Podcasts about while india

On Wednesday, the Indian government said it conducted several airstrikes in Pakistan-controlled territory. While India called the strikes a success, at least two of its military aircraft were reportedly lost in the operation. Pakistani military officials said at least 31 people were killed in the strikes or by artillery fire. Ad-free podcasts are here!Many listeners have been asking for an ad-free version of this podcast that they could subscribe to — and we finally launched it. You can go to ReadTangle.com to sign up!You can read today's podcast⁠ ⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠, our “Under the Radar” story ⁠here and today's “Have a nice day” story ⁠here⁠.Take the survey: Do you think a war between India and Pakistan is imminent? Let us know!You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall.This podcast was written by Isaac Saul and edited and engineered by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75.Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Hunter Casperson, Kendall White, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

【欢迎订阅】每天早上5:30，准时更新。【阅读原文】标题：T's Trade War With China Could Be Good for India. But Is It Ready?副标题：While India dreams of becoming a new factory to the world, it manufacturers are struggling to find skilled workers, secure components and overcome red tape.正文：Even when India was staring down the barrel of a 27 percent tariff on most of its exports to the United States, business executives and government officials saw an upside. India's biggest economic rival, China, and its smaller competitors like Vietnam were facing even worse. India has been pushing hard in recent years to become a manufacturing alternative to China, and it looked as if it had suddenly gained an advantage.知识点：stare down the barrel idiom. /ster daʊn ðə ˈbærəl/to face a very difficult or dangerous situation. 面临严峻形势e.g. The industry is staring down the barrel of major layoffs. 该行业正面临大规模裁员的危机。获取外刊的完整原文以及精讲笔记，请关注微信公众号「早安英文」，回复“外刊”即可。更多有意思的英语干货等着你！【节目介绍】《早安英文-每日外刊精读》，带你精读最新外刊，了解国际最热事件：分析语法结构，拆解长难句，最接地气的翻译，还有重点词汇讲解。所有选题均来自于《经济学人》《纽约时报》《华尔街日报》《华盛顿邮报》《大西洋月刊》《科学杂志》《国家地理》等国际一线外刊。【适合谁听】1、关注时事热点新闻，想要学习最新最潮流英文表达的英文学习者2、任何想通过地道英文提高听、说、读、写能力的英文学习者3、想快速掌握表达，有出国学习和旅游计划的英语爱好者4、参加各类英语考试的应试者（如大学英语四六级、托福雅思、考研等）【你将获得】1、超过1000篇外刊精读课程，拓展丰富语言表达和文化背景2、逐词、逐句精确讲解，系统掌握英语词汇、听力、阅读和语法3、每期内附学习笔记，包含全文注释、长难句解析、疑难语法点等，帮助扫除阅读障碍。

This is Nelson John, and I'll bring you the top business and tech stories, let's get started. 

This is the Catchup on 3 Things by The Indian Express and I'm Ichha Sharma.Today is the 28th of February and here are this week's headlines.First, in news from the capital, the Delhi Government suffered a loss of Rs 2,002 crore due to the flawed excise policy for 2021-22, which was later scrapped. The policy aimed to eliminate monopolies, ensure fair liquor distribution, and prevent bootlegging. However, it was withdrawn after corruption allegations led to the arrests of key AAP leaders, including former CM Arvind Kejriwal and Deputy CM Manish Sisodia, by the CBI and ED. The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) highlighted these losses in a recent Assembly report.In another news making headline, India abstained from voting on two resolutions at the UN General Assembly, marking the third anniversary of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The resolutions were supported by the US, Ukraine, and Europe, and both passed with 93 votes in favor. While India did not support the resolution demanding Russian withdrawal, it did not oppose the motion on Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. India was one of 65 countries that chose not to vote on the European-backed resolution.Meanwhile, the central government opposed petitions seeking a lifetime ban on convicted politicians from contesting elections, arguing in the Supreme Court that a six-year disqualification is not unconstitutional. In its affidavit, the Centre stated that various penal laws impose penalties for a limited time to ensure deterrence while avoiding excessive harshness. The submission was in response to Advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay's plea challenging the constitutional validity of Sections 8 and 9 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951. Section 8 mandates a six-year disqualification post-release for those convicted of specified offences.In news from the North, the Uttarakhand High Court reviewed provisions of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) amid a public interest litigation. The court questioned the state's ability to make changes to the UCC, particularly regarding mandatory live-in registrations. Senior advocate Vrinda Grover argued that the UCC imposes unnecessary surveillance, as information about individuals is sent directly to local police stations. The court also questioned whether the UCC grants police powers for domiciliary visits, which it found to be a potential violation of rights.In global headlines this week, US President Donald Trump announced plans to impose a 25% tariff on European Union imports, particularly targeting cars. Trump criticized the EU, claiming it was "formed to screw the United States." He pointed out the EU's higher tariffs and value-added taxes, which are significantly steeper than those in the US. The announcement comes amid ongoing trade tensions between the US and the EU, with officials raising concerns over European taxation policies.This was the Catch Up on 3 Things by The Indian Express

This is the Catchup on 3 Things by The Indian Express and I'm Flora Swain.Today is the 25th of February and here are the headlines.The Delhi Government suffered a loss of Rs 2,002 crore due to the flawed excise policy for 2021-22, which was later scrapped. The policy aimed to eliminate monopolies, ensure fair liquor distribution, and prevent bootlegging. However, it was withdrawn after corruption allegations led to the arrests of key AAP leaders, including CM Arvind Kejriwal and Deputy CM Manish Sisodia, by the CBI and ED. The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) highlighted these losses in a recent Assembly report.Former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar was sentenced to life imprisonment by a Delhi court for his role in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. He was convicted for the murders of Jaswant Singh and his son, Tarundeep Singh, during the violence in Saraswati Vihar. The Special Investigation Team (SIT) accused Kumar of leading a mob that burned the two men alive. Kumar is already serving a life sentence in another 1984 riot-related case.The US imposed sanctions on four India-based companies for allegedly trading Iranian crude oil and petroleum products. These companies, including Flux Maritime LLP, BSM Marine LLP, Austinship Management Pvt Ltd, and Cosmos Lines Inc., were sanctioned by the US Department of the Treasury and State. Three were accused of managing vessels involved in transporting Iranian oil, while Cosmos Lines was singled out for its role in transporting Iranian petroleum.A multi-agency team is working to clear a collapsed section of the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) tunnel in Telangana's Nagarkurnool district, where eight men have been trapped since Saturday. Water and slush have hindered rescue efforts. The collapse occurred 13.5 km inside the tunnel, and rescuers are focusing on clearing the track to facilitate further rescue operations. The trapped men are being worked on, and the team hopes to reach them soon.India abstained from voting on two resolutions at the UN General Assembly, marking the third anniversary of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The resolutions were supported by the US, Ukraine, and Europe, and both passed with 93 votes in favor. While India did not support the resolution demanding Russian withdrawal, it did not oppose the motion on Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. India was one of 65 countries that chose not to vote on the European-backed resolution.This was the Catch Up on 3 Things by the Indian Express.

