achievements of our civilisation. A false fear of Hindu aggrandisement is repeatedly stoked up at any such pursuit. The usual cast of deracinated suspects is named - Macaulay, Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Amartya Sen, Romila Thapar, Irfan Habib, Wendy Doniger and, of course, Nehru. Though Varma cushions the jabs on Nehru a bit by blaming it on his associates or his naiveté. As he argues:Marxist historians devalue the civilisational tag of ancient India by analysing it exclusively in class and economic terms. Certainly, this is also one way of studying the past, but the problem is twofold. Firstly, this approach excludes all other dimensions, and insists that this is the only way to evaluate history. Secondly, the tools used are highly derivative, an almost complete transplant of Marx’s outdated, uninformed and stereotypical analytical framework in the Indian context.There is, of course, a basic irony in Hinduism’s derogation by some ‘liberals’. One would have thought that liberal opinion would be appreciative of a religion that relies less on dogma and more on debate. It would make a virtue of the fact that Hinduism enables diversity to thrive when many other faiths are prescriptive and rely on diktat. However, instead of lauding this eclecticism, they conclude that Hinduism is only about diversity ad infinitum. Argument 3: Since the Hindu society has been systematically denied its real history, reactionary and lumpen elements have appropriated the task of peddling their version of history. This is the price to pay for distorting history instead of facing up to the truth. If we have to counter the thugs who have political and state patronage today, we have to make the ordinary Indians truly aware of their real Hindu heritage. This knowledge of the liberal, encompassing nature of Hindu philosophy is the best antidote to any fundamentalist ideology. He writes:The prescriptive element that the new, so-called evangelists of Hinduism are bringing in is anathema for most Hindus. Hinduism has always been a way of life. Hindus don’t like to be told what to do and what not to do, what to eat and what to drink, what to wear and how to behave, what to watch and what to read, who to meet and who not to, how to practise their religion and how to be good Hindus.The real danger is that we are witnessing the emergence of a lumpen leadership that believes that it has a monopoly to interpret Hinduism and Hindu civilisation. Since time immemorial, Hindus have faced many travails and setbacks but have survived them by drawing upon the great strengths of their culture: tradition and faith. Even in the greatest adversity, Hinduism have never allowed its core cerebration and idealism to be compromised. So What?My reaction while reading the book ranged from vigorous nods of approval to what is colloquially referred to as ‘abey yaar’. I will elaborate further here.Firstly, I agree with Varma about India being a civilisational state and Hinduism or sanatanadharma being a common cultural thread that runs through the length and breadth of this land. This is a lived experience for all of us and Varma quotes many examples of common rituals and practices that have been around for centuries to back this assertion. Denying this is an exercise in futility and serves no useful purpose except alienating a large section of Indians. Secondly, I’m happy to concede Varma’s contention that ancient Hindu civilisation was the pinnacle of human achievement during its time. “There was a holistic interconnectedness that informed it, and this unified vision permeated all aspects of its highly complex intellectual construct.” Fair enough. A bit over the top but that’s fine. My question is what do we do with such an ancient but highly complex intellectual construct now? Almost every text Varma refers to was written hundreds of years before CE. Many of these are metatexts unmoored from their context or what formed the basis for such scholarship. One could read the hymns of Rig Veda on the conception of the universe today but what does that do to our understanding of science. To merely say it is similar to what quantum physics postulates today has limited meaning. It is the equivalent of saying Da Vinci designed all sorts of futuristic machines so let’s study him for scientific insights today. Even Arthashastra can be read to appreciate the philosophy of statecraft and economics of ancient India but beyond a concept or two that might be relevant today, what purpose will it serve? The problem here is there has been no reinterpretation or updates on these texts over two thousand years. I come from a town that houses one of the four mathas (seats) of Shankaracharya. I always wondered what stopped the scholars of the matha to do more to make their knowledge accessible. Resources? Scholarship? Interest? My personal experience suggests even they do not know what to do with this knowledge in the modern world. To draw a parallel, the reason a few texts of Greek philosophers are still taught selectively in western universities is because many philosophers of the renaissance and enlightenment used them to build further on their thoughts on ethics, politics and the state . Nobody reads their views on science, for instance, anymore. That’s because later philosophers falsified it. Similarly, there’s an unbroken chain of thinking from Adam Smith to a Piketty or a Sowell (choose your poison) today. So, it makes sense to selectively read Smith to get a basic understanding of how economic thought has evolved and then apply it further today. This is missing with the great ancient texts that hold Varma in raptures. How will reading texts of Aryabhatta and Bhaskara help mathematics students of today? Knowing about them could be useful to impress others about our great mathematical tradition but what beyond that? Will our rank on PISA change because of it? I suspect not. I will be keen to hear from readers on this.Varma also goes overboard at places and loses objectivity. Natya Shastra was probably a great achievement as a treatise on arts and theatre. But to imagine that western thought on aesthetics began from a series of articles on ‘The Pleasures of the Imagination’, a 1712 piece by Joseph Addison in the Spectator, as he writes, is to ignore the entire history of ancient Greek playwrights or even Shakespeare whose plays were running in London almost a hundred years before Addison’s articles. Here Varma possibly betrays the same flaws he accuses the likes of Doniger or Romila Thapar through the book. Anyway, I find no convincing answer from Varma on how a deeper understanding of these texts will help us today. Some kind of pride and a sense of identity is alluded to as the benefits through the book but I failed to appreciate its material manifestation.Thirdly, Varma talks about caste and patriarchy in Hindu civilisation but almost in passing. There are possibly 15 pages (if that) on this topic across the book. Even in them, Varma talks about the usual tropes first. That the original Hindu texts were suffused with liberal doctrine, how Shankara came across a Chandala in Kashi and placed him at par with the Brahmin or the usual list of women of ancient India - Gargi, Maitreyi or even the fictional Draupadi - to suggest how open Hinduism in its original version was. Only