Podcasts about Tamil Nadu

Govt reaches out to CJP amid raging protest; JP Nadda holds talks with 2-member team The Centre has initiated talks with the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) amid escalating protests in New Delhi. A two-member delegation of the outfit met Union Health Minister JP Nadda after protesters attempted to march towards Parliament. According to the party, Nadda assured the delegation that he would discuss their demands with the government leadership, including their call for the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged examination irregularities. India's core sector growth rises to five-month high of 5% in June India's core infrastructure sector expanded 5 per cent in June, marking its strongest growth in five months. The growth was led by higher production of cement, electricity and iron ore. The latest data has been released under a revised index with 2022-23 as the new base year, while iron ore has been added to the basket of core industries, taking the total number of sectors to nine. No plan to remove LTCG tax on equity investments, Finance Ministry tells Parliament The Finance Ministry has clarified in Parliament that there is currently no proposal to abolish long-term capital gains (LTCG) tax on equity investments for domestic investors. The clarification follows the government's recent move to exempt certain foreign portfolio investors from LTCG tax on investments in government securities, a measure aimed at boosting foreign inflows and supporting the rupee. TN CM Vijay's swan song ‘Jana Nayagan' to hit screens July 23 amid record bookings Jana Nayagan, the final film of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay before entering full-time politics, is set for a worldwide release on July 23. The film will reportedly be screened across nearly 8,000 screens globally, with over 3,500 shows planned in Tamil Nadu. Strong advance bookings have already signalled massive audience anticipation for the release. (Research and VO: Siddharth Mathew Cherian)

Drugs don't just destroy an individual—they break families, shatter dreams, fuel crime, strengthen illegal drug cartels, and weaken the future of our nation. Whether it is alcohol abuse, tobacco, cigarettes, marijuana, methamphetamine, cocaine, LSD, or injectable narcotics, every addiction steals health, education, opportunities, and lives.Our youth are India's greatest strength. By choosing awareness over addiction, education over intoxication, and hope over dependency, we can build a stronger, healthier, and safer nation.Let us stand together to spread awareness, support those seeking recovery, and say NO to drugs and YES to life. Every conversation, every informed choice, and every helping hand brings us one step closer to a Nasha Mukt Bharat."A healthy youth builds a strong nation. Together, let's protect our future."

VOV1 - Hàng nghìn tài liệu được cho là liên quan đến Nhà máy điện hạt nhân lớn nhất Ấn Độ Kudankulam vừa bị nhóm mã độc tống tiền World Leaks phát tán trên mạng, làm dấy lên lo ngại về an ninh mạng đối với cơ sở hạ tầng trọng yếu của nước này.Theo truyền thông Ấn Độ, nhóm World Leaks đã công bố gần 19.000 tệp dữ liệu với tổng dung lượng khoảng 14,3 GB, nằm trong hơn 858.000 tệp được cho là đánh cắp từ Tập đoàn Reliance - một trong những nhà thầu tham gia xây dựng các tổ máy số 3 và 4 của Nhà máy điện hạt nhân Kudankulam tại bang Tamil Nadu. Dữ liệu bị phát tán được phát hiện xuất hiện trên mạng từ ngày 11/6.Các tệp được cho là bao gồm bản vẽ hệ thống thông gió và làm mát, sơ đồ phòng điều khiển chung, danh sách nhà cung cấp, hồ sơ họp và kiểm tra kỹ thuật, đánh giá thiết bị cùng các hợp đồng bảo hiểm từ năm 2016 đến giữa năm 2025. Tuy nhiên, các tài liệu không liên quan đến hệ thống lõi lò phản ứng do Tập đoàn Rosatom của Nga cung cấp.Tập đoàn Reliance xác nhận đã xảy ra một vụ “xâm nhập dữ liệu một phần” trên máy chủ do trung tâm dữ liệu Yotta vận hành và cho biết đã thông báo vụ việc tới Chính phủ Ấn Độ, song không tiết lộ cụ thể dữ liệu nào bị đánh cắp. Theo trung tâm Yotta, hệ thống đã phát hiện hoạt động đáng ngờ trên máy chủ từ ngày 29/5 và kịp thời ngăn chặn việc thực thi mã độc. Tuy nhiên, đến cuối tháng 6, Reliance mới thông báo rằng các đối tượng bên ngoài tuyên bố đã đánh cắp dữ liệu. Hiện Yotta vẫn chưa thể xác minh các tuyên bố này và đang phối hợp điều tra.Một số nguồn tin cho biết, hiện Tập đoàn Điện hạt nhân Ấn Độ (NPCIL) đã làm việc với Tập đoàn Reliance và Đội ứng cứu khẩn cấp máy tính Ấn Độ (CERT-In) để điều tra nguyên nhân cũng như đánh giá mức độ ảnh hưởng.Nhà máy điện hạt nhân Kudankulam hiện là cơ sở điện hạt nhân lớn nhất trong bảy nhà máy điện hạt nhân của Ấn Độ, với công suất thiết kế 6.000 MW và giữ vai trò then chốt trong kế hoạch mở rộng năng lượng hạt nhân của Chính phủ Ấn Độ. Hai tổ máy số 3 và số 4, do Tập đoàn Reliance tham gia xây dựng, dự kiến đi vào vận hành trong năm 2027 với tổng công suất 2.000 MW.Đây là lần thứ hai Kudankulam liên quan đến một sự cố an ninh mạng. Năm 2019, phần mềm độc hại có liên quan đến một nhóm tin tặc từng được phát hiện trên mạng hành chính của nhà máy, song các hệ thống vận hành và an toàn hạt nhân sau đó được cho là không bị ảnh hưởng./.  Đình Nam/VOV Ấn ĐộNhà máy điện hạt nhân Kudankulam, Ấn Độ. Ảnh: IAEA

SVK team went to meet Alim Albuhari in this new "Office Raid" series. In this series, our team raids offices for interviews and fun. In this episode, we raid Alim Albuhari's office along with the Witcher, Roronoa Zoro, Black Leg Sanji, and Sole King Brook.Special Guest: Alim Albuhari QC Team: Brook | Editor: ⁠Dharaneesh Udayakumar | ⁠Camera & Poster: ⁠Zoro⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Payment Method for Supporting Us: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://razorpay.me/@schumyvannakaviyangalofficial⁠⁠⁠⁠SVK Instagram ID: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠SVK Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

In the rich political landscape of Tamil Nadu, few movements have had as profound and enduring an impact as the Dravidian movement. Vignesh Rajahmani's The Dravidian Pathway (Hurst Publishers, 2025) offers a compelling and detailed account of how the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) transformed a powerful socio-cultural and anti-caste movement into a highly successful electoral political force. Focusing on the pivotal decades of the mid-20th century, Rajahmani traces the strategic leadership of key figures including Periyar E.V. Ramasamy, C.N. Annadurai, M. Karunanidhi, and others. The book explores how the DMK skilfully synthesised anti-caste ideology, demands for linguistic pride and Tamil identity, socioeconomic reforms, and educational mobility. This synthesis not only resonated deeply with marginalised communities but also enabled the party to translate ideological commitments into concrete welfare policies and political power. The Dravidian Pathway is particularly valuable for its nuanced examination of the transition from movement to party, shedding light on the organisational innovations — such as the spread of reading rooms (padippakams) — that helped build a robust Dravidian public sphere in the 1950s and 1960s. Rajahmani's work provides fresh insights into one of modern India's most distinctive and influential regional political traditions. This timely study is essential reading for anyone interested in South Indian politics, federalism, identity politics, and the enduring legacy of social justice movements in India. Host: Dhiren Swain is a joint PhD Candidate in Urban Studies at The University of Melbourne and IIT Madras. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

In the rich political landscape of Tamil Nadu, few movements have had as profound and enduring an impact as the Dravidian movement. Vignesh Rajahmani's The Dravidian Pathway (Hurst Publishers, 2025) offers a compelling and detailed account of how the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) transformed a powerful socio-cultural and anti-caste movement into a highly successful electoral political force. Focusing on the pivotal decades of the mid-20th century, Rajahmani traces the strategic leadership of key figures including Periyar E.V. Ramasamy, C.N. Annadurai, M. Karunanidhi, and others. The book explores how the DMK skilfully synthesised anti-caste ideology, demands for linguistic pride and Tamil identity, socioeconomic reforms, and educational mobility. This synthesis not only resonated deeply with marginalised communities but also enabled the party to translate ideological commitments into concrete welfare policies and political power. The Dravidian Pathway is particularly valuable for its nuanced examination of the transition from movement to party, shedding light on the organisational innovations — such as the spread of reading rooms (padippakams) — that helped build a robust Dravidian public sphere in the 1950s and 1960s. Rajahmani's work provides fresh insights into one of modern India's most distinctive and influential regional political traditions. This timely study is essential reading for anyone interested in South Indian politics, federalism, identity politics, and the enduring legacy of social justice movements in India. Host: Dhiren Swain is a joint PhD Candidate in Urban Studies at The University of Melbourne and IIT Madras. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/political-science

In the rich political landscape of Tamil Nadu, few movements have had as profound and enduring an impact as the Dravidian movement. Vignesh Rajahmani's The Dravidian Pathway (Hurst Publishers, 2025) offers a compelling and detailed account of how the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) transformed a powerful socio-cultural and anti-caste movement into a highly successful electoral political force. Focusing on the pivotal decades of the mid-20th century, Rajahmani traces the strategic leadership of key figures including Periyar E.V. Ramasamy, C.N. Annadurai, M. Karunanidhi, and others. The book explores how the DMK skilfully synthesised anti-caste ideology, demands for linguistic pride and Tamil identity, socioeconomic reforms, and educational mobility. This synthesis not only resonated deeply with marginalised communities but also enabled the party to translate ideological commitments into concrete welfare policies and political power. The Dravidian Pathway is particularly valuable for its nuanced examination of the transition from movement to party, shedding light on the organisational innovations — such as the spread of reading rooms (padippakams) — that helped build a robust Dravidian public sphere in the 1950s and 1960s. Rajahmani's work provides fresh insights into one of modern India's most distinctive and influential regional political traditions. This timely study is essential reading for anyone interested in South Indian politics, federalism, identity politics, and the enduring legacy of social justice movements in India. Host: Dhiren Swain is a joint PhD Candidate in Urban Studies at The University of Melbourne and IIT Madras. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/south-asian-studies

Discover Fr. James Kumar's inspiring journey! From an altar boy in Tamil Nadu to a dedicated Redemptorist priest, he shares his vibrant path of faith, overcoming personal struggles to answer God's beautiful call.