The Champions Trophy returns to the cricket calendar after eight years, marking a significant moment for Pakistan, which hosts a major ICC event for the first time in 29 years. Eight teams will compete for the prestigious title, once famously dubbed the mini-World Cup. India enters as the outright favorite, but in a high-stakes tournament like the Champions Trophy, where margins for error are minimal, every team has a chance. While India's bowling unit appears slightly vulnerable without Jasprit Bumrah, their overall strength makes them strong contenders for the title. Can Pakistan defend their crown at home? Though their approach to modern-day ODIs has been questioned, home advantage could work in their favor. While Australia and England seem out of form, Afghanistan could emerge as the dark horse from Group B. In the latest episode of the Sledging Room Podcast, Akshay Ramesh, Alan John, and Sabyasachi Choudhury analyse the strengths and weaknesses of all eight teams and rank them accordingly. Tune in! Produced by Garvit Srivastava Sound mixed by Rohan Bharti

While India has long been known as a tea-drinking nation, the specialtiy coffee scene is rapidly growing, with consumption on the rise and the industry projected to surpass $1 billion by 2032. But is this growth as promising as it seems? In this episode, host Sandip Roy speaks to Raghunath Rajaram and Namisha Parthasarathy, founders of Aramse, an independent speciality coffee company and content platform, along with Binny Varghese, co-founder of the Barista Training Academy and an SCA-certified Barista.Produced by Shashank BhargavaEdited and mixed by Suresh PawarIn episode image (from left to right): Raghunath Rajaram, Binny Varghese, and Namisha Parthasarathy.Further listening: Is India neglecting its indigenous spirits?The brave new world of Indian craft chocolate 

This is the Catchup on 3 Things by The Indian Express and I'm Flora Swain.Today is the 28th of January and here are the headlines.Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that India will no longer rely on exporting raw materials to be processed abroad and sold back as finished goods. Speaking at Odisha's Utkarsh Odisha conclave, Modi emphasized that India's economic growth must focus on innovation and quality manufacturing. He also highlighted recent Coldplay concerts in Mumbai and Ahmedabad as proof of the potential for live events to boost the economy, underscoring the shift towards a self-sufficient, value-added production ecosystem.Ahead of the Delhi Assembly elections, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal urged PM Modi to introduce a nationwide law banning loan waivers for billionaires. He criticized the government for waiving loans of the wealthy while ordinary citizens bear high taxes. Kejriwal suggested that ending these waivers could lower income tax, GST rates, and remove taxes on essential goods. He called the practice a scandal and demanded an end to what he called "unfair financial relief for the rich."Five Indian fishermen were injured when the Sri Lankan Navy opened fire near Delft Island on Tuesday. Two of the fishermen sustained serious injuries and were hospitalized in Jaffna, while three others suffered minor injuries. India lodged a strong protest with the Sri Lankan Acting High Commissioner in New Delhi, and the Indian High Commission in Colombo also raised the issue with the Sri Lankan government. The remaining fishermen were detained by the Sri Lankan Navy.Maharashtra's long-awaited civic elections will be delayed further as the Supreme Court scheduled the next hearing on petitions regarding OBC reservations for February 25. The delay has disappointed political parties and aspirants preparing for the polls. The Pune Municipal Corporation has been under an administrator since the previous body's term ended in 2022. Parties are now facing additional uncertainty as the civic polls remain stalled due to ongoing legal challenges over reservations.US President Donald Trump confirmed that PM Narendra Modi is likely to visit the White House in February following a phone conversation between the two leaders. Trump described the relationship between the US and India as “very good” and said they discussed various issues, including illegal immigration. While India has not officially confirmed the visit, Trump said Modi would “do what's right” regarding immigration matters, signaling potential discussions during the upcoming visit.This was the Catch Up on 3 Things by the Indian Express.

Welcome to CNBC-TV18's Marketbuzz Podcast. Here is top news from around the world ahead of the trading session of January 9 First a quick recap, the Nifty 50 yesterday witnessed smart upside recovery from lows after showing a deep cut in the early-mid part of the session and settled the day lower by 19 points at 23,689. The index opened on a positive note and slipped into sharp weakness soon after the opening. Weak global cues and stronger-than-expected US jobs data which dampened hopes of an early rate cut by the Federal Reserve, further pressured domestic equities. -Today, Nifty 50's options contracts will have their weekly expiry. The expiry session will also mark the beginning of the December quarter earnings season for the Nifty 50 companies, with TCS kickstarting the results season. -Indian stock markets have been downgraded to "neutral" by HSBC compared to its earlier stance of "overweight." While India provides a strong medium-term structural story, the slowdown in growth, amidst high valuations limits the upside and hence the downgrade. HSBC has also cut its 2025-end Sensex target to 85,990 from 90,520 earlier. The revised price target implies a potential upside of 10% from current levels. -The Gift Nifty was trading flat this morning, indicating a muted start for the Indian market. Analysts expect Indian markets to remain range-bound with stock and sector specific action on the back of upcoming Q3 results. -Stocks to track: TCS, Manappuram Finance, Lupin, MOIL, Man Industries, Tata Motors -Asian shares fell this morning after a range-bound session on Wall Street, as caution grew ahead of Thursday's closure of US equity markets and an important jobs report later in the week. Stocks dropped in Japan, Australia and China, while US contracts also slipped. -A gloomy outlook for China's economy is compounding the pressure on regional markets after data showed the nation's consumer inflation weakened further toward zero in December. Investors are also awaiting Friday's US employment report which may shed more light on the Federal Reserve's policy outlook. -US stock markets will close Jan. 9, in observance of a national day of mourning for former President Jimmy Carter. -In commodities, oil prices fell this morning, extending losses from the previous day, pressured by large builds in U.S. fuel inventories last week, though concerns over tighter supplies from OPEC members and Russia capped the decline. Brent crude futures fell to $75.88 a barrel. -In other news back home, at least six people died, and 25 were rushed to the hospital following a stampede near Andhra Pradesh's Tirupati temple late on Wednesday evening. The chaos erupted at three places as hundreds of devotees rushed to secure tokens for the 10-day Vaikunta Dwara Darshanam starting January 10. Overwhelmed by the crowd, the ticketing centre became the site of the incident. Tune in to the Marketbuzz Podcast for more cues

An illuminating history of religious and political controversy in nineteenth-century Bengal, where Protestant missionary activity spurred a Christian conversion “panic” that indelibly shaped the trajectory of Hindu and Muslim politics. In 1813, the British Crown adopted a policy officially permitting Protestant missionaries to evangelize among the empire's Indian subjects. The ramifications proved enormous and long-lasting. While the number of conversions was small—Christian converts never represented more than 1.5 percent of India's population during the nineteenth century—Bengal's majority faith communities responded in ways that sharply politicized religious identity, leading to the permanent ejection of religious minorities from Indian ideals of nationhood. Mou Banerjee details what happened as Hindus and Muslims grew increasingly suspicious of converts, missionaries, and evangelically minded British authorities. Fearing that converts would subvert resistance to British imperialism, Hindu and Muslim critics used their influence to define the new Christians as a threatening “other” outside the bounds of authentic Indian selfhood. The meaning of conversion was passionately debated in the burgeoning sphere of print media, and individual converts were accused of betrayal and ostracized by their neighbors. Yet, Banerjee argues, the effects of the panic extended far beyond the lives of those who suffered directly. As Christian converts were erased from the Indian political community, that community itself was reconfigured as one consecrated in faith. While India's emerging nationalist narratives would have been impossible in the absence of secular Enlightenment thought, the evolution of cohesive communal identity was also deeply entwined with suspicion toward religious minorities. Recovering the perspectives of Indian Christian converts as well as their detractors, The Disinherited: The Politics of Christian Conversion in Colonial India (Harvard UP, 2025) is an eloquent account of religious marginalization that helps to explain the shape of Indian nationalist politics in today's era of Hindu majoritarianism. Arighna Gupta is a doctoral candidate in history at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. His dissertation attempts to trace early-colonial genealogies of popular sovereignty located at the interstices of monarchical, religious, and colonial sovereignties in India and present-day Bangladesh. 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