after this does Varma go on for a few pages on how things went bad over time. Finally, he writes:However, in spite of such high-minded protestations, there is no denying that the working of caste in actual social practice was a pervasive evil. It was—and is—an indelible blot on the civilisational legacy of India; it kept large parts of the populace institutionally cut-off from the many achievements of Hindu India, and also unleashed inhuman suffering for no other reason than the accident of birth.Yet, in spite of such unforgiveable failings, the overall achievements of this period of our history are truly remarkable, and are crying out for a much delayed recognition. What we need to realise is that across the length and breadth of Bharatvarsha, there evolved, over millennia, a civilisation that showed a profound application of mind to every aspect of organised as well as abstract human behaviour. It demonstrated the capacity of great and courageous divergent thinking, refusing to restrict itself to simplistic certitudes, and a willingness to wade deep into concepts and constructs that challenged conventional thought. Varma thinks of caste as an unforgivable failing. Is it a mere failing? Or, is it, as it has been often argued, the inevitable outcome of our civilisational construct? Who can tell? If after all these centuries, the one pervasive cultural reality that has prevailed in our society is caste, how should we think about it? The same argument holds for patriarchy and the place of women in our society. The reclaiming of the wisdom of the texts that Varma advocates - can it be done without facing up to the ‘material’ reality of caste and patriarchy that will accompany it? At abstract, Varma may be right. But the act of reclaiming won’t restrict itself to the realm of the abstract. I will come back to this at the end of the piece. Fourthly, is Varma the first scholar to question the version of our history that has been fed to us by the colonialist academia? Is he the first to lament the state of the culturally unmoored Indian elite and educated class who need to be brought home to the glory of our ancient civilisation? If not, what happened to previous such attempts? This is an area that has held my interest for a few years. And I’d like to highlight two 20th century intellectuals who spent their lifetime studying ancient Indian texts, translating them and looking to find their relevance in the modern context - Shri Aurobindo and Hazari Prasad Dwivedi. These are no ordinary names. They were first-rate intellectuals with rare felicity in both western and eastern philosophies. Varma quotes Aurobindo a few times in the book. So, what did they conclude? I’m going to stick my neck out and make some broad generalisation here. Aurobindo started this pursuit with an aim to find the modern relevance of our ancient texts and to spread it far and wide. What did he end up with? A very personal journey into the self that was mystical and detached from the material. Anything else couldn’t be transferred. That’s what he concluded. Dwivedi translated some of the great works of our past and wrote on our literary history in Hindi. But, in the end, he had to contend with the reality of the present. If we were such a great civilisation, why is our present the way it is? And he wasn’t content blaming the colonial rule or our lack of appreciation of our past. There was something else that was missing. Now you could persuade me to believe it was the ‘foreign’ invaders for over thousand years that’s responsible for our present. Maybe it is true. But that rupture is a reality and that discontinuity is so large that any attempt to bridge it through a modern reinterpretation of ancient texts can only be an academic ‘feel good’ exercise. Not a way forward to the future. Separately, it is worth pointing out here another area where I think Varma had a weak argument. How did Hinduism survive the Islamic or Turkish onslaught and the Mughal hegemony while other countries like Indonesia or Malaysia turned Muslim under the sword. This is a question that’s often asked in many debates of this kind. Varma’s answer is below:The Bhakti movement was Hinduism’s response to the violent and proselytising Islamic invasion. In this sense, it was as much about renewal as it was about self-preservation. If Hinduism had not shown the suppleness and energy to reinvent itself, and had remained brittle and fossilised as in earlier structures without the mass support enabled by the Bhakti movement, it may have suffered the same fate that befell it (and Buddhism) in Indonesia with the advent of Islam. There are two problems with this thesis. One, the Bhakti movement in many areas of India predate the Islamic conquest of those areas. Between the 10th-12th centuries, large parts of West, South and East India where the Bhakti movement gained strength were still under Hindu (or Jain) kings. Two, what do a cursory look at the Bhakti movement and its output reveal? Women and those from the bottom of the social pyramid often led the way. Their songs spoke of their desire to be one with God without an intermediary in between. Those who opposed them were mostly upper-caste Hindu men. The Bhakti movement was indeed a rupture in Indian cultural history. But, to me, it appears it was more an internal response of the most exploited section of Hinduism to its entrenched caste establishment. Not to Islam. Fifthly, Varma is sincere in his defence of real Hinduism against what he calls the “illiterate bigotry of the self-anointed new ‘protectors’ of Hinduism.” He writes:Knowledge is a great enabler. Anyone who has studied Hinduism, or acquired even a basic familiarity about its lofty eclecticism and deep cerebration, would laugh out of the room those who seek to conflate this great faith only with violence and exclusion. Varma almost thinks the ‘lumpenisation’ of Hinduism (as he calls it) is a phenomenon in the abstract that has arisen because people don’t know real Hinduism. It might be true but empirical evidence goes against it. Any ‘nationalist’ exercise of reclaiming the past after the advent of modern nation-states runs the risk of ‘instrumentalising’ this past for political gains in the present. This holds true everywhere - in pre-WW2 Germany or Japan, in current-day Turkey and in communist China. For instance, there’s nothing that the Party in China learns from Confucius or some ancient Han dynasty view of the Middle Kingdom that it sincerely wants to apply today. It is a mere ‘instrument’ to homogenise its people, perpetuate the party supremacy or use it for diplomatic parleys with other nations. Varma believes one can ‘thread the needle’ by taking the great and the good from the past while avoiding the instrumental use of it which manifests in form of bigotry and minority persecution. But it is a difficult task. So here’s the thing. How should I think of Nehru, Ambedkar and other ‘liberals’? Those who decided to use the Constitution to rid India of the ‘deadwood of the past’. One way to think of them is as intellectuals who appreciated the glory of our ancient past but realised any kind of reclaiming of that past in the modern conception of the state will bring along with it all the baggage and the ‘deadwood’. They feared the good of that past will be buried soon under the ‘unforgivable