The real hands behind Route Mafia. Part 1.For months, "Route Mafia" has been projected as a spontaneous public voice.But who is really behind the campaign?In this video, we examine the think tanks, PR networks, digital campaign structures, and online ecosystems that helped amplify the Route Mafia narrative across social media.

NEET (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test) is a high stakes, high pressure exam that can make or mar the careers and fortunes of entire families. At least 14-NEET-linked suicides were reported this year, and the Tamil Nadu government's official position is that NEET should be scrapped. In Part 1 of this series, we looked at whether NEET as a system is aligned with India's social goals. In the second episode, we unpacked NEET's real relationship with merit. And in Part 3, we drill down to the examination itself, and the paper leak that sparked a retest. Guest: Professor Rajeev Kumar, who has taught Computer Science at IIT, Kharagpur and IIT Kanpur, among other places, and has been a whistleblower against malpractices in our higher education system. Host: G Sampath Producer and editor: Jude Weston Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

NEET (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test) is a high stakes, high pressure exam that can make or mar the careers and fortunes of entire families. At least 14-NEET-linked suicides were reported this year, and the Tamil Nadu government's official position is that NEET should be scrapped. Is a highly centralised MCQ-format exam the best way to assess the merit of a medical education aspirant? In Part 1 of this series, we looked at whether NEET as a system is aligned with India's social goals. In the second episode, we unpack NEET's relationship with merit. Joining us today is Professor T Sundararaman, a public health expert based in Puducherry. Host: G Sampath, Social Affairs Editor, The Hindu Producer: Shiksha Jural Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

NEET (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test) is a high stakes, high pressure exam that can make or mar the careers and fortunes of entire families. At least 14-NEET-linked suicides were reported this year, and the Tamil Nadu government's official position is that NEET should be scrapped. Much of the recent commentary on NEET has focussed on the paper leak. But larger questions remain: Is NEET, and India's medical education system, aligned with the nation's social and public health goals? In a country with one of the world's lowest doctor-patient ratios, shouldn't medical education be more accessible to the poor and marginalised? Should NEET be replaced with something more relevant to India's social realities? We explore these questions in a three-part series. Joining us in Part 1 is Professor T Sundararaman, a public health expert based in Puducherry. Host: G Sampath, Social Affairs Editor, The Hindu Producer: Shiksha Jural Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Set the context for a joyful, exuberant day with a short, powerful message from Sadhguru. Explore a range of subjects with Sadhguru, discover how every aspect of life can be a stepping stone, and learn to make the most of the potential that a human being embodies.  Conscious Planet: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.consciousplanet.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Sadhguru App (Download): ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://onelink.to/sadhguru__app⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Official Sadhguru Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://isha.sadhguru.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Sadhguru Exclusive: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://isha.sadhguru.org/in/en/sadhguru-exclusive⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Inner Engineering Link: isha.co/ieo-podcast Yogi, mystic and visionary, Sadhguru is a spiritual master with a difference. An arresting blend of profundity and pragmatism, his life and work serves as a reminder that yoga is a contemporary science, vitally relevant to our times. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Set the context for a joyful, exuberant day with a short, powerful message from Sadhguru. Explore a range of subjects with Sadhguru, discover how every aspect of life can be a stepping stone, and learn to make the most of the potential that a human being embodies.  Conscious Planet: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.consciousplanet.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Sadhguru App (Download): ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://onelink.to/sadhguru__app⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Official Sadhguru Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://isha.sadhguru.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Sadhguru Exclusive: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://isha.sadhguru.org/in/en/sadhguru-exclusive⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Inner Engineering Link: isha.co/ieo-podcast Yogi, mystic and visionary, Sadhguru is a spiritual master with a difference. An arresting blend of profundity and pragmatism, his life and work serves as a reminder that yoga is a contemporary science, vitally relevant to our times. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode features a conversation with Carnatic vocalist, T.M. Krishna, who is also the author of two books on this musical tradition. We began with his first book's account of the modernization of Carnatic music through a set of social, technical, and spatial processes that transformed it from a more socially diverse practice into a predominantly Brahmin performative genre. We moved on to discuss a figure who is at the heart of his second book: the maker of the Carnatic percussion instrument, the mrdangam. This took us into an extended discussion of the changing relationship between mrdangam makers, who are predominantly Dalit, and mrdangam players, who are predominantly Brahmin, and what the complex mix of inequality, stigma, artistry, and pride suggests about the specificity of this inter-caste relationship. The episode ended with Krishna fleshing out his distinction between classical music and art music and the reasons why he rejects the former in favor of the latter. Read the transcript Guest T.M. Krishna is a vocalist in the Carnatic tradition and the author of two books and numerous articles. References T.M. Krishna, A Southern Music: The Karnatik Story (Harper Collins, 2016). T.M. Krishna, Sebastian and Sons: A Brief History of Mrdangam Makers (Westland, 2023). Devadasi: refers to a historical practice of “marrying” girls to a temple deity. In the pre-colonial period, Devadasis held a respected place in society as literate, land owning women who were highly trained in music and dance. During colonialism, their sexual relations with male patrons came to be seen as a threat to householder society and they became targets of moral reform. The Devadasi system was abolished in 1947. Sadir: a dance form historically performed by the Devadasi community that was the precursor to modern Bharatanatyam. Bharatanatyam: a modern dance form now widely performed by upper castes. Khayal: vocal genre of North Indian music. ICS: Indian Civil Service, the higher tier of colonial administration in British India that became the basis of the post-independence Indian Administrative Service. The Music Academy: the main performance space for Carnatic music in Madras (now Chennai), India. Kutcheri: term for the venue where Carnatic music is performed. Thanjavur: city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu known for its art and architecture. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

This episode features a conversation with Carnatic vocalist, T.M. Krishna, who is also the author of two books on this musical tradition. We began with his first book's account of the modernization of Carnatic music through a set of social, technical, and spatial processes that transformed it from a more socially diverse practice into a predominantly Brahmin performative genre. We moved on to discuss a figure who is at the heart of his second book: the maker of the Carnatic percussion instrument, the mrdangam. This took us into an extended discussion of the changing relationship between mrdangam makers, who are predominantly Dalit, and mrdangam players, who are predominantly Brahmin, and what the complex mix of inequality, stigma, artistry, and pride suggests about the specificity of this inter-caste relationship. The episode ended with Krishna fleshing out his distinction between classical music and art music and the reasons why he rejects the former in favor of the latter. Read the transcript Guest T.M. Krishna is a vocalist in the Carnatic tradition and the author of two books and numerous articles. References T.M. Krishna, A Southern Music: The Karnatik Story (Harper Collins, 2016). T.M. Krishna, Sebastian and Sons: A Brief History of Mrdangam Makers (Westland, 2023). Devadasi: refers to a historical practice of “marrying” girls to a temple deity. In the pre-colonial period, Devadasis held a respected place in society as literate, land owning women who were highly trained in music and dance. During colonialism, their sexual relations with male patrons came to be seen as a threat to householder society and they became targets of moral reform. The Devadasi system was abolished in 1947. Sadir: a dance form historically performed by the Devadasi community that was the precursor to modern Bharatanatyam. Bharatanatyam: a modern dance form now widely performed by upper castes. Khayal: vocal genre of North Indian music. ICS: Indian Civil Service, the higher tier of colonial administration in British India that became the basis of the post-independence Indian Administrative Service. The Music Academy: the main performance space for Carnatic music in Madras (now Chennai), India. Kutcheri: term for the venue where Carnatic music is performed. Thanjavur: city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu known for its art and architecture. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/anthropology

This episode features a conversation with Carnatic vocalist, T.M. Krishna, who is also the author of two books on this musical tradition. We began with his first book's account of the modernization of Carnatic music through a set of social, technical, and spatial processes that transformed it from a more socially diverse practice into a predominantly Brahmin performative genre. We moved on to discuss a figure who is at the heart of his second book: the maker of the Carnatic percussion instrument, the mrdangam. This took us into an extended discussion of the changing relationship between mrdangam makers, who are predominantly Dalit, and mrdangam players, who are predominantly Brahmin, and what the complex mix of inequality, stigma, artistry, and pride suggests about the specificity of this inter-caste relationship. The episode ended with Krishna fleshing out his distinction between classical music and art music and the reasons why he rejects the former in favor of the latter. Read the transcript Guest T.M. Krishna is a vocalist in the Carnatic tradition and the author of two books and numerous articles. References T.M. Krishna, A Southern Music: The Karnatik Story (Harper Collins, 2016). T.M. Krishna, Sebastian and Sons: A Brief History of Mrdangam Makers (Westland, 2023). Devadasi: refers to a historical practice of “marrying” girls to a temple deity. In the pre-colonial period, Devadasis held a respected place in society as literate, land owning women who were highly trained in music and dance. During colonialism, their sexual relations with male patrons came to be seen as a threat to householder society and they became targets of moral reform. The Devadasi system was abolished in 1947. Sadir: a dance form historically performed by the Devadasi community that was the precursor to modern Bharatanatyam. Bharatanatyam: a modern dance form now widely performed by upper castes. Khayal: vocal genre of North Indian music. ICS: Indian Civil Service, the higher tier of colonial administration in British India that became the basis of the post-independence Indian Administrative Service. The Music Academy: the main performance space for Carnatic music in Madras (now Chennai), India. Kutcheri: term for the venue where Carnatic music is performed. Thanjavur: city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu known for its art and architecture. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/sociology

This episode features a conversation with Carnatic vocalist, T.M. Krishna, who is also the author of two books on this musical tradition. We began with his first book's account of the modernization of Carnatic music through a set of social, technical, and spatial processes that transformed it from a more socially diverse practice into a predominantly Brahmin performative genre. We moved on to discuss a figure who is at the heart of his second book: the maker of the Carnatic percussion instrument, the mrdangam. This took us into an extended discussion of the changing relationship between mrdangam makers, who are predominantly Dalit, and mrdangam players, who are predominantly Brahmin, and what the complex mix of inequality, stigma, artistry, and pride suggests about the specificity of this inter-caste relationship. The episode ended with Krishna fleshing out his distinction between classical music and art music and the reasons why he rejects the former in favor of the latter. Read the transcript Guest T.M. Krishna is a vocalist in the Carnatic tradition and the author of two books and numerous articles. References T.M. Krishna, A Southern Music: The Karnatik Story (Harper Collins, 2016). T.M. Krishna, Sebastian and Sons: A Brief History of Mrdangam Makers (Westland, 2023). Devadasi: refers to a historical practice of “marrying” girls to a temple deity. In the pre-colonial period, Devadasis held a respected place in society as literate, land owning women who were highly trained in music and dance. During colonialism, their sexual relations with male patrons came to be seen as a threat to householder society and they became targets of moral reform. The Devadasi system was abolished in 1947. Sadir: a dance form historically performed by the Devadasi community that was the precursor to modern Bharatanatyam. Bharatanatyam: a modern dance form now widely performed by upper castes. Khayal: vocal genre of North Indian music. ICS: Indian Civil Service, the higher tier of colonial administration in British India that became the basis of the post-independence Indian Administrative Service. The Music Academy: the main performance space for Carnatic music in Madras (now Chennai), India. Kutcheri: term for the venue where Carnatic music is performed. Thanjavur: city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu known for its art and architecture. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/south-asian-studies