An illuminating history of religious and political controversy in nineteenth-century Bengal, where Protestant missionary activity spurred a Christian conversion “panic” that indelibly shaped the trajectory of Hindu and Muslim politics. In 1813, the British Crown adopted a policy officially permitting Protestant missionaries to evangelize among the empire's Indian subjects. The ramifications proved enormous and long-lasting. While the number of conversions was small—Christian converts never represented more than 1.5 percent of India's population during the nineteenth century—Bengal's majority faith communities responded in ways that sharply politicized religious identity, leading to the permanent ejection of religious minorities from Indian ideals of nationhood. Mou Banerjee details what happened as Hindus and Muslims grew increasingly suspicious of converts, missionaries, and evangelically minded British authorities. Fearing that converts would subvert resistance to British imperialism, Hindu and Muslim critics used their influence to define the new Christians as a threatening “other” outside the bounds of authentic Indian selfhood. The meaning of conversion was passionately debated in the burgeoning sphere of print media, and individual converts were accused of betrayal and ostracized by their neighbors. Yet, Banerjee argues, the effects of the panic extended far beyond the lives of those who suffered directly. As Christian converts were erased from the Indian political community, that community itself was reconfigured as one consecrated in faith. While India's emerging nationalist narratives would have been impossible in the absence of secular Enlightenment thought, the evolution of cohesive communal identity was also deeply entwined with suspicion toward religious minorities. Recovering the perspectives of Indian Christian converts as well as their detractors, The Disinherited: The Politics of Christian Conversion in Colonial India (Harvard UP, 2025) is an eloquent account of religious marginalization that helps to explain the shape of Indian nationalist politics in today's era of Hindu majoritarianism. Arighna Gupta is a doctoral candidate in history at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. His dissertation attempts to trace early-colonial genealogies of popular sovereignty located at the interstices of monarchical, religious, and colonial sovereignties in India and present-day Bangladesh. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/history

An illuminating history of religious and political controversy in nineteenth-century Bengal, where Protestant missionary activity spurred a Christian conversion “panic” that indelibly shaped the trajectory of Hindu and Muslim politics. In 1813, the British Crown adopted a policy officially permitting Protestant missionaries to evangelize among the empire's Indian subjects. The ramifications proved enormous and long-lasting. While the number of conversions was small—Christian converts never represented more than 1.5 percent of India's population during the nineteenth century—Bengal's majority faith communities responded in ways that sharply politicized religious identity, leading to the permanent ejection of religious minorities from Indian ideals of nationhood. Mou Banerjee details what happened as Hindus and Muslims grew increasingly suspicious of converts, missionaries, and evangelically minded British authorities. Fearing that converts would subvert resistance to British imperialism, Hindu and Muslim critics used their influence to define the new Christians as a threatening “other” outside the bounds of authentic Indian selfhood. The meaning of conversion was passionately debated in the burgeoning sphere of print media, and individual converts were accused of betrayal and ostracized by their neighbors. Yet, Banerjee argues, the effects of the panic extended far beyond the lives of those who suffered directly. As Christian converts were erased from the Indian political community, that community itself was reconfigured as one consecrated in faith. While India's emerging nationalist narratives would have been impossible in the absence of secular Enlightenment thought, the evolution of cohesive communal identity was also deeply entwined with suspicion toward religious minorities. Recovering the perspectives of Indian Christian converts as well as their detractors, The Disinherited: The Politics of Christian Conversion in Colonial India (Harvard UP, 2025) is an eloquent account of religious marginalization that helps to explain the shape of Indian nationalist politics in today's era of Hindu majoritarianism. Arighna Gupta is a doctoral candidate in history at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. His dissertation attempts to trace early-colonial genealogies of popular sovereignty located at the interstices of monarchical, religious, and colonial sovereignties in India and present-day Bangladesh. 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

An illuminating history of religious and political controversy in nineteenth-century Bengal, where Protestant missionary activity spurred a Christian conversion “panic” that indelibly shaped the trajectory of Hindu and Muslim politics. In 1813, the British Crown adopted a policy officially permitting Protestant missionaries to evangelize among the empire's Indian subjects. The ramifications proved enormous and long-lasting. While the number of conversions was small—Christian converts never represented more than 1.5 percent of India's population during the nineteenth century—Bengal's majority faith communities responded in ways that sharply politicized religious identity, leading to the permanent ejection of religious minorities from Indian ideals of nationhood. Mou Banerjee details what happened as Hindus and Muslims grew increasingly suspicious of converts, missionaries, and evangelically minded British authorities. Fearing that converts would subvert resistance to British imperialism, Hindu and Muslim critics used their influence to define the new Christians as a threatening “other” outside the bounds of authentic Indian selfhood. The meaning of conversion was passionately debated in the burgeoning sphere of print media, and individual converts were accused of betrayal and ostracized by their neighbors. Yet, Banerjee argues, the effects of the panic extended far beyond the lives of those who suffered directly. As Christian converts were erased from the Indian political community, that community itself was reconfigured as one consecrated in faith. While India's emerging nationalist narratives would have been impossible in the absence of secular Enlightenment thought, the evolution of cohesive communal identity was also deeply entwined with suspicion toward religious minorities. Recovering the perspectives of Indian Christian converts as well as their detractors, The Disinherited: The Politics of Christian Conversion in Colonial India (Harvard UP, 2025) is an eloquent account of religious marginalization that helps to explain the shape of Indian nationalist politics in today's era of Hindu majoritarianism. Arighna Gupta is a doctoral candidate in history at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. His dissertation attempts to trace early-colonial genealogies of popular sovereignty located at the interstices of monarchical, religious, and colonial sovereignties in India and present-day Bangladesh. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/indian-religions

An illuminating history of religious and political controversy in nineteenth-century Bengal, where Protestant missionary activity spurred a Christian conversion “panic” that indelibly shaped the trajectory of Hindu and Muslim politics. In 1813, the British Crown adopted a policy officially permitting Protestant missionaries to evangelize among the empire's Indian subjects. The ramifications proved enormous and long-lasting. While the number of conversions was small—Christian converts never represented more than 1.5 percent of India's population during the nineteenth century—Bengal's majority faith communities responded in ways that sharply politicized religious identity, leading to the permanent ejection of religious minorities from Indian ideals of nationhood. Mou Banerjee details what happened as Hindus and Muslims grew increasingly suspicious of converts, missionaries, and evangelically minded British authorities. Fearing that converts would subvert resistance to British imperialism, Hindu and Muslim critics used their influence to define the new Christians as a threatening “other” outside the bounds of authentic Indian selfhood. The meaning of conversion was passionately debated in the burgeoning sphere of print media, and individual converts were accused of betrayal and ostracized by their neighbors. Yet, Banerjee argues, the effects of the panic extended far beyond the lives of those who suffered directly. As Christian converts were erased from the Indian political community, that community itself was reconfigured as one consecrated in faith. While India's emerging nationalist narratives would have been impossible in the absence of secular Enlightenment thought, the evolution of cohesive communal identity was also deeply entwined with suspicion toward religious minorities. Recovering the perspectives of Indian Christian converts as well as their detractors, The Disinherited: The Politics of Christian Conversion in Colonial India (Harvard UP, 2025) is an eloquent account of religious marginalization that helps to explain the shape of Indian nationalist politics in today's era of Hindu majoritarianism. Arighna Gupta is a doctoral candidate in history at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. His dissertation attempts to trace early-colonial genealogies of popular sovereignty located at the interstices of monarchical, religious, and colonial sovereignties in India and present-day Bangladesh. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/religion