failings’ that accompany it. So, they let it be. And decided to begin afresh. Varma is in a different reality today. He sees the hijacking of Hinduism, as he would put it, in front of his eyes. The ‘instrumental’ use of religion for narrow purposes by those who don’t understand it at all. Yet, he hopes it is possible to thread the needle between the good and the bad of the past. The likes of Nehru feared this would happen and tried to avoid it. Varma finds it around him and yet wants to go down that path. Maybe because he’s a good man and an optimist. Having read him over the years, I’d like to believe so. A Framework a Week: How to Analyse an AnalysisTools for thinking public policy— Pranay KotasthaneIf I were given the power to change one subject in school syllabi, I would introduce analytical thinking. In the Information Age, we are exposed to several opinions on any given topic. Impactful analogies and powerful metaphors can change our thinking about a topic. Sometimes, our views end up being a regurgitation of the last good opinion piece we’ve come across. Hence, wouldn’t it be great if we have a framework to analyse opinions, whether in the form of papers, articles, or books? That’s where Analytical Thinking comes in. To systematically think about how we think can help us deeply reflect on an opinion instead of being swayed by the fast brain into outrage or vehement agreement. Last week, I revisited this eightfold path for analysing the logic of a book/article/paper in the book The Thinker's Guide to Analytic Thinking by Linda Elder and Richard Paul. The framework forces us to reflect on eight dimensions:The main purpose of this article is ____. (Here you are trying to state, as accurately as possible, the author’s intent in writing the article. What was the author trying to accomplish?)The key question that the author is addressing is ____. (Your goal is to figure out the key question that was in the mind of the author when he/she wrote the article. What was the key question addressed in the article?)The most important information in this article is ____. (You want to identify the key information the author used, or presupposed, in the article to support his/her main arguments. Here you are looking for facts, experiences, and/or data the author is using to support his/her conclusions.)The main inferences in this article are ___ (You want to identify the most important conclusions the author comes to and presents in the article).The key concept(s) we need to understand in this article is (are) __. By these concepts the author means __. (To identify these ideas, ask yourself: What are the most important ideas that you would have to know to understand the author’s line of reasoning? Then briefly elaborate what the author means by these ideas.)The main assumption(s) underlying the author’s thinking is (are) _ (Ask yourself: What is the author taking for granted that might be questioned? The assumptions are generalizations that the author does not think he/she has to defend in the context of writing the article, and they are usually unstated. This is where the author’s thinking logically begins.)If we accept this line of reasoning (completely or partially), the implications are ___. (What consequences are likely to follow if people take the author’s line of reasoning seriously? Here you are to pursue the logical implications of the author’s position. You should include implications that the author states, and also those that the author does not state.) If we fail to accept this line of reasoning, the implications are __. (What consequences are likely to follow if people ignore the author’s reasoning?)The main point(s) of view presented in this article is (are) _. (The main question you are trying to answer here is: What is the author looking at, and how is he/she seeing it? For example, in this mini-guide we are looking at “analysis” and seeing it “as requiring one to understand” and routinely apply the elements of reasoning when thinking through problems, issues, subjects, etc.).[Elder, Linda; Paul, Richard. The Thinker's Guide to Analytic Thinking (Kindle Locations 353-365). Foundation for Critical Thinking. Kindle Edition]The framework is intense but is super helpful in analysing topics you want to master. It shares similarities with the Indian debating tradition called the purva paksha — representing your opponent’s view faithfully before criticising it. Matsyanyaaya #2: US Credibility and India’s OptionsBig fish eating small fish = Foreign Policy in action— Pranay KotasthaneThe humanitarian crisis triggered by a botched US withdrawal has sparked an old debate on reliability in international relations. In several countries which count themselves as US partners, the question being posed is: will the US prove to be a fickle partner, like it did in Afghanistan?For a long time, I have wondered if using terms such as reliability or reputation is a case of category error. Trust, reliability, all-weather friendship apply to human relationships. Transplanting these ideas to an amoral domain such as international relations does not make sense, is what I believed. The current debate surrounding US credibility helped me update my priors. First up, if you want to read the literature on reliability and reputation in international relations, Paul Poast has a typically useful Twitter thread compiling important works on this topic. Out of these articles, Don Casler’s post stands out in its clarity. He writes in Duck of Minerva:“One major issue in discourse about credibility is that policy and media elites often conflate a group of interrelated but distinct concepts: credibility, reputation, and resolve.Credibility is the perceived likelihood that an actor will follow through on her threats or promises. Reputation is a belief about an actor’s persistent characteristics or tendencies based on her past behavior. Resolve is the willingness to stand firm and pay costs in the face of pressure to back down.In theory, an actor’s reputation for resolve — along with her capabilities and interests — contributes to her credibility by shaping observers’ estimates whether she is likely to follow through on her commitments.However, reputation and credibility are ultimately beliefs held by others. If we want to predict how foreign governments will react to U.S. foreign policy decisions, then we need to understand their theories about how the world works.” The last line is important from the Indian perspective. The sense of being wronged by the west is a continuing strand in India’s conception of the world. Specifically, the US’ anti-India stance in the 1971 war continues to cast a long shadow over India-US relations. The cohort that already holds these views will use the US withdrawal to reaffirm its scepticism.Even so, I would argue that this perceived lack of US credibility is not the most important determinant of India-US relations for three reasons:One, the younger cohort of millennials and post-millennials perceive the US differently. Their imagination about the US is shaped by the India-US civil nuclear deal, a decline in US-Pakistan bonhomie, and perhaps most importantly, the deep connections between the markets and societies in the two countries. Two, a common strategic adversary — China — reduces the salience of the reputation question. In