This episode features a conversation with Carnatic vocalist, T.M. Krishna, who is also the author of two books on this musical tradition. We began with his first book's account of the modernization of Carnatic music through a set of social, technical, and spatial processes that transformed it from a more socially diverse practice into a predominantly Brahmin performative genre. We moved on to discuss a figure who is at the heart of his second book: the maker of the Carnatic percussion instrument, the mrdangam. This took us into an extended discussion of the changing relationship between mrdangam makers, who are predominantly Dalit, and mrdangam players, who are predominantly Brahmin, and what the complex mix of inequality, stigma, artistry, and pride suggests about the specificity of this inter-caste relationship. The episode ended with Krishna fleshing out his distinction between classical music and art music and the reasons why he rejects the former in favor of the latter. Read the transcript Guest T.M. Krishna is a vocalist in the Carnatic tradition and the author of two books and numerous articles. References T.M. Krishna, A Southern Music: The Karnatik Story (Harper Collins, 2016). T.M. Krishna, Sebastian and Sons: A Brief History of Mrdangam Makers (Westland, 2023). Devadasi: refers to a historical practice of “marrying” girls to a temple deity. In the pre-colonial period, Devadasis held a respected place in society as literate, land owning women who were highly trained in music and dance. During colonialism, their sexual relations with male patrons came to be seen as a threat to householder society and they became targets of moral reform. The Devadasi system was abolished in 1947. Sadir: a dance form historically performed by the Devadasi community that was the precursor to modern Bharatanatyam. Bharatanatyam: a modern dance form now widely performed by upper castes. Khayal: vocal genre of North Indian music. ICS: Indian Civil Service, the higher tier of colonial administration in British India that became the basis of the post-independence Indian Administrative Service. The Music Academy: the main performance space for Carnatic music in Madras (now Chennai), India. Kutcheri: term for the venue where Carnatic music is performed. Thanjavur: city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu known for its art and architecture. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/music

In this episode, we listen to words of lament, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Aganaanooru 275, penned by Kayamanaar. Set in the ‘Paalai’ or ‘Drylands landscape’, the verse etches the emotions of a Sangam mother at the juncture of her daughter’s elopement. ஓங்கு நிலைத் தாழி மல்கச் சார்த்தி,குடை அடை நீரின் மடையினள் எடுத்தபந்தர் வயலை, பந்து எறிந்து ஆடி,‘இளமைத் தகைமையை வள மனைக் கிழத்தி!பிதிர்வை நீரை வெண் நீறு ஆக’ என,யாம் தற் கழறுங் காலை, தான் தன்மழலை இன் சொல், கழறல் இன்றி,இன் உயிர் கலப்பக் கூறி, நன்னுதல்பெருஞ் சோற்று இல்லத்து ஒருங்கு இவண் இராஅள்,ஏதிலாளன் காதல் நம்பி,திரள் அரை இருப்பைத் தொள்ளை வான் பூக்குருளை எண்கின் இருங் கிளை கவரும்வெம் மலை அருஞ் சுரம், நம் இவண் ஒழிய,இரு நிலன் உயிர்க்கும் இன்னாக் கானம்,நெருநைப் போகிய பெரு மடத் தகுவிஐது அகல் அல்குல் தழை அணிக் கூட்டும்கூழை நொச்சிக் கீழது, என் மகள்செம் புடைச் சிறு விரல் வரித்தவண்டலும் காண்டிரோ, கண் உடையீரே? In this trip to the drylands, we take in a few familiar sights and listen to the outpouring of sorrow from the mother, at a time when her daughter had eloped away with the man: “Amidst the bushes of vayalai vines that she had reared by pouring water, collected with a tightly woven palmyra bowl from a tall and brimming urn, seeing her playing with a ball, I had scolded her saying, ‘O young and naive maiden of this prosperous mansion! You seem to be roaming around without a care. You are sure to be doomed!'. At this time, without any anger, she rendered her child-like, sweet words that made my sweet life melt away with joy. But that maiden with a fine forehead, without choosing to remain in this mansion, with copious food to share, has trusted in the love of a stranger, and leaving me to languish here, has left to a formidable drylands in the scorching mountains, where clusters of white flowers from the thick-trunked Mahua tree are stolen by huge sleuths of bear cubs. That maiden with great naivety, who has left yesterday to the terrible scrub jungle around which the huge land sighs in suffering, using her reddened little fingers, had built a sand house under the chaste tree, which used to render fine leaves to adorn her wide and uplifted loins. Those who have eyes, won't you see this work of art left behind by that daughter of mine!” Time to listen to this expression of grief! Mother starts like mothers often do, recollecting a past moment with their beloved offspring. She remembers how one day the lady had been playing near the vayalai bushes that the lady herself had reared with much love, pouring water for it every day using a palmyra bowl. A moment to note the use of biodegradable material of palm leaves to stitch baskets with such skill that they seem to even hold water! Something we should perhaps learn from the descendants of these basket weavers in the remote villages of Tamil Nadu. Returning, Mother talks about how her girl had been playing with a ball amidst these bushes and this seems to have angered Mother, who had admonished her for roaming around without a care. There seems to be a hidden implication in mother’s tone that the girl had matured and she had no business to be playing around in this manner. In any case, mother remembers how her daughter showed no anger for that scolding and spoke so sweetly in a child-like tone, which made mother’s heart melt away. But that same girl, believing in some stranger’s promise of love, had left to the drylands, where bear cubs roam about gathering white Mahua flowers, Mother says. She concludes by asking all around her to take a look at the sand house her daughter had made under the chaste tree, near the house, and perceive the pain that throbs in her heart! A verse that talks about the poignant feelings, which arise when one glimpses at the places and things, resounding with memories of a parted one. A desk, a pair of spectacles, a ‘Bullet’ motorbike, a letter that arrives late… The objects may change in different spaces and different times, but they all proclaim the indelible presence of a person, even in that moment of their absence! 

ThePrintAM: What's the TB death prediction tool that has shown results in Tamil Nadu?

निकोलाई टैंगन बात करते हैं Snowflake के CEO श्रीधर रामास्वामी से। Snowflake एक डेटा प्लेटफ़ॉर्म है जो दुनिया की आधी सबसे बड़ी कंपनियों को चलाता है। इस बातचीत में वे समझते हैं कि डेटा और AI की दुनिया में असल में क्या हो रहा है।दोनों इन बातों पर गहराई से चर्चा करते हैं: Snowflake सिर्फ़ इस्तेमाल के हिसाब से पैसे लेता है (कंजम्पशन-बेस्ड प्राइसिंग), और यही बात इसे आम सॉफ़्टवेयर कंपनियों से अलग बनाती है। श्रीधर अब मानते हैं कि AI मॉडल बनाने वाली कंपनियाँ टेक इंडस्ट्री में सबसे बड़ा ख़तरा हैं—बाक़ी किसी से भी ज़्यादा। और AI एजेंट अब हर चीज़ बदल रहे हैं—डेटा पाइपलाइन से लेकर सॉफ़्टवेयर इंजीनियरिंग तक।श्रीधर अपनी कंपनी Neva के बारे में भी बात करते हैं—उसे शुरू करना और फिर उसका नाकाम होना, और इससे उन्होंने क्या सीखा। साथ ही वे उन मूल्यों के बारे में बताते हैं जिन्होंने उन्हें तमिलनाडु से टेक इंडस्ट्री के शिखर तक पहुँचाया: मेहनत, हर हाल में ढल जाना, और हार न मानना।यह दिलचस्प बातचीत ज़रूर सुनें!——Snowflake CEO: How AI Agents Will Transform the Workplace Nicolai Tangen sits down with Sridhar Ramaswamy, CEO of Snowflake, the data platform powering half the world's largest companies, to explore what's really happening at the frontier of data and AI. They dig into how Snowflake's consumption-based pricing sets it apart from traditional software models, why Sridhar now considers AI model companies a bigger competitive threat than anyone else in tech, and how AI agents are transforming everything from data pipelines to software engineering itself. Sridhar also reflects on the lessons learned from founding and failing with Neva, and shares the values of hard work, adaptability, and resilience that have shaped him from Tamil Nadu to the top of the tech industry. Tune in for an insightful conversation! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tamil Nadu's new TVK govt, led by CM Vijay, has released a detailed White Paper on the state's finances for the 5 post-Covid years, which coincide with DMK rule. It compares the state with 3 peers -- Gujarat, Maharashtra & Karnataka. In episode xxxx of #CutTheClutter, ThePrint Editor-in-Chief Shekhar Gupta analyses the data, charts, and conclusions presented in the White Paper & looks at how decades of welfare-driven politics have impacted Tamil Nadu's economy & what it could mean for the state's future.