An illuminating history of religious and political controversy in nineteenth-century Bengal, where Protestant missionary activity spurred a Christian conversion “panic” that indelibly shaped the trajectory of Hindu and Muslim politics. In 1813, the British Crown adopted a policy officially permitting Protestant missionaries to evangelize among the empire's Indian subjects. The ramifications proved enormous and long-lasting. While the number of conversions was small—Christian converts never represented more than 1.5 percent of India's population during the nineteenth century—Bengal's majority faith communities responded in ways that sharply politicized religious identity, leading to the permanent ejection of religious minorities from Indian ideals of nationhood. Mou Banerjee details what happened as Hindus and Muslims grew increasingly suspicious of converts, missionaries, and evangelically minded British authorities. Fearing that converts would subvert resistance to British imperialism, Hindu and Muslim critics used their influence to define the new Christians as a threatening “other” outside the bounds of authentic Indian selfhood. The meaning of conversion was passionately debated in the burgeoning sphere of print media, and individual converts were accused of betrayal and ostracized by their neighbors. Yet, Banerjee argues, the effects of the panic extended far beyond the lives of those who suffered directly. As Christian converts were erased from the Indian political community, that community itself was reconfigured as one consecrated in faith. While India's emerging nationalist narratives would have been impossible in the absence of secular Enlightenment thought, the evolution of cohesive communal identity was also deeply entwined with suspicion toward religious minorities. Recovering the perspectives of Indian Christian converts as well as their detractors, The Disinherited: The Politics of Christian Conversion in Colonial India (Harvard UP, 2025) is an eloquent account of religious marginalization that helps to explain the shape of Indian nationalist politics in today's era of Hindu majoritarianism. Arighna Gupta is a doctoral candidate in history at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. His dissertation attempts to trace early-colonial genealogies of popular sovereignty located at the interstices of monarchical, religious, and colonial sovereignties in India and present-day Bangladesh. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

An illuminating history of religious and political controversy in nineteenth-century Bengal, where Protestant missionary activity spurred a Christian conversion “panic” that indelibly shaped the trajectory of Hindu and Muslim politics. In 1813, the British Crown adopted a policy officially permitting Protestant missionaries to evangelize among the empire's Indian subjects. The ramifications proved enormous and long-lasting. While the number of conversions was small—Christian converts never represented more than 1.5 percent of India's population during the nineteenth century—Bengal's majority faith communities responded in ways that sharply politicized religious identity, leading to the permanent ejection of religious minorities from Indian ideals of nationhood. Mou Banerjee details what happened as Hindus and Muslims grew increasingly suspicious of converts, missionaries, and evangelically minded British authorities. Fearing that converts would subvert resistance to British imperialism, Hindu and Muslim critics used their influence to define the new Christians as a threatening “other” outside the bounds of authentic Indian selfhood. The meaning of conversion was passionately debated in the burgeoning sphere of print media, and individual converts were accused of betrayal and ostracized by their neighbors. Yet, Banerjee argues, the effects of the panic extended far beyond the lives of those who suffered directly. As Christian converts were erased from the Indian political community, that community itself was reconfigured as one consecrated in faith. While India's emerging nationalist narratives would have been impossible in the absence of secular Enlightenment thought, the evolution of cohesive communal identity was also deeply entwined with suspicion toward religious minorities. Recovering the perspectives of Indian Christian converts as well as their detractors, The Disinherited: The Politics of Christian Conversion in Colonial India (Harvard UP, 2025) is an eloquent account of religious marginalization that helps to explain the shape of Indian nationalist politics in today's era of Hindu majoritarianism. Arighna Gupta is a doctoral candidate in history at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. His dissertation attempts to trace early-colonial genealogies of popular sovereignty located at the interstices of monarchical, religious, and colonial sovereignties in India and present-day Bangladesh. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/christian-studies

An illuminating history of religious and political controversy in nineteenth-century Bengal, where Protestant missionary activity spurred a Christian conversion “panic” that indelibly shaped the trajectory of Hindu and Muslim politics. In 1813, the British Crown adopted a policy officially permitting Protestant missionaries to evangelize among the empire's Indian subjects. The ramifications proved enormous and long-lasting. While the number of conversions was small—Christian converts never represented more than 1.5 percent of India's population during the nineteenth century—Bengal's majority faith communities responded in ways that sharply politicized religious identity, leading to the permanent ejection of religious minorities from Indian ideals of nationhood. Mou Banerjee details what happened as Hindus and Muslims grew increasingly suspicious of converts, missionaries, and evangelically minded British authorities. Fearing that converts would subvert resistance to British imperialism, Hindu and Muslim critics used their influence to define the new Christians as a threatening “other” outside the bounds of authentic Indian selfhood. The meaning of conversion was passionately debated in the burgeoning sphere of print media, and individual converts were accused of betrayal and ostracized by their neighbors. Yet, Banerjee argues, the effects of the panic extended far beyond the lives of those who suffered directly. As Christian converts were erased from the Indian political community, that community itself was reconfigured as one consecrated in faith. While India's emerging nationalist narratives would have been impossible in the absence of secular Enlightenment thought, the evolution of cohesive communal identity was also deeply entwined with suspicion toward religious minorities. Recovering the perspectives of Indian Christian converts as well as their detractors, The Disinherited: The Politics of Christian Conversion in Colonial India (Harvard UP, 2025) is an eloquent account of religious marginalization that helps to explain the shape of Indian nationalist politics in today's era of Hindu majoritarianism. Arighna Gupta is a doctoral candidate in history at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. His dissertation attempts to trace early-colonial genealogies of popular sovereignty located at the interstices of monarchical, religious, and colonial sovereignties in India and present-day Bangladesh. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/british-studies

Welcome to Top of the Morning by Mint, your weekday newscast that brings you five major stories from the world of business. It's Friday, December 6, 2024. This is Nelson John, let's get started. Himachal Pradesh is grappling with severe financial challenges, struggling to meet promises of government job creation and welfare schemes under the weight of a heavy debt burden. The state's revenues are largely consumed by fixed expenses such as salaries and pensions, leaving little room for development initiatives. This financial strain has its roots in decisions made decades ago, when the state relied heavily on central government funds without developing its own robust revenue streams. Post-1990, as central support dwindled, Himachal Pradesh increasingly turned to borrowing, which spiraled into a fiscal crisis. Despite measures such as tax hikes and targeted freebie schemes introduced under Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, the financial outlook remains bleak. As the state, a popular tourist destination, struggles to balance its books, N Madhavan explores how Himachal Pradesh's debt woes are affecting its ability to sustain growth and fulfill its promises. India is set to maintain its capital spending at around 3.4% of GDP for the 2025–26 fiscal year, translating to approximately ₹12 trillion. This steady allocation aims to sustain economic growth as state-level expenditure continues to lag. For the current fiscal year, capex stands at ₹11.11 trillion, a notable increase from the previous year's estimates. While India's GDP grew by 8.9% in the first half of the current fiscal year, full-year growth may fall short of earlier projections, report Rhik Kundu and Subhash Narayan. To keep growth targets on track, the government plans a modest increase in capital expenditure for the next fiscal year, with the rise expected to range between 7% and 10%. With private sector investments gaining momentum at a slower pace and state-level capital spending remaining subdued, the central government's capex remains a critical driver for economic growth.Bitcoin hit an all-time high of $100,000 early Thursday, fulfilling predictions made by some analysts at the start of the year. This historic surge has been driven by a mix of market optimism following Donald Trump's US presidential election win and regulatory developments. However, doubts linger about the rally's sustainability. The US SEC played a pivotal role in this price spike by approving Bitcoin ETFs earlier in January, enabling institutional investors to enter the market. This move helped Bitcoin climb from $16,500 to over $40,000, and by June, increased institutional backing pushed the price to $75,000. After dipping to $50,000 in September, Bitcoin's fortunes reversed with Trump's election victory and his appointment of crypto advocate Paul Atkins to lead the SEC. This appointment reignited investor enthusiasm, propelling the cryptocurrency past the $100,000 milestone. Shayan Ghosh delves into the key factors behind Bitcoin's record-breaking rally.NTPC Green Energy Ltd, a state-owned enterprise, is gearing up for a ₹30,000 crore investment in a dedicated transmission network to support a new green hydrogen hub in Andhra Pradesh. Rituraj Baruah reports that the network, with a capacity of 20 GW, will operate independently of the national grid and connect NTPC's upcoming solar project in Anantapur to a hydrogen production facility in Pudimadaka. Spread over 1,600 acres, the Pudimadaka hub aims to produce 1,500 tonnes of green hydrogen daily, leveraging renewable energy to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. NTPC Green Energy is currently in discussions for land allocation, a critical step that will pave the way for the construction of the transmission system, targeted for completion by 2032.The competition between India's oldest exchange, BSE, and its younger but larger rival, NSE, is intensifying. Starting January 3, BSE will shift the expiry day for its weekly Sensex contracts from Friday to Tuesday. This change aligns the expiry schedules for weekly, monthly, and quarterly Sensex, Bankex, and Sensex 50 derivatives, all set to terminate on the last Tuesday of their respective months. The move is a strategic attempt by BSE to capture a larger share of the derivatives market by extending trading focus from a single day to three days, potentially boosting trading volumes, report Ram Sahgal and Neha Joshi. Currently, NSE commands a dominant 87% market share in index options premium turnover, based on November data, while BSE holds the remaining 13%. Despite the disparity, BSE has made notable progress, growing its market share from virtually zero just 18 months ago.  Deep in debt, Himachal Pradesh is a case study in how not to run a stateCentre likely to maintain capex push in FY26 to aid economic growth amid sluggish state spendingMint Primer: Bitcoin scales the $100k peak, but can it crash too?NTPC Green plans Rs 30,000 cr-transmission network for AP green hydrogen hubBSE, NSE contest to heat up under Sebi's eagle eye