an amoral setting, interests trump reputational concerns. When facing a powerful common adversary, you don’t get to pick or change your partners. Seen this way, China’s aggressive and arrogant approach further cements the India-US relationship. Perhaps, this would be a good time for the Quad to make a few major announcements on trade and technology to douse the reputation question. Three, the US backing of the Pakistani military-jihadi complex is less of a problem than it was a decade ago. The US administration’s statements on Kashmir and Balakot airstrikes are vastly different from what the older cohort of policymakers in India is used to. The US would do well to continue this strategy instead of empowering the military-jihadi complex with the false hope that it would make the Taliban behave. So, what do you think? In a world with just two options, should India choose a less reliable, more powerful partner or a more reliable, less powerful partner? HomeWorkReading and listening recommendations on public policy matters[Video] Pavan K. Varma talks about his book The Great Hindu Civilisation at HLF with Advaita Kala. I might have been a tad unfair about some arguments of Varma. So, it is best to read the book or listen to him directly.[Podcast] Ghazala Wahab was on Puliyabaazi discussing Indian Islam and its variants. In times when Hindu-Muslim bayaanbaazi is far more prevalent, we believe conversations such as these can help dismantle false notions the two communities hold. [Survey] Takshashila has put out India’s Global Outlook Survey. The survey is an effort to bridge the knowledge gap around how Indian policymakers, the strategic affairs community and ordinary citizens view India’s role in the world. Do take the survey. Get on the email list at publicpolicy.substack.com
In their book, Spy Stories: Inside the Secret World of The R.A.W and I.S.I, Adrian Levy and Cathy Scott-Clark make several explosive revelations, including about the Pulwama attack and alleged Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav. The two foreign journalists seem to have enjoyed an unprecedented level of access to the intelligence establishments on both sides, even working as back-channel diplomats after the Pulwama attack. In this book, the duo seeks to document the inner workings of the RAW and the ISI. They also trace the career of NSA Ajit Doval through the past few decades, especially from the 1999 Indian Airlines' flight IC-814 hijack, which the NSA describes as a “diplomatic failure”, to the 2000 Parliament attack, and more recently events in Kashmir, including the 2016 Pathankot and 2019 Pulwama attacks in which 40 personnel were killed, as well as the retaliatory Balakot strikes by the Indian Air Force. In this podcast, Adrian Levy speaks to Suhasini Haidar on the work that went into the book. Guest: Adrian Levy, Author Host: Suhasini Haidar, Diplomatic Affairs Editor, The Hindu Want to get more from The Hindu on books? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here (Newsletter Subscription) Write to us with comments and feedback at socmed4@thehindu.co.in
Renaming of the Khel Ratna Award after Major Dhyan Chand and winning the first Athletics medal - that too a Gold medal by Neeraj Chopra was something of a grand coincidence. Sanjay Dixit looks at the Panchmakkar melt down who are increasingly shedding all pretences of having any pride in national achievements. Whether it is Udi, Balakot, Galwan, Pangong, or Neeraj Chopra, their bile against the nation is all too obvious.
Aadit Kapadia is a joined by journalist and author Rahul Pandita as they discuss his latest book 'The Lover Boy of Bahawalpur'. The discuss the Pulwama attacks, Balakot strikes, post 370 Kashmir and how the case was cracked. Do Tune in.
IAF carried out a long-range precision strike against a practice target to mark the second anniversary of the Balakot Operations. All India Samathuva Makkal Katchi (AISMK) and Indhiya Jananayaga Katchi (IJK) today announced to contest upcoming Tamil Nadu Assembly elections in an alliance. Actor Hrithik Roshan leaves the office of Mumbai Police Crime Branch after recording his statement in connection with 2016 complaint in fake email ID case. For more live news download Etv Bharat Download ETV Bharat on App store – https://apps.apple.com/in/app/etv-bharat/id1453416186 Play Store – https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.etvbharat.android Or watch us live on – www.etvbharat.com ETV Bharat is a Division of Ushodaya Enterprises Pvt. Ltd. , is a comprehensive digital national news platform conceived to deliver seamless news and information services, using video-centric Mobile App and Web Portals. It is first-of-its kind offering in India in terms of diversity and depth, dedicated journalists network, reach of 24 states with services in 13 languages i.e.– Hindi, Urdu, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, Gujarati, Marathi, Bengali, Punjabi, Assamese, Odia and English. ETV Bharat is the latest initiative of the five-decade old multi-dimensional Ramoji Group. The Group's highly successful media endeavors include : Eenadu - one of the largely circulated language dailies in the country , and ETV Network with Telugu general entertainment, infotainment and news channels. With a strong lineage of the most trusted media house, ETV Bharat would draw on its strengths of decades' long experience and innovation. ETV Bharat will combine the new technologies of mobile and digital media to engage news and information seekers in a new connected world. It will be driven by well-established news gathering setup, technology specialists and other professionals.
This Episode is dedicated to Indian Air Force Day. There are some short poems related to Balakot attack by Indian Air Force. This was in response to dastardly attack by terrorists on 14th February 2019 to CRF convoy at Pulbama (Avantipura) in Kashmir, killing 40 jawans. The poems tell about the valour of Indian Air Force and India's concern for Peace. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
The first batch of five Rafale aircraft were formally inducted into the IAF’s 17 squadron. Four more will come in the next month. In episode 564 of Cut The Clutter, Shekhar Gupta tells you how the Rafale fills the Beyond Visual Range (BVR) gap evident after Balakot strikes. Also, some insights into the AstraZeneca & Russian Covid vaccine trial hiccups.----more----Read Snehesh Alex Philip's report here: https://theprint.in/defence/rafales-operational-induction-very-important-step-amid-border-tensions-rajnath-singh-says/499628/----more----Read the article on Air Commodore Kaiser Tufail here: http://pakistanpolitico.com/rafales-impact-on-iafs-air-power-capabilities/?fbclid=IwAR0H_snFMEG9wLIMUQOEhbm0jGZl2xs8U7qulMYFNDq0hnUDlDLkundlfR8
"India acted in legitimate self-defence (on the Balakot airstrikes in February 2019) but behaved in a prudent fashion after the attack," said John Bolton, former National Security Advisor to US President Donald Trump, in an exclusive interview with ThePrint's National & Strategic Affairs editor Jyoti Malhotra. Bolton discussed his new tell-all book 'The Room Where It Happened' as well as the Ladakh crisis, US troops in Afghanistan, Trump-Modi bonhomie and how countering China's "long-term" goals requires global cooperation.