ThePrintPod: 146 new legislators, one crash course: Tamil Nadu's TVK govt prepares rookie MLAs for assembly debut

We've curated a special 10-minute version of the podcast for those in a hurry. Here you can listen to the full episode: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/snowflake-ceo-scaling-data-ai-agents-and-the-new/id1614211565?i=1000773056685 Nicolai Tangen sits down with Sridhar Ramaswamy, CEO of Snowflake, the data platform powering half the world's largest companies, to explore what's really happening at the frontier of data and AI. They dig into how Snowflake's consumption-based pricing sets it apart from traditional software models, why Sridhar now considers AI model companies a bigger competitive threat than anyone else in tech, and how AI agents are transforming everything from data pipelines to software engineering itself. Sridhar also reflects on the lessons learned from founding and failing with Neva, and shares the values of hard work, adaptability, and resilience that have shaped him from Tamil Nadu to the top of the tech industry. Tune in for an insightful conversation! In Good Company is hosted by Nicolai Tangen, CEO of Norges Bank Investment Management. New full episodes every Wednesday, and don't miss our Highlight episodes every Friday. The production team for this episode includes Isabelle Karlsson and PLAN-B's Niklas Figenschau Johansen and Sebastian Langvik-Hansen. Background research was conducted by Simran Sahajpal. Watch the episode on YouTube: Norges Bank Investment Management - YouTubeWant to learn more about the fund? The fund | Norges Bank Investment Management (nbim.no)Follow Nicolai Tangen on LinkedIn: Nicolai Tangen | LinkedInFollow NBIM on LinkedIn: Norges Bank Investment Management: Administrator for bedriftsside | LinkedInFollow NBIM on Instagram: Explore Norges Bank Investment Management on Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A version of this essay has been published by Open Magazine at https://openthemagazine.com/world/india-will-collapse-without-digital-sovereignty-and-pax-indica-lessons-from-hormuzBy now it is clear that the Iran War (or West Asia War) has been a disaster to all concerned, including the principals as well as assorted passersby. The massive amounts spent by the US (at last count $25 billion) are at least articulated; the bill for the enormous infrastructural and human suffering inflicted on Gulf states, in the theater of war, must be greater, by definition.The collateral damages suffered by the rest of the world from the cessation of trade through the Straits of Hormuz will presumably run into the trillions of dollars. As one of the worst affected, India, which imports 90% of its hydrocarbons from the Gulf, not to mention other essential items such as urea (for fertilizer), sulfuric acid, helium, etc., is on track to take a massive hit. As an article in The Economic Times said, “India must brace for broad-based economic shock”.Indian exports of up to $50 billion are also affected, especially agricultural products including perishable foodstuffs, but also gems and jewellery, electronics, textiles and garments. Some of this can be diverted via Oman and the UAE's Fujairah port, but much of it passes through the Straits of Hormuz and is potentially blocked and/or stranded at sea.The Hormuz closure is a body blow to India's economy. What can and will India do about it? The Indian State has a habit of rising to the challenge only when there is a crisis, while vegetating otherwise. The 1991 economic crisis is a case in point; the sanctions following “The Buddha is smiling”, and the denial of cryogenic rocket engines and supercomputers are other examples where the nation rallied. So were covid vaccines. Necessity, they say, is the mother of invention.Turning a threat into an opportunityIf I were to be an optimist, I could say that the current crisis is actually an opportunity. In fact, a major opportunity. My reading of the Iran War is that it is President Trump's strategic tit-for-tat against China for denying him rare earths and cutting off soybean purchases. In return Trump decided to deny China access to oil by closing access to Venezuela and Iran. Whether this will work, or whether the G2 condominium (read ‘surrender') will prevail, is unclear.But that is, in a sense, background noise that needs to be managed. India needs to focus on its own issues, of which I see several as critical, and the solution in general is to become Atmanirbhar, self-reliant, and from that, to create an Anti-Fragile nation:* National security/defense* Food security* Energy security* Digital security/narrative control* Trade securityThe first three do not need an explanation: they are obvious. Internal and external security are pre-requisites for any successful society. If India's hard-won food security can be threatened by external threats, then there needs to be some deep introspection. Energy security means diversification, both of hydrocarbon sources, and of types of energy, including renewables, nuclear, biomass, coal-based, and so on.Malign narratives and digital sovereigntyNarrative control is something that the Indian State has failed at so far; it is laughably easy to create hate speech against Indians and India (as has been demonstrated freely by any number of players, starting from the MAGA crowd, to Audrey Truschke to a”Cockroach Janata Party” and some nitwit Norwegian journalist in just the last fortnight) and there are no consequences to the culprits. It's enough to make me pine for Lee Kuan Yew's aggressive legal battles against the media.It's one thing if it were only a problem with foreigners, but with the massive spread of social media, and in particular generativeAI, it is becoming a serious domestic issue. Since India is an avid consumer of social media, and because generativeAI is trained on things like Wikipedia, X, Whatsapp and Google content, biased and motivated material becomes ensconced as The Truth. I have written about narrative warfare and manufacturing consent.This used to be a one-way tsunami of (mis)-information by legacy media, but now there is also the opposite: the wholesale and free vacuuming-up of Indian data (whatever happened to “data is the new oil”?). The “Great Firewall of China” both kept out foreign BIg Tech applications and prevented their plundering Chinese data: is that the way to go?Manufactured narratives are intended for regime change: all the color revolutions today are hatched with massive bot-farms funded by some combination of Deep State, CCP, ISI, Qatar etc. (for example the alleged Gen-Z uprisings that rocked Nepal, drove Sheikh Hasina out of Bangladesh). Thus muzzling malign narratives, and ensuring data security, are imperative.Even Singapore is not immune: it had to block anti-India narratives that likely originated from Chinese sources.A particularly striking example of narrative warfare is the virtual hate speech inducted into Wikipedia by deeply prejudiced anonymous editors. Ashley Rindsberg, who exposed the mighty New York Times' biases in his book The Gray Lady Winked, provides many examples of this.Of note to Indians and Hindus is his recent substack titled “Wikipedia's India War” where he identifies just four editors as having created most of the content condemning the Hindu American Foundation (HAF) in ‘Wikivoice', i.e. the allegedly neutral perspective of Wikipedia. They are, on the contrary, shown to be highly one-sided.As Rindsberg mentions, Wikipedia being central to generativeAI, the damage is baked into the world-view of all AI applications. Truly Orwellian. Says Rindsberg: “four… anonymous accounts can have an enormous impact on what millions of people believe to be the truth.” “Over four years (2021-2025), editors systematically erased HAF's identity as an American civil rights group, transforming its Wikipedia page into a heavily curated dossier of accusations.”Trade, and how the Spice Route was far superior to the Silk RoadFinally, something that is becoming increasingly important: ensuring freedom of trade. This is more than just freedom of navigation, although I find it instructive that Emperor Rajendra Chola sent a huge fleet 1,001 years ago simply to open up the Straits of Malacca. India can make an active attempt to regain primacy in Indian Ocean trade, the whole Pax indica idea.Here is another example of the power of narrative: we have been led to believe that the Silk Road to China was some major highway of commerce between ancient Rome and ancient China, but it was a term coined only in 1877 by the German Ferdinand von Richthofen. There was no highway. A large caravan might take six months, and with 500 camels traversing treacherous deserts and braving bandits, it might carry a maximum of 100 tons. That is puny.In comparison, on the Spice Route, a single stitched ship from Muziris could carry 400 tons of ivory, pepper, silk, tigers and elephants; and the historian Strabo around 1 CE talks about fleets of 250 ships going from Alexandria to India on a six-week monsoon-powered journey. That is 100,000 tons of merchandise. No wonder Pliny the Elder complained that Rome's treasuries were being emptied of gold by India.Simple question: where are hoards of ancient Roman coins found in Asia? Answer: not along the Silk Road. The hoards are in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka.Today, it is possible for India to aspire to port-led development of trade, especially with the major ports at Trivandrum (Vizhinjam), Maharashtra (Vadhavan), and Great Nicobar (Galathea Bay). The underlying ‘software' of India's millennia-old trade competency was a ‘multi-protocol switch' as I pointed out, and today's India Stack can replicate that. Then there is the need for a blue-water navy: muscle to provide security on the Hormuz to Malacca sea-lanes.So there is a vision. How can India get there? This is where policy matters, as I discussed with policy expert Anuj Gupta. Policy, especially industrial policy, has had a bad reputation in certain circles because it was deemed to violate the virginal purity of classical capitalism. However, in a recent U-turn, even the World Bank admitted that industrial policy may not be all that bad, after all: the success of Japan, the Asian Tigers, and China can't be ignored.That leads to the question of why policy in India has produced mediocre outcomes, what is different now, and where the best use of policy might be.Industrial Policy: What went wrong in the past?There are many problems here. To begin with, the Soviet model, which Nehruvians swore by, was, in hindsight, a dead end. Second, there is the problem of governance: post-Independence bureaucrats have awkwardly borne the legacy of imperial hauteur and the needs of a developing society. Third, until recently, the bare necessities (food, electricity, road access) were not available to many citizens, and GDP growth was not their priority.There is also the culture of jugaad: of clever ways in which you overcome constraints through frugal improvisation and seat-of-the-pants making-do. This is fine for one-off things (e.g. converting a tractor trailer into a makeshift transport vehicle because your truck broke down), but it does not make for efficient and replicable industrial products. As The Economic Times said recently, it is time to junk jugaad. Quality has to become ingrained in people's minds.The issue of governance is significant: the bureaucracy and the judiciary have both under-performed, politicians, as everywhere, have been venal. It is said that China's growth can be attributed to the fact that its babus are engineers, and therefore with engineering ruthlessness move in straight lines. The US' babus are lawyers, and India's are humanities graduates. Well, engineers are not very good at second-order effects (eg. China's lurch from one-child policy to demographic collapse), but a little bit of ruthlessness is probably good.What is going reasonably well?There are a few modest success stories: for example, in electronics manufacturing or assembly. The PLIs (and DLIs) have produced the desired effort, with clusters of excellence where global suppliers have also set up shop (as they did earlier for the automobile industry in, say, Sriperumpudur). The fact that a lot of iPhones in the US are now imported from India is laudable, even though it may be derided as “screwdriver jobs”. That's where one starts the move up the value chain.The current semiconductor policy is a big hope, especially after the landmark agreement by the Dutch firm ASML with Tata Electronics in Dholera, Gujarat. Given that ASML has a near-monopoly position in Deep Ultraviolet Lithography (DUV) this is a major boost to India's chip ambitions. My recent conversation with AMD CTO Suraj Rengarajan went into India's chances to realize its ambitions.A recent announcement from Trivandrum-based fabless startup NetraSemi (a recipient of DLI) of the commercial availability of its edge AI chips is a landmark.Next is the newly announced plan for energy security revolving around both coal gasification and intensive offshore exploration. These fall squarely into the Atmanirbhar category: India simply cannot afford to have its energy held hostage by distant nations. It also needs distinctly Indian innovation.The Samudra Manthan initiative is also showing some promise. At least one out of three deep-water wells in the Andaman Sea (SriVijaya Puram-3) are reported to be showing the availability of natural gas, although it will take 5-10 years for this to be commercially available.What should the future look like for India's Industrial Policies?This of course is the hard question. Here is my personal perspective, and I accept that reasonable people may disagree. I think three areas need to be focused on, and will pay large dividends.* Drones and swarming software* Social media and AI stack* Maritime Trade and Blue-Water NavyI admit that these are not the only worthwhile industrial policies. Another is for copper, which would reverse the catastrophic effects of the closure of the Sterlite plant in Thoothukkudi, as the metal is an increasingly important component in electronics, data centers, etc., and far from being self-sufficient earlier, India now imports 50% of its needs. Another area of interest in quantum computing.There are also failures from which the right lessons need to be learned. The policy for EV batteries has apparently failed: according to Swarajya magazine, India has not been able to escape from near-total dependence on imported Chinese batteries.Drone swarmsI wrote recently that drones may well herald a step-change in warfare. For the moment, though, they are searching for their niche in offensive/defensive warfare. Drone hardware is already a well-trodden path with Chinese and other nations dominating it, although with IdeaForge, Paras, Garuda, IoTechworld Avigation etc., India is also making progress there. And India is indeed buying the hardware, $2 billion-worth, according to the Economic Times.But I believe the real game is in drone swarms. AI-based control software (similar to HiveMind) that would allow an entire swarm to act autonomously, just like a murmuration of starlings, would be the gold standard to aim for. Such a self-managing swarm would be virtually impossible to defend against, and I think India should put in place a PLI to support it, leveraging software capability in the country.Of course, drones are not just for military purposes, but also for commercial uses including things like logistics and agricultural use, such as precision delivery of fertilizer and pesticide to crops (as Garuda demonstrates). An Indian initiative that supports both drone hardware, and especially drone software, would be a potential winner.Digital Sovereignty: Social media and AI stackThere is a raging battle over which part of the AI stack India needs to invest in. As an old Unix hand, I believe the foundational model is not where the differentiation is. In analogy with Linux (the open-source Unix variant that was popularized by Linus Torvalds and an army of volunteers), there is little value in re-writing the operating system, but one can differentiate by building on top of it, or by judiciously choosing certain modules of it.Besides, the cost of building an entirely new foundational model would be astronomical and would consume the entire budget of IndiaAI Mission.Thus, my personal opinion is that the foundational model (especially when, it is believed, there are more or less open-source models available for free, e.g. Llama, DeepSeek) is not where India should expend its precious R&D resources, but on the layers of the stack above it. It is the data that matters, as Larry Ellison apparently suggests too.But there is the interesting counter-example of Sarvam AI which is producing its own sovereign model: multi-lingual and presumably otherwise tuned to Indian needs. The question is whether this can survive when hundreds of billions worth of capital investment are going to the US Big Tech companies and their Chinese rivals. The sad history of Koo, a Twitter rival, comes to mind. So does Arattai, a Whatsapp rival, whose popularity has waned. .A well-thought-through industrial policy on generativeAI is therefore essential. The status quo ante is unsustainable; given the fact that Sarvam has also found it difficult to raise funds in the US, it is worth pondering whether a China-style massive subsidy is the answer. And where should it go, into foundational models or into the layers of the stack above it? The answer is “both”, but with priority to the latter.Here is where I would prioritize investments, in order:* Vertical applications in specific domains: e.g. defense, healthcare, agriculture, governance (particularly in the judiciary and in ease of doing business in the bureaucracy)* Fine-tuning and customization: for the needs of the Indian context, e.g. multi-linguality under Bhashini* Compute infrastructure: GPUs, sovereign and protected indian datasets* Sovereign Small-Language Models such as Sarvam AIAs mentioned above, at the moment India's data is being sucked up for free by US Big Tech. In addition, there is the real danger that Indic Knowledge Systems will be mined and digested, as has happened to yoga, pranayama, etc., which have been given Western analogs and nomenclature, as in Pilates, ‘coherent breathing' etc.These two problems are connected, and both need to be tackled in parallel. Social media is being weaponized against India, and this is magnified by the legacy media in a positive feedback loop. Three examples: one was the rage against Adani based on the dubious research of Hindenburg, which then went under; the second is Bloomberg's reckless accusation about gold reserves being sold by the RBI, which they were forced to retract, but social media and Wikipedia will remember it; the third is the meteoric (media) rise of the Cockroach Janata Party.Trade using major ports, Digital Public Infrastructure and a blue water navyUsing trade for competitive advantage is an age-old tactic. The trade tiffs between the US and China are examples of this: we are witnessing war by other means. Many nations are getting into this act, and India does have some advantages, partly based on geography. Maritime trade is likely to continue to be the key, which makes naval chokepoints the big story, but not the only story to watch out for.The major aspects of maritime trade include infrastructure, the digital “multi-protocol switch”, and security. On the one hand, India is developing not only major container ports, and the road/rail links to get to them, and the industrial goods to ship out through them, but also a serious shipbuilding industry, which was one of India's historical strengths. Then it used to be stitched wooden ships (teak beams lashed together with coconut rope). Now it's modern steel ships.There are the big, efficient new ports, which can now turn ships around with Singapore-like efficiency; the proposed third aircraft carrier group which will make it possible to patrol the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal at the time; the Air-Independent Propulsion diesel submarines and nuclear submarines that can monitor (and if necessary, deny) narrow straits; the sale of supersonic Brahmos cruise missiles to the Philippines, Vietnam and Indonesia (and Cyprus) that create ship-denial zones: all this is muscle.And the final piece, the ‘software' for trade, the “multi-protocol switch”. This last is complicated. Its value is underestimated by many. But this is what enables friction-less transactions between various unrelated parties. The India Stack and the Digital Public Infrastructure can be utilized to provide such a facility. But it is complex enough to need significant study as to what is possible, and how to roll it out.Second-order effectsIn closing, it is worth considering some of what the (unintended) consequences of these proposals may be. Let us note that the G2 has no interest in allowing India to grow and make it a G3. They will do everything in their power to kneecap India, by all means possible.There is also a certain derision for India in some circles. Here is a generic western opinion on why China got rich, and India didn't. Well, the author doesn't consider the second-order effects of the wholesale destruction of Chinese civilization: that is a tradeoff Indians may not prefer for themselves. We all know how China's well-intentioned One Child Policy turned into demographic collapse within a few years. Besides, as The Economist asks, “China is innovative. Its economy is a mess. Which will win out?”This is why I think planning for these second-order effects is important. We tend to ignore them because they seem counterintuitive or unlikely, but Nassim Taleb has sensitized us to how low-probability Black Swan events can have grave consequences.As an example, attempting digital sovereignty may have unwelcome side-effects: Big Tech have the first-mover advantage and network effects and there are increasing returns to scale. They will surely make it hard for a new player to break in. Besides, the large investments in data centers and GCCs that they are making in India would make it very difficult for them to be ejected with a “Great Indian Firewall”.Even taxing their capture of Indian data will be complicated; not to mention that they have demonstrated that they can happily violate copyright laws with no consequence; therefore they will find ways to chew up and spit out Indian Knowledge Systems, and essentially re-colonize India. Digital colonialism is not a threat, it is a reality today, and it is a consequence of the relatively open Indian system.In addition, there is a malign group, the “barbarians within” as Arnold Toynbee once put it, who are ready to sacrifice Indian sovereignty for a pittance.Given all this, it will be very difficult to put in place serious measures to gain digital independence; and the narrative-peddling is likely to gain further momentum: just consider the caste allegations that have haunted BAPS in the US (despite the cases being dismissed by the US DoJ), the Cisco Systems case where, again, the case was dismissed, but the narrative continues, and the persistent efforts in various US states to turn caste into a weapon to bludgeon Indians.Another sensitive issue is that of the multi-protocol switch for trade. While from an Indian point of view, it eases trade and harks back to a Golden Age of Indic maritime commerce, but that will be viewed elsewhere very differently, for instance by the US as an attempt to de-dollarize. The US has jealousy guarded – with very good reasons that we will not go into here – the dollar's reserve currency status.We have also seen what happened to those who attempt to hurt the dollar's primacy: in 1985, the Plaza Accord devalued the dollar, and that was a body blow to Japan's economy, which has not recovered its mojo to this day. Later, Iraq's Saddam Hussein and Libya's Muammar Gaddafi both had ideas about replacing the petro-dollar with, respectively, the Euro and a new pan-African gold-backed currency. We know what happened to them.If the India Stack multi-protocol switch is perceived as an alternative to the US dollar, there may be grave consequences. Therefore, it should be conceived and deployed only as an adjunct to it and to the almighty SWIFT settlement system.ConclusionIndia is at a crossroads now. Even though the Hormuz closure is a serious problem, if it plays its cards right, adversity can be turned into opportunity across a variety of perspectives. The key is Atmanirbhar, self-reliance. If India can now implement a crash program of industrial policy, and at the same time overcome an ingrained Third-World tendency to cut corners, it can finally break free of the years of underperformance, what I called the Nehruvian Penalty in 2004.It is possible, but there are caveats: unforeseen consequences. Hic sunt dracones. Here be dragons. Be afraid. Be very afraid.3700 words, 7 June 2026This is episode 192 of the Shadow Warrior podcast. Here is a companion AI-generated slideshow. (Note that the borders of India are not necessarily depicted correctly here, because it is generated by an AI, notebookLM.google.com) This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rajeevsrinivasan.substack.com/subscribe