In this episode, Our guest speaker Debmalya Sen discusses the rapid development of India's battery storage sector, despite starting late. India currently has a small installed capacity of 2 GWh but is targeting 200 GWh by 2030 to support its renewable energy goals. The government has introduced policies and incentives, such as energy storage obligations and waivers, to accelerate the industry. While India has made significant strides in electric mobility, particularly with two- and three-wheelers, challenges remain in areas like charging infrastructure and maximizing revenue from battery applications. India's efficient tendering process can serve as a model for other regions, but further investment in research and talent development is needed.

Meet Shaik Salauddin, a 38-year-old cab driver from Hyderabad, who is fighting for the rights of eight million gig workers from across the country. While India's gig economy is burgeoning, the workers on whose backs it is built barely enjoy any rights or legal protections. Salauddin realised this early on and in 2019, after five years of relentless pursuit, the Indian Federation of App-based Transport Workers (IFAT) was born. With over 25,000 members working for aggregators like Uber, Amazon, and Zomato, through IFAT, Salauddin is redefining the way we look at trade unions. To begin with, the union has no political affiliations. Instead, Salauddin encourages all of its members to understand power structures and approach the right people to drive change.Thanks to his efforts, two states, Karnataka and Rajasthan, have introduced legislations to protect the rights of gig workers. Others like Kerala are working on their own.In this episode, hosts Snigdha and Rahel speak to Salauddin himself and to Prof. Vinoj Abraham from Labour Economics at the Centre for Development Studies in Thiruvananthapuram to understand the significance of Salauddin's work and why it is important to protect gig workers.  Tune in. Daybreak is produced from the newsroom of The Ken, India's first subscriber-only business news platform. Subscribe for more exclusive, deeply-reported, and analytical business stories.A special shout out to Hari Krishna, from the Two by Two team, who kindly agreed to dub parts of this episode. Thank you, Hari!Fill in Akshaya's Happiness Survey here

When it comes to electric vehicles, China is the crownless king. Nothing new there.But what was news to us was when Bhavish Aggarwal recently announced at an event that his company, Ola Electric, is the world's largest electric two-wheeler manufacturer and the fourth-largest EV company in the world. It left everyone scratching their heads for a few seconds until they noticed the fine print at the bottom of the powerpoint slide — marked with an asterisk, in tiny lettering, it said excluding China.But you can't exclude China from the EV conversation because for the last decade it has been leagues ahead of the rest of the world. The Chinese government has been pushing for EV adoption — and all of its efforts have paid off. Multiple studies and surveys have found that China's EV market is now the biggest in the world. But it's not all sunshine and rainbows. While India is still in its teething phase as far as electric mobility is concerned, China is well into its teens, and we all know puberty comes with a whole set of its own problems. In China's case it's price wars, record breaking insurance premiums, and a threat to data privacy. Are there lessons here for India? In this episode, we speak to two people from The Ken newsroom, who have been covering the EV space extensively — Nathan Narde and Lu Zhao. Tune in. Daybreak is produced from the newsroom of The Ken, India's first subscriber-only business news platform. Subscribe for more exclusive, deeply-reported, and analytical business stories.Want to be part of the Daybreak community? Introduce yourself here.

What does the surprising outcome of the Indian elections mean for the state of democracy there? Zachary and Emma delve into the failure of polling predictions and discuss the implications of the election results with Ravi Agrawal, the editor-in-chief of Foreign Policy. The conversation looks towards India's future growth and the challenges it faces. While India has the potential to attract companies and become a destination for business, average incomes remain low, and further reforms are needed. What Could Go Right? is produced by The Progress Network and The Podglomerate. For transcripts, to join the newsletter, and for more information, visit: theprogressnetwork.org Watch the podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/theprogressnetwork And follow us on X, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok: @progressntwrk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last week, on June 15, the world marked Elder Abuse Awareness Day. How well are senior citizens in India doing? A report that was released by the NGO HelpAge India reveals that a large majority of them are not doing very well – their study conducted across 20 cities in 10 States surveying over 5,000 elderly citizens found that nearly 65% reported that they were not financially secure. Over half of those surveyed suffered from two or more non-communicable diseases, such as diabetes and hypertension and at least 7% admitted to being victims of abuse. India's demography is changing – while senior citizens now constitute around 10% of the population – this number is expected to touch 20% by 2050. Family continues to play the role of primary caregiver, but also faces challenges, physically and financially. What happens if the family is from another city or country? While India has launched programmes such as the National Programme for the Healthcare of the Elderly and has enacted legislation like the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, implementation on the ground remains. Are the current social security nets sufficient to take care of senior citizens? Does the health infrastructure need to focus on geriatric care? How can their financial challenges be addressed? And how can the country work towards providing comprehensive care for our elderly population? Guest: Anupama Datta, Head, Policy Research and Advocacy, HelpAge India Host: Zubeda Hamid Edited by Jude Francis Weston

Battle of Ideas festival 2023, Sunday 29 October, Church House, London ORIGINAL INTRODUCTION In August, India made world news by being the first nation to land near the Moon's South Pole. Prime Minister Narendra Modi described it as a historic moment for humanity and ‘the dawn of the new India'. Meanwhile, India's digital transformation of its financial system is reported by payments systems company ACI Worldwide to be operating on a larger scale than even in the US and China. Earlier this year, UN population estimates suggested India has overtaken China as the world's most populous country, with over 1.4 billion people. As America's rivalry with China heats up, the western world has warmed to India. A month before the Moon landing, President Joe Biden had rolled out the red carpet for Modi's state visit to America. The US wants a more meaningful, closer and stronger relationship with India. The German government is discussing a possible submarine deal. French President Emmanuel Macron invited Modi to celebrate Bastille Day, calling India a strategic partner and friend. But there have also been tensions over India's neutral stance over the war in Ukraine. Are these signs of India's arrival on the international top table? Can India rise to this challenge? India has a huge population, but the vast majority are still poor – the country is ranked 139th in the world for nominal GDP per capita – and faces massive inequalities. While India receives much adulation from the Western elites, its undermining of the freedom of the press and its clampdown on the judiciary have been heavily criticised. The Economist Intelligence Unit‘s Democracy Index showed India falling from 27th position in 2014 to 46th in 2022. But the White House is calling India a ‘vibrant democracy'. Which is it: a faltering democracy or a vibrant one? India is also facing much internal disquiet within its population. Most recently, ethnic tensions have flared up between the majority Hindus and the Muslim minority just 20 miles outside of New Delhi. Ethnic strife between Hindus and Christians also continues especially in the North-east state of Manipur. With this backdrop of domestic instability, can Modi and his BJP party retain control in the 2024 elections? What will India's future role be on the world stage – both politically and economically? SPEAKERS Lord Meghnad Desai crossbench peer; chair, Gandhi Statue Memorial Trust; emeritus professor of Economics, LSE Dr Zareer Masani historian, author, journalist, broadcaster Dr Alka Sehgal Cuthbert director, Don't Divide Us; author, What Should Schools Teach? Disciplines, subjects and the pursuit of truth CHAIR Para Mullan former operations director, EY-Seren; fellow, Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development