बालाकोट एयर स्ट्राइक: जब IAF ने बम वर्षाा कर तबाह किए थे आतंकी ठिकाने, जानें कैसा था जलजला का वो मंजर । Balakot Air Strike: When the IAF destroyed the terrorist hideout by bombing, know how was that scene of the Jaljala --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/v-mantra/message
14 February 2019 was a dark day in the history of contemporary India. A suicide bomber drove a car loaded with explosives into a convoy of over 2,500 CRPF personnel in Kashmir's Pulwama. The resulting blast….claimed 40 lives. The fury around the attack, executed by Pak-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad, would lead to cries for retaliation and revenge. The weeks following witnessed India's response - reportedly by bombing JeM terror launch pads in Balakot, and the return of the Modi govt to power in the 2019 elections, riding on the wave of nationalism set off by these events. For the families of the 40 martyrs, life would never be the same again. Compensation was promised, assurances were made, and they were told they would be taken care of. But the reality is far from this. On the anniversary of the Pulwama terror attack, we spoke to the families of these men who laid down their lives for the country. 40 men all gone…but never forgotten. Guests: Lt. Gen(Retd.) Syed Ata HasnainAbhishek Rawat, Son of constable Koushal Kumar RawatSudha Rawat, Mother of constable Koushal Kumar RawatShakuntala Devi, Wife of Head Constable Sanjay Kumar SinhaMahendra Singh, Father of Head Constable Sanjay Kumar SinhaMeena Goutam, Wife of Constable Ajit Kumar AzadHost and Producer: Vishnu GopinathEditor: Jaskirat Singh Bawa Music: Big Bang FuzzAdditional Reading:Can A Repeat of The Pulwama Terror Attack Occur in Kashmir?Pulwama: A Year On, Martyrs' Kin Talk About The Loss & Struggle
Hamsini Hariharan looks at the seven major global affairs stories in 2019 and looks at the way forward for 2020. For questions or comments, reach out to the host @HamsiniH or on Instagram @statesofanarchy. Read More: India’s self-inflicted foreign policy challenges in 2020 Looking back: 2019 was a demanding year for foreign policy mandarins From Balakot to Mahabalipuram via Houston: India's foreign policy report card for 2019 Scoring a foreign policy self-goal Hope, Fear, Anger: Will this be the decade we finally come to terms with our reality?
In this episode of Daily Dose, Gaurav Sarkar brings you the latest from Narendra Modi's US visit, West Bengal, Primetime Emmy Awards, and more. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
In this episode of Daily Dose, Gaurav Sarkar brings you the latest from Narendra Modi's US visit, West Bengal, Primetime Emmy Awards, and more. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
In this episode, Happymon Jacob speaks with Amb. Rakesh Sood (India) & Amb. Salman Bashir (Retd. Foreign Secretary of Pakistan & Former High Commissioner of Pakistan to India) and discusses the Lahore Declaration (signed in 1999), and its renewed importance in the aftermath of Pulwama and Balakot. The conversation discusses the confidence-building measures (CBMs) that emerged as a consequence of this declaration, in line with the Simla agreement (1972).
Tensions between India and Pakistan, which escalated with the Pulwama incident and ensuing Balakot airstrike, have now soured after Indian government's decision to revoke Jammu and Kashmir's special status. Pakistan has been trying to internationalize the issue but after the recent snub by the United Nations Security Council, Pakistan has said that it will approach the International Court of Justice. Why is it that Pakistan has escalated the Kashmir issue? What strategic game is PM Imran Khan playing? And with no meaningful peace talks held between the two countries for years- where will India-Pakistan relations go from here? Shubhajit Roy, who reports on foreign affairs for the Indian Express, joins us to take a wider look at relations between the two countries.
In this episode, Happymon Jacob speaks with Amb. Rakesh Sood (India) & Amb. Salman Bashir (Retd. Foreign Secretary of Pakistan & Former High Commissioner of Pakistan to India) and discusses the Lahore Declaration (signed in 1999), and its renewed importance in the aftermath of Pulwama and Balakot. The conversation discusses the confidence-building measures (CBMs) that emerged as a consequence of this declaration, in line with the Simla agreement (1972).
Dr Happymon Jacob speaks with Amb. Vivek Katju (India’s Amb. to Thailand, Afghanistan and Myanmar) about India’s attendance at the recently concluded summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) as guest of honour and the subsequent OIC resolution condemning India’s actions in Kashmir. How does one understand these opposing signals? India is invited and later condemned? The conversation also discusses the developing geopolitical situation in Afghanistan and its implications for India. Who is to benefit from the US withdrawal from Afg? Is the Taliban capable of power sharing or will it remain under the strong influence of Pakistan? Amb. Katju also discusses the Balakot air strikes and how they have fundamentally altered the escalation ladder between India and Pakistan.
Happymon Jacob speaks with Manoj Joshi (Senior Defence Journalist),Siddharth Vardarajan (Founding Editor, The Wire) and Kapil Kak (Retd. Air Vice Marshal) to understand the strikes carried by the Indian Air Force in Balakot in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan on a JeM training facility. The conversation tries to understand the official Indian and Pakistani responses to this operation. Why did the Indian govt. term it as ‘Non-Military Pre-Emptive’ action and what objectives did the Pakistani govt. achieve by denying the impact of the strike. The conversation further discusses whether India has altered the escalation ladder in South Asia by using air power and striking inside Pakistani territory? If yes, how will Pakistan respond? Will this strike stop Pakistan’s support to non-state actors or will it have the opposite effect?