VOV1 - Từ những con tàu chở dầu trên Vịnh Ba Tư đến các tàu hàng vượt Đại Tây Dương, thủy thủ Ấn Độ hiện diện trên hầu hết các tuyến hàng hải quan trọng của thế giới. Ít ai biết rằng cứ 5 thuyền viên làm việc trên các tàu thương mại quốc tế thì có 1 người mang quốc tịch Ấn Độ.Bên lề Hội nghị Thượng đỉnh Nhóm các nước công nghiệp phát triển (G7) tại Pháp, Thủ tướng Ấn Độ Narendra Modi đã nêu vấn đề an toàn hàng hải trong cuộc gặp với Tổng thống Mỹ Donald Trump:“Chúng tôi luôn khẳng định rằng quyền tự do hàng hải phải được đảm bảo. Tất cả chúng ta cần cùng nhau nỗ lực nhấn mạnh điều này. Chúng ta đều biết, trong thương mại hàng hải toàn cầu, hàng trăm nghìn thủy thủ Ấn Độ hiện đang phục vụ trên khắp các đại dương, đóng góp một phần to lớn vào sự phát triển của thế giới. Tôi cho rằng sự an toàn của họ rất quan trọng và cũng tin rằng, với thỏa thuận vừa đạt được (giữa Mỹ và Iran), sự an toàn của các thủy thủ của chúng tôi cũng sẽ được đảm bảo và được ưu tiên hàng đầu.”Đối với New Delhi, đây không chỉ là vấn đề an ninh hàng hải mà còn liên quan trực tiếp đến sinh kế của hàng trăm nghìn công dân đang làm việc trên biển.Trên thực tế, Ấn Độ hiện có hơn 300.000 thuyền viên được chứng nhận làm việc trên các tàu quốc tế, đưa nước này trở thành một trong những quốc gia cung cấp nhân lực hàng hải lớn nhất thế giới, cùng với Philippines và Trung Quốc. Thủy thủ Ấn Độ hiện diện trên hầu hết các tuyến hàng hải quan trọng, từ Vịnh Ba Tư, Biển Đỏ, Địa Trung Hải cho tới Đại Tây Dương và Thái Bình Dương.Theo các chuyên gia hàng hải, vị thế đặc biệt này không phải ngẫu nhiên. Với đường bờ biển dài hơn 7.500 km và lịch sử giao thương bằng đường biển kéo dài hàng nghìn năm, nhiều cộng đồng ven biển Ấn Độ đã hình thành truyền thống đi biển từ nhiều thế hệ. Tại các bang Kerala, Goa, Maharashtra hay Tamil Nadu, không ít gia đình có cha, con và cháu cùng theo nghề thủy thủ hoặc sĩ quan hàng hải.Bên cạnh yếu tố truyền thống, hệ thống đào tạo hàng hải phát triển cũng là một lợi thế lớn của Ấn Độ. Hàng chục học viện và trung tâm đào tạo đạt chuẩn quốc tế mỗi năm cung cấp hàng nghìn sĩ quan, kỹ sư và thuyền viên cho các hãng tàu trên toàn cầu. Khả năng sử dụng tiếng Anh tốt cùng trình độ chuyên môn được công nhận rộng rãi giúp lao động Ấn Độ có tính cạnh tranh cao trên thị trường nhân lực hàng hải quốc tế.Tuy nhiên, sức hấp dẫn lớn nhất của nghề đi biển vẫn là thu nhập. Đối với nhiều thanh niên tại các địa phương ven biển, làm việc trên tàu biển quốc tế có thể mang lại mức lương cao gấp nhiều lần so với các công việc trong nước. Một sĩ quan hàng hải giàu kinh nghiệm có thể nhận mức lương từ vài nghìn đến hàng chục nghìn USD mỗi tháng, tùy theo vị trí và loại tàu. Tại nhiều làng ven biển ở Kerala, nghề đi biển được xem là “tấm vé đổi đời”, giúp nhiều gia đình xây nhà mới, cho con học đại học hoặc mở rộng hoạt động kinh doanh.Ngoài thu nhập, nghề hàng hải còn mang đến cơ hội làm việc trong môi trường quốc tế. Nhiều thuyền viên trẻ coi đây là cách để khám phá thế giới, tích lũy kinh nghiệm và xây dựng sự nghiệp lâu dài. Chính những yếu tố đó đã giúp nghề đi biển trở thành một trong những lựa chọn nghề nghiệp hấp dẫn nhất đối với thanh niên tại nhiều khu vực ven biển của Ấn Độ.Sự kết hợp giữa truyền thống hàng hải lâu đời, hệ thống đào tạo phát triển, khả năng hội nhập quốc tế và triển vọng thu nhập hấp dẫn đã giúp Ấn Độ trở thành một trong những nguồn cung thuyền viên quan trọng nhất của ngành vận tải biển toàn cầu. Nhưng trong bối cảnh các tuyến hàng hải ngày càng chịu tác động của xung đột và cạnh tranh địa chính trị, hành trình mưu sinh trên biển của họ cũng đang gặp nhiều rủi ro hơn bao giờ hết./. Đình Nam/VOV Ấn ĐộLàng ven biển Ấn Độ - nơi sản sinh nhiều thế hệ thủy thủ. Ảnh: ANI