Will India overtake China as the engine of global economic growth in the next few years? The country beat its north-eastern neighbor as the world's most populous nation a year ago and India's 1.4-billion population is a key growth factor, the outlet explains. Yet, reality suggests that having a large population does not translate to economic power, especially when there is no infrastructure to support economic growth, when poverty is rampant, and social tensions are at an all time high...While India's population may be a driving force for economic growth, it is essential to address the underlying issues that hinder development. Without adequate infrastructure, poverty alleviation measures, and social stability, India's potential as a global economic powerhouse may be limited.Investments in education, healthcare, and technology are crucial for India to sustain long-term economic growth and truly surpass China in the global arena. Only by addressing these fundamental challenges can India fulfill its potential as the next economic superpower.The road ahead may be challenging, but with the right strategies and investments, India has the opportunity to lead the world in economic growth. Thank you for watching the video, and don't forget to subscribe to our channel for more updates and analysis on global economic trends.☎️ For Business inquiries, please go to ➡︎ show@geopoliticsinconflict.comAbout David:Dr. Oualaalou served a fifteen-year career in the United States Armed Forces in support of the US government's security agencies in Washington DC and around the world. His primary roles include security policy, intelligence analysis, security operations advice including leadership and managerial operations. He advised high-profile U.S. military and civilian officials on security issues, economic trends, and foreign military threat information. He has written many articles and books including his latest, The Dynamics of Russia's Geopolitics: Remaking the Global Order.About Elizabeth:Elizabeth graduated with a degree in Global Business. She visited corporations in China, India and South Korea among others. Elizabeth is a successful entrepreneur and business consultant. She has visited many countries on four continents including: Asia, North America, South America and Europe. She speaks different languages, her passion is exploring ancient cultures.⏰ LIVE STREAM SCHEDULE:Tuesday 12:00 noon CST /1PM ET/10AM PST/ 5PM GMT✳️  Become a Geopolitics In Conflict member and get access to EXCLUSIVE content, live streams, COMMUNITY or just SUPPORT US and more on our LOCALS! ➜ https://geopolitics.locals.com/PAYPAL DONATION LINK https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted... ✳️ Follow us on RUMBLE: Rumble is a free speech platform, in case you can't find us on YouTube you can always find us on 

Explore the importance and unique aspects of India as a gaming market. Joining us is Shloak "Spidey" Pacheriwala – the Founder of BharatGG, an Indian games guild. Spidey challenges misconceptions about the market and discusses the opportunities in India. Learn about the demographics of Indian gamers, monetization differences between iOS and Android, the lack of local Indian game developers, the challenges of web3 gaming in India, and the role of gaming guilds in bridging the gap. Plus, get insights on Indian trends and what the next several years are likely to have in store for the Indian market. Takeaways India is a rapidly growing gaming market with a large user base, particularly in mobile gaming. While India is a hub for games growth, there are very few Indian game studios or gaming companies. The Indian gaming market is predominantly men under 30 and women over 35. Localization and culturalization are important for international developers looking to enter the Indian market. Web3 gaming faces challenges in India due to government regulations against cryptocurrencies. Gaming guilds play a crucial role in onboarding traditional Indian gamers to web3 gaming experiences. Indian gaming trends show potential for story-based games that incorporate Indian mythology and culture. Podcast Chapters 00:00 – Opening and introductions 01:50 – What you should know about games in India 13:00 – India's esports explosion 15:08 – Understanding Indian gamedev and gamers 21:37 – Web3 guilds and gaming in India 31:26 – India Insights: Projections and predictions 37:26 – Closing and sponsor message

On March 10th, India signed a free trade agreement with a group of four European nations, committing to reduce tariffs. In return, India would receive $100 billion in investments over the next 15 years. The non-EU bloc, known as the European Free Trade Association, consists of Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein. This agreement has come on the back of protracted negotiations of 21 rounds spread over 16 years. While the balance of trade heavily favors the EFTA, with India importing about $22 billion in 2023 from the bloc, India exported only about $3 billion to the bloc. While India hopes to attract investments in railways, the financial sector and automobiles, it is expecting a growth in exports of pharma products, garments, chemicals and machinery to the EFTA.  This pact comes just two years after India signed similar agreements with the United Arab Emirates and Australia, but such free trade deals have not largely helped India's export growth. In fact, it has generally been more beneficial to the other nations or blocks who have signed such deals with India. For instance, India's 2011 comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement with Japan enabled Japan to double its exports to more than $16 billion in 2023 from $8 billion in 2011. On the other hand, India's exports to Japan remained static at $5.46 billion in 2023, a tad up from $5.09 billion in 2011. This mirrors other trade pacts like the one signed with the 10-member Southeast Asian block, the ASEAN in 2010. In 2022-23, India exported goods worth about $44 billion to the region, while its imports were valued at $87 billion. The trade deficit in 2022-23 was $43 billion compared with $7.5 billion in 2010.  Why is India then entering into more such agreements? How different is the EFTA from those signed with other nations and blocs? And are such deals a substitute to larger WTO led trade frameworks, where India tends to have a larger say because of the backing of other developing nations.  Guest: Professor Dinesh Abrol, retired professor at the Institute for Studies in industrial development.  Host: Kunal Shankar, Deputy Business Editor, The Hindu.  Edited by Sharmada Venkatasubramanian. 

We live in an age where drones are everywhere. In this episode, host Dev Goswami and defence expert Shiv Aroor delve into the world of UAVs or UAS, commonly known as drones. These unmanned air systems have played pivotal roles in global events, from the U.S. war on terror to conflicts in Ukraine, Israel-Hamas, and Azerbaijan-Armenia. Despite their ubiquitous presence, popular culture and mainstream defense writing lag in portraying the significance of these non-human aircraft. Why?While India boasts a list of domestically manufactured drones, none are currently in service. The discussion delves into the reasons behind India's delayed adoption and the increasing involvement of private companies in the drone ecosystem.The duo also contemplates the potential takeover of drones by AI, about the elimination of the human loop and the future of drone warfare. What game-changing effects drones can have in military operations? What are the challenges faced by the military in drone usage, including concerns about proliferation and security threats from terrorists and non-state actors. The ultimate question remains: Is drone warfare here to stay, and how will it shape the landscape of future conflicts?Tune in to listen!Produced by Anna PriyadarshiniSound Mix by Kapil Dev Singh

Based on the Minnesota Twins trading Jorge Polanco to the Seattle Mariners for four players, the Cincinnati Reds may have missed a golden opportunity to trade Jonathan India. While India's trade value has been largely questioned this offseason, he and Polanco are very comparable and the Reds could have gotten a haul in return.Also, Will Benson has one thing he needs to do to become that next level outfielder for the Reds. And why Chase Petty needs to prove it for the Reds this year.Follow & Subscribe on all Podcast platforms… 

Based on the Minnesota Twins trading Jorge Polanco to the Seattle Mariners for four players, the Cincinnati Reds may have missed a golden opportunity to trade Jonathan India. While India's trade value has been largely questioned this offseason, he and Polanco are very comparable and the Reds could have gotten a haul in return. Also, Will Benson has one thing he needs to do to become that next level outfielder for the Reds. And why Chase Petty needs to prove it for the Reds this year. Follow & Subscribe on all Podcast platforms… 