In this episode, Som and Uday discuss Kashmir - the past which brought us to the present and what the future holds as Sardar Patel's second coming assumes the Home Affairs portfolio. Political satire has a rich and long history in democracies across the world, but what role does it play when truth becomes the best form of political satire? Uday's writings on Kashmir can be found here - http://bit.ly/TNIXIX, http://bit.ly/TNIXXIX and http://bit.ly/Balakot
In the seventh episode of Business Standard’s politics podcast, The Chessboard, host Ankur Bhardwaj and Political Editor, Archis Mohan discuss the final phase of voting that will take place on Sunday, 19 May. 59 Lok Sabha constituencies will elect their MPs on 19 May and this includes the 13 seats in the state of Punjab. A little over two years after assembly elections in 2017, how is the political situation in the state? Can AAP retain its four seats in the state? Can Shiromani Akali Dal make its presence felt? Or is it the Congress party in pole position? As we get closer to the day of the results, political leaders around the country are meeting their peers in other parties. The Telangana CM, K C Rao met DMK boss, Stalin recently. Is a political realignment happening in India in anticipation of the results? The Prime Minister was in the news for his comments on advising the Indian Air Force to attack Balakot in cloudy conditions and for his statement on the use of emails and digital cameras in the late 1980s. Tune in for a detailed discussion on these issues. For more exciting news and insights from the world of politics, follow The Chessboard by subscribing to the Business Standard channel on Spotify and Google Podcast.
In the seventh episode of Business Standard’s politics podcast, The Chessboard, host Ankur Bhardwaj and Political Editor, Archis Mohan discuss the final phase of voting that will take place on Sunday, 19 May. 59 Lok Sabha constituencies will elect their MPs on 19 May and this includes the 13 seats in the state of Punjab. A little over two years after assembly elections in 2017, how is the political situation in the state? Can AAP retain its four seats in the state? Can Shiromani Akali Dal make its presence felt? Or is it the Congress party in pole position? As we get closer to the day of the results, political leaders around the country are meeting their peers in other parties. The Telangana CM, K C Rao met DMK boss, Stalin recently. Is a political realignment happening in India in anticipation of the results? The Prime Minister was in the news for his comments on advising the Indian Air Force to attack Balakot in cloudy conditions and for his statement on the use of emails and digital cameras in the late 1980s. Tune in for a detailed discussion on these issues. For more exciting news and insights from the world of politics, follow The Chessboard by subscribing to the Business Standard channel on Spotify and Google Podcast.
Back in the day while we were roommates in Chennai and Bangalore, we would have many long debates and conversations on the country and the many forces making it what it is today, right from politics to culture to it's history. We used to also have long conversations over many cups of coffee on the many happenings across the world. All in all, it's a well researched conversation on our worlds and it's moving wheels. So we thought, we should continue the conversation over a podcast and involve you in some of our thoughts. We intend to come back with an episode as often as we can, the moment we find matters that require some pontification across the pond.
In this episode of Reporters Without Orders, host Cherry Agarwal is joined by Newslaundry's head of research Ayush Tiwari, desk writer Gaurav Sarkar and Vijaita Singh from The Hindu. The panel talks about the reporting on the Balakot airstrike, ghost advertising for the BJP online, and more.The podcast kicks off with the panel talking about the reportage on the casualties caused by the IAF's airstrike on a Jaish-e-Mohammad's training camp. Discussing the varying numbers put out by the media, Vijaita says: “There was a precision strike ... even Pakistan has admitted ... but to give numbers, it's very difficult for the IAF or anybody because Pakistan is very secretive about these things.” Cherry is concerned about the credibility of "anonymous sources", saying, "I am often fearful that once the report goes out, [what if] my source flips over and says I didn't talk to you?”They discuss the I&B Ministry's showcause notice to two TV channels for airing a Pakistan Army press briefing. Ayush pointing out its digital equivalent, says: “Many of these digital outlets carried stories on what the Pakistan newspapers are saying … would that also be considered against national security?” Cherry points out that the media is not a tool for the government to set the narrative—it's there to raise questions, which doesn't make them anti-national or unpatriotic.The discussion moves to Gaurav's story on how Facebook's recently-released Ad Library Report lists "ghost advertisers"—who are Facebook and Instagram pages which often run ads for political parties without disclaimers. Gaurav explains, "You don't know who has been funding that. So officially, if the BJP's accounts are spending ₹6-8 lakh a week, then who are these guys pushing about a crore worth of advertising in a month?”For this and more, listen up!#Balakot #BJP #Facebook #National security #Media #India #Kashmir #Pulwama #Pakistan #airstrikes See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
This episode of Reporters Without Orders features host Cherry Agarwal, Newslaundry's head of research Ayush Tiwari, special correspondent Prateek Goyal and independent journalist Aruna Chandrasekhar. The panel talks about the Indian airstrike in Jaba, near Balakot, Supreme Court's order to evict more than 1 million tribals and forest-dwellers, the Kisan long march in Maharashtra and more.The podcast kicks off with the panel talking about IAF's airstrike on Jaish-e-Muhammad's "biggest training camp" in Pakistan. They also talk about the Supreme Court's verdict which has the potential to impact as many as 1 million tribals and forest-dwellers. Cherry points how tribals are often criticised for occupying "illegal" land. To which, Aruna says, “The government is supposed to be a custodian of public land…the idea that they are illegal occupants or illegal encroachers is part of language that is still extremely entrenched in our bureaucracy.”The panel also discusses why Arunachal Pradesh has been on the boil and a section of the media's coverage of the ongoing agitation. Further, they discuss the Republic TV-AMU controversy and the reason why sedition is used with much ease. Talking about police's actions in the AMU case, Ayush says, “They didn't make any arrests in that sedition charge case… there are robbery, murder, rioting (charges), besides the sedition charge.”Moving on, Prateek, who was at the Kisan long march that began from Nasik's Mumbai Naka, tells the panel what he saw on the ground. The panel also discusses the implications of association of the farmers' protest with AIKS. Prateek says, “Farmers are in distress… people above the age of 70 walked 20-25 km to take part in the march.” He says whether AIKS takes advantage of that or not is a separate issue, but such protests will go a long way in highlighting the agrarian distress.#Balakot #Supreme Court #Tribals #KisanLongMarch See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
"Once the Balakot effect winds down, then economic issues resurface": In Conversation with Gilles Verniers In this podcast, Vasundhara Sirnate Drennan speaks to Prof. Gilles Verniers about the upcoming electoral contest in Uttar Pradesh, the Balakot effect and people’s response to vigilante violence and encounter killings.