Nicolai Tangen sits down with Sridhar Ramaswamy, CEO of Snowflake, the data platform powering half the world's largest companies, to explore what's really happening at the frontier of data and AI. They dig into how Snowflake's consumption-based pricing sets it apart from traditional software models, why Sridhar now considers AI model companies a bigger competitive threat than anyone else in tech, and how AI agents are transforming everything from data pipelines to software engineering itself. Sridhar also reflects on the lessons learned from founding and failing with Neva, and shares the values of hard work, adaptability, and resilience that have shaped him from Tamil Nadu to the top of the tech industry. Tune in for an insightful conversation! In Good Company is hosted by Nicolai Tangen, CEO of Norges Bank Investment Management. New full episodes every Wednesday, and don't miss our Highlight episodes every Friday. The production team for this episode includes Isabelle Karlsson and PLAN-B's Niklas Figenschau Johansen and Sebastian Langvik-Hansen. Background research was conducted by Simran Sahajpal. Watch the episode on YouTube: Norges Bank Investment Management - YouTubeWant to learn more about the fund? The fund | Norges Bank Investment Management (nbim.no)Follow Nicolai Tangen on LinkedIn: Nicolai Tangen | LinkedInFollow NBIM on LinkedIn: Norges Bank Investment Management: Administrator for bedriftsside | LinkedInFollow NBIM on Instagram: Explore Norges Bank Investment Management on Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

VOV1 - Theo báo cáo mới được Chính phủ Ấn Độ công bố, lần đầu tiên trong lịch sử hiện đại, tỷ lệ sinh của nước này đã giảm xuống dưới mức thay thế dân số, đánh dấu bước ngoặt quan trọng trong quá trình phát triển nhân khẩu học của quốc gia đông dân nhất thế giới.Theo Báo cáo Hệ thống Đăng ký Mẫu (SRS), tỷ lệ sinh tổng cộng (TFR) của Ấn Độ hiện chỉ còn 1,9 con trên mỗi phụ nữ, thấp hơn mức 2,1 con cần thiết để duy trì quy mô dân số ổn định trong dài hạn. Trong khi đó, vào đầu những năm 2000, chỉ số này vẫn ở mức khoảng 3,3 con trên mỗi phụ nữ.Các chuyên gia nhận định xu hướng suy giảm mức sinh phản ánh những thay đổi sâu sắc về kinh tế và xã hội tại Ấn Độ. Việc phụ nữ được tiếp cận giáo dục tốt hơn, sử dụng các biện pháp kế hoạch hóa gia đình rộng rãi hơn và có vai trò lớn hơn trong quá trình ra quyết định của gia đình đã góp phần làm giảm số con trung bình. Bên cạnh đó, chi phí sinh hoạt và nuôi dạy con cái ngày càng tăng tại các đô thị cũng khiến nhiều cặp vợ chồng lựa chọn sinh ít con hơn.Một nguyên nhân quan trọng khác là tỷ lệ tử vong ở trẻ sơ sinh liên tục giảm. Theo số liệu của Chính phủ Ấn Độ, tỷ lệ tử vong trẻ sơ sinh đã giảm từ 30 ca trên 1.000 trẻ năm 2019 xuống còn 24 ca vào năm 2024, qua đó làm giảm tâm lý phải sinh nhiều con để bảo đảm duy trì quy mô gia đình như trước đây.Báo cáo cũng cho thấy sự chênh lệch đáng kể về mức sinh giữa các bang. Những bang có thu nhập thấp ở miền Bắc như Bihar và Uttar Pradesh vẫn ghi nhận tỷ lệ sinh cao nhất cả nước, lần lượt là 2,9 và 2,6 con trên mỗi phụ nữ. Trong khi đó, thủ đô New Delhi cùng các bang phát triển ở miền Nam như Kerala và Tamil Nadu chỉ ghi nhận mức từ 1,2 đến 1,3 con.Các nhà kinh tế cảnh báo xu hướng này có thể làm suy giảm lợi thế dân số vàng - động lực quan trọng thúc đẩy tăng trưởng kinh tế của Ấn Độ trong hơn hai thập kỷ qua. Khi số trẻ em sinh ra ngày càng ít, lực lượng lao động trong tương lai sẽ thu hẹp, trong khi số người cao tuổi tiếp tục gia tăng, tạo áp lực lớn đối với hệ thống y tế, lương hưu và an sinh xã hội.Trước thực trạng trên, một số bang đã triển khai các biện pháp khuyến khích sinh con như hỗ trợ tài chính cho gia đình sinh con thứ ba, thứ tư hoặc mở rộng các chương trình hỗ trợ sinh sản. Tuy nhiên, nhiều chuyên gia cho rằng bên cạnh các chính sách khuyến sinh, Ấn Độ cần sớm chuẩn bị cho quá trình già hóa dân số thông qua việc tăng cường đầu tư cho y tế, lương hưu và hệ thống an sinh xã hội trong những thập niên tới./.Ảnh minh họa (Reuters)

First, we speak to The Indian Express' Pragynesh about the deadly fire at a bed-and-breakfast in Delhi's Hauz Rani that killed 21 people, and how the tragedy has exposed alleged fire safety violations, illegal construction, and regulatory failures across the city's guesthouse sector.Next, we talk to The Indian Express' Brendan Dabhi about the Rajkot maternity hospital CCTV case, where footage of female patients was allegedly recorded and sold online, leading to multiple arrests and the rare application of cyberterrorism charges. (15:25)And in the end, we look at growing strains within the INDIA bloc ahead of a key meeting in Delhi, with the DMK staying away amid tensions over Congress's alliance decisions in Tamil Nadu and disagreements among several opposition partners. (27:10)Hosted by Ichha SharmaProduced and written by Shashank Bhargava, Niharika Nanda and Ichha SharmaEdited and mixed by Suresh Pawar

Tamil Nadu politics has entered a new phase and the 2026 election may have marked the beginning of a tectonic shift.In this episode of Tectonic Shift in TN Politics | Side -B , we break down the changing political landscape from the perspective of pure statistics. From losing in one vote to underestimated candidate winning in comfortable margin.This episode will dive deeper into booth-level data analysis, uncovering constituency patterns, vote swings, regional trends, and statistical insights from the ground.---------------------------------Support Us----------------------------------------Support The Modern Akatsuki if you feel like it .(Read everything below carefully before sending us your donations)

Former Tamil Nadu BJP president K Annamalai has officially resigned from the BJP and announced a new political movement, Annamalai Makkal Iyakkam (AMI). Once seen as the BJP's strongest face in Tamil Nadu, the former IPS officer says disagreements with the party leadership over the state's political strategy forced him to part ways. Samah Qundeel explains Annamalai's rise from "Singham" cop to political heavyweight, why he left the BJP, and what his next move could mean for Tamil Nadu politics.