In this Republic Day special, host Dev Goswami and defence expert Shiv Aroor analyse the delayed progress of PM Modi's 'Atmanirbharta' in defence. Why the prolonged wait? What's the stark reality we must confront? Why are we still dependent on Russian equipment even now? Why is self-reliance a painful birthing process?The episode starts with reflections on the Republic Day fanfare, notably the annual parade at Kartavyapath. Amidst the grand spectacle, critics question the hefty costs. Is there a valid place for the R-Day parade in modern India? Shiv disapproves of the display of weaponry, citing the irony of India being a major arms importer while reiterating the urgency for self-reliance in defence equipment.The duo also takes us through the history of India's quest for self-reliance. Why is it not a happy story? Why has India faltered despite having huge needs for military equipment? Was it because of political reluctance to go into having a weapons industry? And why do HAL, DRDO and various other organisations still need more accountability and cohesion?What's the stranglehold of government bodies on defence production? And where do the private companies stand in the midst of this? Finally, what pulls and pressures are required to be fully Atmanirbhar?Well, not everything is gloomy, though. While India remains one of the biggest weapons importers, it has made excellent strides in the last decade. What are those?Tune in to listen!Produced by Anna PriyadarshiniSound Mix by Kapil Dev Singh

While India has remained careful about how it addresses China's “sovereignty concerns,” since 2020 New Delhi has been less deferential to Beijing's sensitivities on issues such as Tibet and Taiwan. To unpack this shift and India's approach in the context of the India-China-U.S. triangle, host Tanvi Madan speaks with Brookings Senior Fellow Ryan Hass, director of the John L. Thornton China Center at Brookings. Show notes and transcript. Listen to Global India on Apple, Spotify, and wherever you listen to podcasts. Learn about other Brookings podcasts from the Brookings Podcast Network.

Israel's brutal bombardment of Gaza has killed over 20,000 Palestinians and wounded more than 50,000 others since the 7 October attack by Hamas. While India strongly condemned the attack and expressed solidarity with Israel, India recently voted in favour of several draft resolutions in the United Nations that criticised Israel's conduct in Gaza and supported aid for Palestinian civilians, after initially abstaining on a resolution that had called for an immediate humanitarian truce and unhindered humanitarian access in the Gaza strip. This signifies that deeper shifts have taken place in India's approach to Israel. For most of independent India's history, New Delhi had no diplomatic relations with Israel. Today, Indian and Israeli flags are displayed together at rallies demonstrating solidarity with Israel. India and Israel under Narendra Modi and Benjamin Netanyahu have developed a significant military partnership and growing economic ties. In a review essay on Azad Essa's Hostile Homelands: The New Alliance between India and Israel, for Himal Southasian, Rohan Venkat explores the ideological convergence of Hindutva and Zionism, and the consequences for Kashmir and Palestine – and argues there is much more driving India and Israel's deepening ties. Rohan Venkat is a Non-Resident Visiting Scholar and Consulting Editor at the Centre for the Advanced Study of India, University of Pennsylvania. He writes India Inside Out, a newsletter on Indian politics, foreign policy and history. In this edition of Himal Interviews, Rohan Venkat talks about how the most potent commonality between India and Israel isn't in the trade and defence ties they have been building over the past three decades. Instead, Rohan explores how the ideological movements that lie at the core of India and Israel's political leadership today serve to justify the excesses of both states, and the wider implications of this for Southasia. Rohan Venkat's recommendations: Hostile Homelands: The New Alliance Between India and Israel by Azad Essa Pluto Press (February 2023) The Evolution of India's Israel Policy: Continuity, Change, and Compromise Since 1922 by Nicolas Blarel. Oxford University Press (January 2015) India's Israel Policy by P R Kumaraswamy. Columbia University Press (July 2010) The Ezra Klein Show by The New York Times Minor Detail Adania Shibli. Fitzcarraldo Editions and New Directions Publishing (June 2017) The Man in the White Sharkskin Suit by Lucette Lagnado. Ecco (June 2007)