On April 5th 2019, as part of Indian Express' Idea Exchange, our Journalists and Editors spoke to the current Union Minister for Law and Information Technology and member of the BJP, Ravi Shankar Prasad. In this episode you’ll hear him talk about the upcoming 2019 elections, nationalism, jobs and unemployment, the Balakot air strike, women's reservation and more. You can follow us and leave us feedback on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @expresspodcasts, or send us an email at podcasts@indianexpress.com. If you like this show, please subscribe and leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts, so other people can find us. You can also find us on www.indianexpress.com/audio.
Dr Happymon Jacob speaks with Amb. Vivek Katju (India's Amb. to Thailand, Afghanistan and Myanmar) about India's attendance at the recently concluded summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) as guest of honour and the subsequent OIC resolution condemning India's actions in Kashmir. How does one understand these opposing signals? India is invited and later condemned? The conversation also discusses the developing geopolitical situation in Afghanistan and its implications for India. Who is to benefit from the US withdrawal from Afg? Is the Taliban capable of power sharing or will it remain under the strong influence of Pakistan? Amb. Katju also discusses the Balakot air strikes and how they have fundamentally altered the escalation ladder between India and Pakistan.
In this episode of Reporters Without Orders, host Cherry Agarwal is joined by Newslaundry's head of research Ayush Tiwari, desk writer Gaurav Sarkar and Vijaita Singh from The Hindu. The panel talks about the reporting on the Balakot airstrike, ghost advertising for the BJP online, and more.The podcast kicks off with the panel talking about the reportage on the casualties caused by the IAF’s airstrike on a Jaish-e-Mohammad's training camp. Discussing the varying numbers put out by the media, Vijaita says: “There was a precision strike ... even Pakistan has admitted ... but to give numbers, it’s very difficult for the IAF or anybody because Pakistan is very secretive about these things.” Cherry is concerned about the credibility of "anonymous sources", saying, "I am often fearful that once the report goes out, [what if] my source flips over and says I didn’t talk to you?”They discuss the I&B Ministry’s showcause notice to two TV channels for airing a Pakistan Army press briefing. Ayush pointing out its digital equivalent, says: “Many of these digital outlets carried stories on what the Pakistan newspapers are saying … would that also be considered against national security?” Cherry points out that the media is not a tool for the government to set the narrative—it's there to raise questions, which doesn't make them anti-national or unpatriotic.The discussion moves to Gaurav’s story on how Facebook's recently-released Ad Library Report lists "ghost advertisers"—who are Facebook and Instagram pages which often run ads for political parties without disclaimers. Gaurav explains, "You don’t know who has been funding that. So officially, if the BJP’s accounts are spending ₹6-8 lakh a week, then who are these guys pushing about a crore worth of advertising in a month?”For this and more, listen up! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
A pre-dawn strike by the Indian Air Force on Tuesday, 26 February, against terror camps of the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), has resulted in a propaganda war on both sides. While India caught Pakistan unawares 12 days after the Pulwama suicide bombing that killed over 40 CRPF personnel in Kashmir, Islamabad, in embarrassment, pledged retaliation at a place and time of their choosing. For more podcasts from The Quint, check out our [Podcasts](https://www.thequint.com/news/podcast) section.
The Chinese know a thing or two about face. Therefore they clearly understood the message put out by India in the aftermath of the air strike on Balakot in Pakistan on Tuesday, 26 February. This was aimed at making it easy for Islamabad to walk away from confrontation. The official statement put out by South Block invoked the doctrine of self-defence, enshrined in Article 51 of the UN Charter. It described its strikes on one of the “biggest training camps of JeM in Balakot” as “non-military pre-emptive action” provoked by the imminent danger that India believed it confronted. For more podcasts from The Quint, check out our [Podcasts](https://www.thequint.com/news/podcast) section.
The Shiv Sena said today that India's citizens have the right to know about the casualties in the air strike on a Jaish-e-Mohammed or JeM terror camp in Pakistan's Balakot and that revealing such information would not lower the morale of the armed forces.
Milan Vaishnav talks about the aftermath of the recent conflict between India and Pakistan and its ramifications for India's domestic politics and foreign policy with Alyssa Ayres (Senior Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations) and Rezaul Hasan Laskar (Foreign Editor, Hindustan Times). Although major hostilities have paused, tensions between the two neighbors remain high. But as India's election approaches, the domestic spin game has begun. The three discuss the government’s approach, the opposition’s positioning, and how international diplomacy fared during the crisis. Then, Milan speaks with Vipin Narang, associate professor of political science at MIT and a nonresident scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Narang is one of the few scholars to have thought deeply about when foreign policy actually matters for domestic politics in India. While the conventional wisdom holds that foreign policy is an elite issue that does not capture the imagination of the masses, Narang (and co-author Paul Staniland) argue that foreign policy can penetrate mass politics when the issue is salient and the lines of accountability are clear. Narang also explains why Modi and the BJP are likely to benefit from the recent crisis.