Annamalai's Resignation Mystery and Tamil Nadu Politics | Sriram Kanan Decodes

In part two of this two-part interview, Pon Vasanth B.A., senior assistant editor with The Hindu, discusses with V. Geetha, feminist historian, translator and publisher, the campaign strategies used by the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam, the dominance of social media and campaign planners and the tendency to ridicule the supporters of Vijay as illiterates. She also talks about the implications of TVK's victory for the future of Tamil Nadu's politics, the "Dravidian consensus" and the unaddressed concerns of the Dalits in Tamil Nadu. Host: Pon Vasanth B.A., senior assistant editor, The Hindu Guest: V. Geetha, feminist historian, translator and publisher Producer: Shiksha Jural Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

First, we speak to The Indian Express' Chief of National Bureau Sandeep Singh and investigative journalist Ritu Sarin about a global investigation into VFS Global, the visa services giant that processes millions of Schengen visa applications, and the concerns raised over optional paid services, privacy, and data protection practices.Next, we talk to The Indian Express' Diplomatic Affairs Editor Shubhajit Roy about the Quad's latest initiatives on maritime surveillance, critical minerals, energy security, and port infrastructure, and how the grouping is seeking to reduce dependence on China while strengthening coordination in the Indo-Pacific. (13:40)And in the end, we look at K Annamalai's decision to step down from the BJP, and what his exit could mean for Tamil Nadu politics at a time when actor-turned-politician Vijay is reshaping the opposition landscape. (24:10)Hosted by Ichha SharmaProduced and written by Shashank Bhargava and Ichha SharmaEdited and mixed by Suresh Pawar

The Power of Rivers: Ecology, Culture, and Reimagining Nature with Robert MacFarlane This discussion was a dream come true! Have you ever wondered what rivers can teach us about life, culture, and sustainability? If so, you're not alone. In his captivating book Is a River Alive?, Robert MacFarlane explores the profound relationships between humans and rivers across the globe, revealing how these waterways are vital to ecological health, cultural identity, and future conservation efforts. This podcast delves into MacFarlane's insights, shared stories from his travels, and practical ways you can foster guardianship of our rivers. Whether you're a nature lover, a concerned citizen, or simply curious about the natural world, this journey into the heart of rivers will inspire you to see these vital waters in a new light. You'll also want to consider the ways rivers have been your guardian all along. Why Rivers Matter: The Ecological and Cultural Crisis MacFarlane's exploration begins in England, where the health of rivers has dramatically declined due to pollution, agricultural runoff, and climate change. Only 14% of English rivers are in good ecological health, a stark figure illustrating the severity of the crisis. MacFarlane compares this decline to Rachel Carson's opening scene in Silent Spring, where poison falls from the skies, harming wildlife and communities. Yet, the crisis in England isn't solely chemical; it's also cultural. Our disconnection from rivers has led to a loss of identity and stewardship.  MacFarlane's travels take him across four continents, revealing inspiring examples of rivers that are thriving and being reimagined as beings with rights. For instance, in Ecuador, the river Rio Los Cedros is protected by groundbreaking legal rights enshrined in the constitution. Similarly, in India's Tamil Nadu region, local activists combat drought and pollution, asserting their guardianship over their waterways. In North America, the Innu community in Canada's northeast has recognized river rights in regional declarations, illustrating a radical shift in environmental law.  The Rebirth of River Rights What makes these stories compelling is the idea that rivers are more than just resourceful water courses—they are living entities deserving legal protection. MacFarlane's journey shows that citizen guardianship can lead to tangible change, like the Ecuadorian court ruling that protected Los Cedros' forest and river ecosystem, forcing mining companies to leave within ten days. These acts of guardianship, rooted in love and respect, demonstrate how reimagining rivers as rights-bearing beings can foster ecological healing. Stories from the Water: Encounters with Place One of MacFarlane's gifts is his ability to connect readers with the people he meets on his journeys. From the mushroom girl Juliana, who hears fungi as a language, to the indigenous communities whose rivers are sacred, these stories highlight the importance of listening, naming, and understanding our environment. Recognizing the Sign Language of Nature MacFarlane discusses Juliana's remarkable ability to sense fungi before seeing them—an almost magical skill that speaks to a deeper, intuitive understanding of ecosystems. She perceives the fungi's "voices," not through scientific rigor alone but through felt intuition. It's a reminder that humans can develop a kind of water literacy, learning to listen to the signals of rivers and oceans. These encounters illustrate that a polyphonic world exists, filled with language and meaning beyond human speech, waiting for us to perceive if we only listen. The Gift of Naming and Connection Naming, MacFarlane suggests, is a powerful act. It's a way of establishing relationship and recognition with the environment. Ann Marie talks about her experience of discovering tiny beach seedlings in Virginia, which led to a panoramic "cathedral" of beeches. Her experience exemplifies how awareness and naming deepen our connection to place. This act of naming transforms our perception, shifting us from mere observers to guardians who recognize their role in the web of life. Environmental Loss and Hope Throughout his travels, MacFarlane reflects on the disappearance of many natural places and the cultural erosion accompanying environmental decline. Yet, he emphasizes hope rooted in grassroots guardianship and legal advances. Movements in Wales, for example, have led to formal protections for rivers like the Wye, demonstrating that small steps can have ripple effects across landscapes and communities. How You Can Be a River Guardian Inspired by these stories? MacFarlane offers practical ways to foster a guardianship mindset, emphasizing collective action, local involvement, and legal advocacy. Get Involved Locally Join your community's river guardianship group or conservation organization. Guardianship isn't just about big legal battles—it starts with everyday actions like cleaning up trash, reporting pollution, or advocating for river-friendly policies. Support local initiatives such as American Rivers or Riverkeeper groups that work to protect and restore waterways. Participate in or organize community clean-up events—these tactile acts foster a sense of ownership and responsibility. Advocate for Legal Rights MacFarlane highlights Ecuador's pioneering legal framework recognizing the rights of nature which is an inspiring model worldwide. Encourage your local or national governments to adopt similar laws that extend personhood and legal protections to rivers and ecosystems. Final Thoughts: Rivers as Life's Arteries and Guardians In Is a River Alive?, MacFarlane reminds us that rivers are more than water—they are vital to life, culture, and the planet's health. Reimagining rivers as beings with rights, listening to their signals, and taking guardianship seriously offers a path to ecological renewal and cultural resilience. As citizens, learners, and guardians, we each have a role in supporting these life-giving arteries. https://www.americanrivers.org/ https://www.rightsofrivers.org/ https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/35084/robert-macfarlane/

This week on Democracy Dialogues, Maya Tudor speaks with two keen observers of Indian politics, Gilles Verniers and Yamini Aiyar, about what India's 2026 state elections reveal about the future of the world's largest democracy. Why did the incumbent government BJP make major gains in some states while struggling in others? Do competitive elections still mean democracy is entirely healthy? And why have places like Tamil Nadu and Kerala remained resistant to Hindu nationalist politics? This episode analyses one of the most important democratic stories in the world right now — and asks what state elections might tell us about India's democracy more broadly. Gilles Verniers, Centre for South Asia at Stanford University. Gilles Verniers' work on Indian politics and elections hereYamini Aiyar, Visiting Professor of the Practice at the Watson School of International and Public Affairs, Brown University. Yamini Aiyar's recent writing on democracy and electoral administration in India here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

This week on Democracy Dialogues, Maya Tudor speaks with two keen observers of Indian politics, Gilles Verniers and Yamini Aiyar, about what India's 2026 state elections reveal about the future of the world's largest democracy. Why did the incumbent government BJP make major gains in some states while struggling in others? Do competitive elections still mean democracy is entirely healthy? And why have places like Tamil Nadu and Kerala remained resistant to Hindu nationalist politics? This episode analyses one of the most important democratic stories in the world right now — and asks what state elections might tell us about India's democracy more broadly. Gilles Verniers, Centre for South Asia at Stanford University. Gilles Verniers' work on Indian politics and elections hereYamini Aiyar, Visiting Professor of the Practice at the Watson School of International and Public Affairs, Brown University. Yamini Aiyar's recent writing on democracy and electoral administration in India here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/political-science

This week on Democracy Dialogues, Maya Tudor speaks with two keen observers of Indian politics, Gilles Verniers and Yamini Aiyar, about what India's 2026 state elections reveal about the future of the world's largest democracy. Why did the incumbent government BJP make major gains in some states while struggling in others? Do competitive elections still mean democracy is entirely healthy? And why have places like Tamil Nadu and Kerala remained resistant to Hindu nationalist politics? This episode analyses one of the most important democratic stories in the world right now — and asks what state elections might tell us about India's democracy more broadly. Gilles Verniers, Centre for South Asia at Stanford University. Gilles Verniers' work on Indian politics and elections hereYamini Aiyar, Visiting Professor of the Practice at the Watson School of International and Public Affairs, Brown University. Yamini Aiyar's recent writing on democracy and electoral administration in India here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/world-affairs

This week on Democracy Dialogues, Maya Tudor speaks with two keen observers of Indian politics, Gilles Verniers and Yamini Aiyar, about what India's 2026 state elections reveal about the future of the world's largest democracy. Why did the incumbent government BJP make major gains in some states while struggling in others? Do competitive elections still mean democracy is entirely healthy? And why have places like Tamil Nadu and Kerala remained resistant to Hindu nationalist politics? This episode analyses one of the most important democratic stories in the world right now — and asks what state elections might tell us about India's democracy more broadly. Gilles Verniers, Centre for South Asia at Stanford University. Gilles Verniers' work on Indian politics and elections hereYamini Aiyar, Visiting Professor of the Practice at the Watson School of International and Public Affairs, Brown University. Yamini Aiyar's recent writing on democracy and electoral administration in India here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/south-asian-studies

In this episode, we listen to an account of an impossible situation, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Aganaanooru 252, penned by Nakkannaiyaar. The verse is situated amidst the dark and dangerous ranges of the ‘Kurinji’ or ‘Mountain Landscape’ and etches an exquisite simile to capture an intricate emotion. இடம் படுபு அறியா வலம் படு வேட்டத்துவாள் வரி நடுங்கப் புகல்வந்து, ஆளிஉயர் நுதல் யானைப் புகர் முகத்து ஒற்றி,வெண் கோடு புய்க்கும் தண் கமழ் சோலைப்பெரு வரை அடுக்கத்து ஒரு வேல் ஏந்தி,தனியன் வருதல் அவனும் அஞ்சான்;பனி வார் கண்ணேன் ஆகி, நோய் அட,எமியேன் இருத்தலை யானும் ஆற்றேன்;யாங்குச் செய்வாம்கொல் தோழி! ஈங்கைத்துய் அவிழ் பனி மலர் உதிர வீசித்தொழில் மழை பொழிந்த பானாட் கங்குல்,எறி திரைத் திவலை தூஉம் சிறு கோட்டுப்பெருங் குளம் காவலன் போல,அருங் கடி அன்னையும் துயில் மறந்தனளே? In this little trip to the mountains, we get to meet the wild beasts of the land, as we listen to the lady say these words to her confidante, pretending not to notice the man listening nearby, but making sure he’s in earshot: “Making a tiger with sword-like stripes, one which knows not to fell its prey on the left and always hunts it down on the right, to quiver, with a desire to kill, a ferocious lion pounces on the spotted face of an elephant with an upraised forehead, and tears apart its white tusks, in the cool and fragrant orchard, amidst the tall mountain ranges. Treading through such a space with a single spear, he comes alone without any fear; With tears pouring down from my eyes, with the affliction of love attacking me, I too cannot bear to be apart from him; What are we to do, my friend? Making the touch-me-not's dew-covered flowers with fuzzy petals to drop down, rain clouds gush and pour in the midnight hour. At this time, when the soaring waves spray and spread their droplets in that huge pond with a weak bank, akin to the one who stands in guard there, mother too has put up a protective watch and has forgotten the meaning of sleep now!” Let’s brave the storm clouds and the roving beasts, and listen to the lady’s heartbeat! The lady starts by introducing a tiger, one which is so flawless in its skill of killing that it never hunts a prey on the left and always finishes it on the right. Apparently, this was a big deal to the ancients, as we have heard this obsession over right-side-killing in more than one song! After presenting a portrait of such a valorous tiger, the lady relates a scene which seems to make even this brave tiger quiver in fear, and that’s the scene of an animal she calls as ‘Aali’ attacking an elephant and tearing out its tusks. This ‘Aali’ is a mythical creature depicted in Hindu temples with the composite parts of many animals. However, in this instance, it’s interpreted as a lion. Though today there are no lions in the state of Tamil Nadu and they are confined to the state of Gujarat, perhaps this was a time when the lions roved freely in the South too.  Returning, the lady has mentioned the attack only to depict the dangerous path the man walks, with only a spear for company, in the dead darkness of the night, without a drop of fear in his heart. As if saying he may not fear for his safety, but she does, the lady talks about how though tears pour down her eyes, she too cannot bear the thought of being apart from him. After relating the state of mind of the man and herself, the lady turns to depict a third person in this scene, and that’s the state of her mother, who keeps a watchful eye on her daughter, much like how a guard would watch an ebbing pond with a thin bank and though it’s the midnight hour, would forget to seek the calming refuge of sleep. The lady concludes by asking her friend what was the man and herself to do in such a difficult situation! In essence, the lady is telling the man that mother was aware that something’s up and so there’s danger of discovery and the only course of action for the man was to seek the lady’s hand in marriage. With that nuanced depiction and comparison with a person who stands guard around a tank with a weak bank on a rainy night, the verse paints the strokes of anxiety and insomnia with expert hands! Timeless emotions have a way of speaking across the ages indeed!

In this episode, we hear words of consolation, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Aganaanooru 251, penned by Maamoolanaar. Set in the ‘Paalai’ or ‘Drylands landscape’, the verse relates a significant historic incident involving hostilities between the north and south of ancient India. தூதும் சென்றன; தோளும் செற்றும்;ஓதி ஒண் நுதல் பசலையும் மாயும்;வீங்கு இழை நெகிழச் சாஅய், செல்லலொடுநாம் படர் கூரும் அருந் துயர் கேட்பின்,நந்தன் வெறுக்கை எய்தினும், மற்று அவண்தங்கலர் வாழி, தோழி! வெல் கொடித்துனை கால் அன்ன புனை தேர்க் கோசர்தொல் மூதாலத்து அரும் பணைப் பொதியில்,இன் இசை முரசம் கடிப்பு இகுத்து இரங்க,தெம் முனை சிதைத்த ஞான்றை, மோகூர்பணியாமையின், பகை தலைவந்தமா கெழு தானை வம்ப மோரியர்புனை தேர் நேமி உருளிய குறைத்தஇலங்கு வெள் அருவிய அறை வாய் உம்பர்,மாசு இல் வெண் கோட்டு அண்ணல் யானைவாயுள் தப்பிய, அருங் கேழ் வயப் புலிமா நிலம் நெளியக் குத்தி, புகலொடுகாப்பு இல வைகும் தேக்கு அமல் சோலைநிரம்பா நீள் இடைப் போகி,அரம் போழ் அவ் வளை நிலை நெகிழ்த்தோரே. In this trip to the familiar drylands, we take a detour to observe the path of hostile armies, as we listen to the confidante say these words to the lady, when the man continues to remain parted away, having left in search of wealth: “Messengers have gone thither; Thinning arms shall recover; Pallor that spreads on the shining forehead, hemmed by tresses, shall disappear; If he hears of the deep sorrow that spreads in you, making you lose your health and causing your thick ornaments to slip away, even if he were to attain the wealth of Nandan, he will not choose to remain there! May you live long, my friend! Wielding wind-like, well-etched chariots, fluttering with victorious flags, the Kosars ruined the battlefields of enemies, as the sweet-sounding drums thundered and roared amidst the common grounds, spreading with the thick branches of the ancient banyan tree. At this time, as Mokoor refused to submit to them, the Mauryas arrived with their huge armies to rout the enmity, and to ensure the wheels of their etched chariots roll on, they carved paths through mountains, flowing with shining, white cascades. Beyond those mountain paths, a strong tiger, with a radiant hue, which had previously escaped the attack of an esteemed elephant with flawless white tusks, is now gored, making the wide land to break apart into pits, and where that elephant, removed from its protective herd, now resides with arrogance, amidst the jungle interspersed with teak trees. Though he has left to these uninhabited long paths, making your beautiful shell bangles, carved by a saw, slip away, he shall stay not there and shall return to you soon!” Time to take a stroll amidst those barren spaces and learn more! The confidante opens the conversation by talking about how their messengers have left to where the man was, and because of that the sad happenings in the lady’s life, such as her thinning arms and spreading pallor, would be reversed. The confidante says this because she’s convinced that once the man hears of the lady’s sorrowful state, even if one were to tempt him with as much wealth as someone then named ‘Nandan’, he would not choose to remain where he was. Then she goes on to describe where the man is at now, and to do that, she talks of how the Mauryas had waged war on the south, and the Kosars had chosen to rise in their support. At this time, the Tamil king of Mokoor refused to accept their subjugation. To quell this dissent, the Mauryas themselves had decided to come south, and to do that, they carved paths through the mountains so that their chariots could roll on unimpeded. Now the confidante connects saying the man walks beyond those carved mountainous paths, and here a tiger is attacked by the sharp tusk of an elephant, which roves alone, without its herd. The confidante concludes with the words that though the man had gone to such far places, making the saw-cut, shell bangles of the lady to slip away, he would not remain there for long, and would be back in the lady’s fold.  The striking thing in this verse is the mention of the conflict between kings in the north and south of India, even in ancient times. Though the details are sketchy and the focus seems to be more on the roads laid by the Mauryas to come south, it does give a hint of the hostilities of the past. Another subtle reference here is to the saw-cut, shell bangles, in a taken for granted away, but this has current-day implications in the excavation of many such bangles from both the Indus Valley sites in Gujarat as well as Sangam era sites such as Vembakottai in Tamil Nadu, revealing the presence of a nuanced industry to produce decorated bangles from conch shells. Yet again, simple words of consolation throw the spotlight on significant events around trade and war in the ancient world!

https://theprint.in/politics/vijay-expands-cabinet-with-23-ministers-congress-gets-a-tamil-nadu-berth-after-decades/2937307/

The political approach adopted by Tamil Nadu CM Vijay has been measured and strategic. He isn't interested in confrontation and wants to work within the system.  

This bonus episode marks the second season of SVK Win SVK and also the first-ever SVK Win SVK episode in podcast format. In SVK Win SVK, we usually discuss the cringe incidents that happened over the past week and sometimes from the recent past as well. A lot has happened recently, so this episode covers all of it. Speakers: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Haashiraamaa Senju⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Witcher⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ QC Team: Brook | Editor: Dharaneesh Udayakumar | Camera: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Sanji⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Poster: Zoro⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Voices at the post credit: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Haashiraamaa Senju⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Witcher⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Mokey Mind | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sanji⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Zoro⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Vivi⁠⁠⁠Details for Pastime ComicsInstagram: ⁠@pastime_comics⁠ Website: ⁠https://pastimecomics.ca⁠Details of New Nithil & CoPayment Method for Supporting Us: ⁠⁠⁠https://razorpay.me/@schumyvannakaviyangalofficial⁠⁠⁠SVK Instagram ID: ⁠⁠⁠⁠SVK Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Annamalai's Big COMEBACK

https://www.youtube.com/live/Y9uYCRFfJN0

Three new state governments, three old debts—what are TVK, BJP and UDF dealing with in Tamil Nadu, BJP & Kerala? Within days, the newly appointed Chief Ministers will convene with their Finance Secretaries, and these discussions will have nothing to do with electoral vote shares. ThePrint Consulting Editor (Economics) Bidisha Bhattacharya:   --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To Read full Report: https://theprint.in/economy/three-new-state-governments-three-old-debts-what-are-tvk-bjp-and-udf-dealing-with/2928391/

In today's episode on 14th May 2026, we talk about why Royal Enfield set up its first plant outside Tamil Nadu.Sign up for Ditto's free webinar

If Tamil Nadu CM doesn't want to be at his ‘political enemy' Stalin's mercy, he will need the AIADMK on his side. Either way, his USP as the Dravidian majors' alternative gets diluted, ThePrint Political Editor DK Singh elaborates in this episode of #PoliticallyCorrect----more----Read this week's Politically Correct here: https://theprint.in/opinion/vijay-gets-his-sarkar-in-real-life-too-many-odds-are-stacked-against-him/2927800/