India Rising: Strategic Affairs Conversations with Mohal and Kishor @mohaljoshi @veggiediplomat In today's episode, we talk about India's strike on Balakot in response to Pulwama Terror Attack and how the government termed it as a non-military preemptive strike. We also talk about Pakistan's reaction in terms of violation of Indian airspace, subsequent dogfight between Indian and Pakistani jets over the Line of Control. We also talk about the capture of Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman and his subsequent release. Cover tune: Hand In Hand by Nicolai Heidlas | https://www.nicolai-heidlas.com Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Aadit Kapadia and Pramod Kumar Buravalli are joined by Defense Analyst and columnist Abhijit Iyer Mitra. They talk about Pulwama Attacks, India's Response to it, the Balakot Airstrikes, wing commander Abhinandan's capture and release and more. Lastly also a discussion on the India-Pakistan hostilities post Pulwama.
This episode of Reporters Without Orders features host Cherry Agarwal, Newslaundry's head of research Ayush Tiwari, special correspondent Prateek Goyal and independent journalist Aruna Chandrasekhar. The panel talks about the Indian airstrike in Jaba, near Balakot, Supreme Court's order to evict more than 1 million tribals and forest-dwellers, the Kisan long march in Maharashtra and more.The podcast kicks off with the panel talking about IAF’s airstrike on Jaish-e-Muhammad's "biggest training camp" in Pakistan. They also talk about the Supreme Court's verdict which has the potential to impact as many as 1 million tribals and forest-dwellers. Cherry points how tribals are often criticised for occupying "illegal" land. To which, Aruna says, “The government is supposed to be a custodian of public land…the idea that they are illegal occupants or illegal encroachers is part of language that is still extremely entrenched in our bureaucracy.” The panel also discusses why Arunachal Pradesh has been on the boil and a section of the media's coverage of the ongoing agitation. Further, they discuss the Republic TV-AMU controversy and the reason why sedition is used with much ease. Talking about police's actions in the AMU case, Ayush says, “They didn’t make any arrests in that sedition charge case… there are robbery, murder, rioting (charges), besides the sedition charge.”Moving on, Prateek, who was at the Kisan long march that began from Nasik's Mumbai Naka, tells the panel what he saw on the ground. The panel also discusses the implications of association of the farmers' protest with AIKS. Prateek says, “Farmers are in distress… people above the age of 70 walked 20-25 km to take part in the march.” He says whether AIKS takes advantage of that or not is a separate issue, but such protests will go a long way in highlighting the agrarian distress. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
On this week's Cock & Bull Cyrus is joined by comedian Sriraam Padmanabhan along with Amit and Abbas. The 4 of them discuss: India's non-military action in Balakot, Cobarpost's sting operation on film & TV personalities, Sachin Tendulkar's statement on playing cricket with Pakistan, the 2019 Oscars and the future of 'Mann ki Baat'. Follow Sriraam on twitter @sriraamp Do send in AMA questions for Cyrus by tweeting them to @cyrussaysin or e-mailing them at whatcyrussays@gmail.com In case you're late to the party and want to catch up on previous episodes of Cyrus Says you can do so at: www.ivmpodcasts.com/cyrussays You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the new and improved IVM Podcast App on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios
This week on Grand Tamasha, Milan Vaishnav sits down with Sadanand Dhume (Resident Scholar, American Enterprise Institute and Wall Street Journal columnist) and Sukumar Ranganathan (Editor-in-Chief, Hindustan Times) to discuss the aftermath of India’s targeted military strikes against Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terrorist camps in Pakistan. The strikes were a direct response to the tragic February 14 JeM attack on Indian paramilitary forces in Jammu and Kashmir, in which at least forty Indian soldiers lost their lives. The three discuss the current mood in New Delhi and the implications for the coming general elections. They also debate the ramifications of the conflict for state politics in Jammu and Kashmir and the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) standing in the troubled state. Then, Milan speaks with Arvind Subramanian, the former chief economic adviser to the Government of India, about the idea of a universal basic income (UBI) for India. Subramanian was responsible for putting the idea of an Indian UBI on the policy agenda with his landmark proposal in the government’s 2017-2018 Economic Survey. Since then, several states have implemented modified versions of a UBI and both the Congress Party and the ruling BJP have announced their own income support schemes. Subramanian, who is currently a professor at the Harvard Kennedy School and a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute of International Economics, weighs in on the competing proposals and outlines his own proposal for a QUBRI (Quasi-Universal Rural Basic Income).
Today in the early hours of the morning, Indian Air Force bombed Terrorist Camps in Balakot, Pakistan. Defense strategist and ex IAF pilot V K Thakur talks about the significance of these strikes and the IAF's strategy behind using the Mirage 2000.
Welcome to Season Four of How to Pakistan! Pakistan's former Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar joins Fasi & Mosharraf to discuss mayhem in the skies above Pakistan & India, the impact of Pulwama, Balakot, and hopes for peace.
India retaliated against Jaish-e-Mohammed's cowardly attack in Pulwama by bombing their training camp in Balakot, Pakistan. What are the facts? What does this mean for India-Pakistan relations? Watch #PolKeBol to find out!
Happymon Jacob speaks with Manoj Joshi (Senior Defence Journalist),Siddharth Vardarajan (Founding Editor, The Wire) and AVM (Retd.) Kapil Kak to understand the strikes carried by the Indian Air Force in Balakot in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan on a JeM training facility. The conversation tries to understand the official Indian and Pakistani responses to this operation. Why did the Indian govt. term it as ‘Non-Military Pre-Emptive' action and what objectives did the Pakistani govt. achieve by denying the impact of the strike. The conversation further discusses whether India has altered the escalation ladder in South Asia by using air power and striking inside Pakistani territory? If yes, how will Pakistan respond? Will this strike stop Pakistan's support to non-state actors or will it have the opposite effect?
© 2020-2025 Ivy Podcast Discovery LLC