Prediction Time—RSJIn a year when countries as diverse as India, the United States, the United Kingdom, Russia, Taiwan, Pakistan and Palau go for their elections, it is tempting to go for an overarching theme for the year while looking ahead. Unfortunately, like these aforementioned elections and the many others that will see about 50 per cent of the human population exercise their democratic choice, there seems to be only a messy mix of political signals emerging from them. Illiberal forces are rising in some places, and autocrats are rubber-stamping their authority in others. Democracy is blooming afresh in a few, while the trends of deglobalisation and closed borders are resonating among others. Of course, there are the wars old and new and, maybe, a few more round the corner to complicate any attempt at a broad narrative for the world. To add to the woes of anyone trying to write a piece like this, the economic macros globally look volatile and inchoate. There is increasing talk of a soft landing of the US economy while the EU and the UK stare at another lost year. Depending on who you speak to, China has either put its economic issues behind it and is ready to charge back with its investment in future technologies like AI, EVs and hi-tech manufacturing, or it is at the “Japan moment” of the late 80s. Japan, on the other hand, is itself having a brief moment of revival, and no one knows if it will have legs or if it is yet another false dawn.It is foolhardy to purvey macro forecasts in this environment. But then this newsletter won't write itself. No? So, I guess the best course then is to make more specific predictions instead of taking big swings and hoping those come true while the macros swing wildly. This will also satisfy Pranay's pet peeve about generic predictions that I mentioned in the last newsletter. So, let me get going with 10 somewhat specific predictions for next year.* President Biden will decide sometime in early February that he cannot lead the Democratic Party to power in the 2024 elections. He will opt out of the race and give possibly the most well-backed Democrat, financially and otherwise, a really short window of four months to clinch the nomination. In a way, this will be the best option for his party. If he continued to run for the 2024 elections, it would have been apparent to many in the electorate that they are risking a President who won't last the full term. If he had opted out earlier, the long-drawn primary process would have led to intense infighting among the many factions of the party, eventually leading to fratricide or a Trump-like populist to emerge perhaps. A narrow window will allow the Party to back an establishment figure and reduce the fraternal bloodletting. Who will emerge from this is anyone's guess. But whoever it might be, if (and it is a big if) they have to come up against Trump, they will lose. To me, the only way Trump doesn't become the next President is if he isn't on the ballot. And the only way that looks possible is if he loses his legal battles. Otherwise, you will see a second Trump term which will be worse than the first one. * There's way too much confidence about the Fed having piloted a ‘safe landing' for the US economy despite the many odds that were stacked against it. I think this is fundamentally misplaced. The fiscal deficit is unsustainable, and much of the soft landing is thanks to it. The GDP growth has been supported by an almost doubling of the federal fiscal deficit. This won't last. The higher rates that haven't yet led to any real string of bankruptcies or asset bubble collapses will begin to make an impact. The geopolitical risks that have only been aggravated in the last 12 months and the increasing protectionism worldwide will make it difficult to sustain growth at 2023 levels. My view is that the real landing will be in 2024, and it won't be soft.* China will get more adventurous geopolitically as it weakens economically. Look, the property market crisis is real in China and given the influence it wields on its economy, it is difficult to see any return to the ‘normal' 8 per cent growth anytime soon. The local government finances will worsen, and there is a real possibility of a few of them defaulting. There will be more fiscal support to prop up the numbers and more packages for sectors in stress. Foreign inflow will continue to be anaemic, though it won't be negative, as it turned out late last year. The Chinese customers' long-awaited consumption spree isn't coming in 2024. All in all, China will stutter while still wowing the world with its progress in tech.* BJP will come back to power, but it will fall a bit short of 300 seats. This will surprise many, considering the continued electoral success of its machinery and all the Ram Mandir ballast it plans for itself from this month onwards. There are a couple of reasons for it, largely driven by electoral arithmetic across the states where it did very well in 2019 and where a repeat showing will be difficult. Also, the sense of complacency about winning it hands down will mean a letup in the door-to-door mobilisation model that it has perfected. All of this will mean a decline in 30-40 seats across the board. The new Modi cabinet will be a surprise with new Finance and Defence ministers and a whole host of new faces as it goes for a generational change in leadership.* The somewhat surprising trend of record US deficit going hand-in-hand with the relatively strong showing of the dollar in the past two years will eventually come to a face-off. And my guess is 2024 is when the dollar will blink. As other emerging economies start to trade in currencies other than dollars - who wants to risk more exposure to the dollar? - and its economy doesn't have a soft landing like I predict, US dollar will be hit. My guess is that 2024 will be the first year of a 3-4-year dollar down cycle. In the next year, I predict the dollar to fall by 10 per cent against most world currencies. This might not hold with India because we are a bit of a unique case. But a dollar slide looks inevitable to me.* I had predicted a more aggressive anti-trust stance and significant moves against Big Tech by the FTC. It didn't pan out. So, I will repeat the prediction. Lina Khan, the FTC Commissioner, has a nine-month window to go after them, after which it isn't certain she will continue to be in her post. I predict a big scalp during this time, which will then be legally challenged. But expect a tough couple of quarters as she and her team do their best to leave a mark for the future.* The Indian economy will continue its trend of surprising on the upside, though I think global headwinds will temper the overall growth. I expect a 6.5 per cent growth with the inflation at the 4.5 per cent mark through the year. The much-awaited capex cycle will not be broad-based and will show up in select sectors led by large Indian conglomerates or global platform players. I expect FII inflow to be among the lowest in many years in 2024, and much of the equity market will be buoyed by domestic fund inflow into the market. The Nifty will remain flat or be up 5 per cent because of global weakness and the relative overvaluation seen already.* The Israel-Hamas war will end faster than people think. Maybe by April. Not because there will be some solution agreed between the parties. There's nobody to fight any more in Giza. The Hezbollah won't get involved, and the Houthi insurgency will be a mere storm in the teacup. On the other hand, the Ukraine war will continue with no real end in sight during the year. A Trump (or Republican government) in 2025 will likely stop funding the war, and that will pressure Ukraine to negotiate with Putin. But that's for 2025.* Two specific corporate predictions: One, AI will continue to impress us with its capabilities without making a dent on real business. So expect to be surprised by a best seller written by an unknown author that will later revealed to be an AI-trained algorithm. Or a music album, even. There will be many conferences and papers, but AI's wider impact will still be distant in 2025. Two, I think Novo Nordisk will be well on its way to becoming the most valued company in the world in 2024. It might become the most valued in Europe during the year itself as it will struggle to produce enough of its weight loss drugs to keep up with demand.* I forecast one of two contentious pieces of legislation will come into play after the elections are over. We will see a real move on either the Uniform Civil Code or on one-nation one-election (ONOE) at the back end of the year. These are issues close to this government; they will get these going right after the elections.That's that, then. We will see how they go during the year.India Policy Watch: The Services vs Manufacturing DebateInsights on current policy issues in India— Pranay KotasthaneBreaking the Mould: Reimagining India's Economic Future, a book by economists Raghuram Rajan and Rohit Lamba, has started a much-needed discussion on India's future growth trajectory. The authors challenge the dominant narrative that India should imitate the manufacturing-led growth strategy followed by the East Asian countries. They instead point to India's comparative advantage in low-end and high-end services, making a case for a policy reprioritisation to double down on these strengths. The book argues that replicating China's manufacturing success is neither possible nor desirable. Not possible because manufacturing supply chains are shortening due to increased protectionism and higher rates of automation, making the conditions far more difficult than what China faced. Moreover, China hasn't gone away; it remains a formidable competitor in manufacturing. Replicating that success might not even be desirable, they contend, as the value added in a product's manufacturing stage is dwarfed by the value captured in the upstream R&D stage and the downstream services (branding, marketing, content production, etc.) stage. And hence, they are against the kind of subsidies on offer for electronics and chip manufacturing assembly. The Micron chip assembly plant is a particular thorn in their eye because it will cost Indians $2 billion and produce a mere 5000 direct jobs with no R&D spillover. They argue that services and Services for manufacturing are the sweet spot for India to focus on. The money splurged on manufacturing and assembly should be ploughed back into education and health, priming India's human capital for global success.In sharp contrast, international trade economist Devashish Mitra makes the case that low-end export-led manufacturing (such as in textile, apparel, and leather) is the only way out for India. In his book review for the Economic Times, Mitra writes:“India is a labour-abundant economy. This abundance is in low-skilled labour, given that almost 80% of its working-age population does not have even a higher secondary education, with only an eighth of the working-age population having studied beyond high school. While India adds 8-10 million people to its labour force annually, roughly 2 million are college-educated or beyond. There is also a wide variation in the quality of degree programmes across India, most of which cannot impart marketable skills. Thus, high-skilled workers are scarce.Standard international trade theory tells us that an economy abundant in low-skilled labour, when open to international trade, will specialise in low-skilled labour-intensive production activities, which are the ones in which such a country has its inherent comparative advantage. Furthermore, India's technology-driven comparative advantage is also expected to be in low-end manufacturing activities, as those would be the ones in which India's productivity disadvantage relative to advanced economies would be the least, for example, textiles, apparel and footwear. Thus, high-skill specialisation for India, as envisioned by Rajan and Lamba, would have to defy standard international trade theory.”Mitra also points out that the government should prioritise solving the unemployment problem, the only way around which is low-end manufacturing because IT and IT services have historically had comparatively low levels of employment growth.Reading these two perspectives over the past few days has been rewarding. This is precisely the debate that needs the attention of our policymaking elite. At this stage, I have three initial observations.One, the services vs manufacturing is a false binary. Both views are actually quite similar in their essence because they both advocate capitalising on India's comparative advantages. That advantage lies in high-end services such as chip design and in low-end manufacturing such as textiles and footwear. There is no need to choose just one of them. Success in both areas needs the same ingredients—eliminate self-defeating policies, improve skilling, pass trade-friendly reforms, and invest in health and education.Two, I feel the criticism of low-end chip and electronics assembly misses an important consideration. If chips are the building blocks of the Information Age, it makes sense for India to begin the journey at the lower end of the chip manufacturing supply chain and climb up that ladder over two decades or so. Jobs generated per rupee of money spent is not the only criterion that should motivate economic decision-making. For example, India's nuclear energy sector is not evaluated primarily on the number of jobs it creates. Similarly, the primary goal of building the intellectual and manufacturing capability for making chips is to reduce critical vulnerabilities in the future. India can pursue the twin goals of doubling down on comparative advantages and reducing vulnerabilities simultaneously. In any case, attracting a single 65-nanometre specialised fab (which would cost around ₹10,000 crores) doesn't come at the expense of a better university education system. India can do both. Third, the book brilliantly emphasises that the services sector needs a lot more policy focus. Trade economists propose that we are heading towards a future where manufacturing supply chains will become shorter (because of protectionism and China-related fears) while services supply chains will become longer (because of better technology). This implies that services as a percentage of global trade will only rise. When that happens, nation-states will start imposing trade barriers for services, too. So, the Indian government needs to champion trade frameworks that bring down services trade costs. An analogous case is that of the Information Technology Agreement (ITA) of the WTO. Signed in the nineties, the ITA substantially brought down tariffs on information technology goods and their intermediate products. This move immensely benefited multinational companies and consumers worldwide, including in India. Similarly, it's time for India to champion a Global Services Trade Agreement that lowers barriers that Indian service providers face in participating in global trade. It also becomes clear why data localisation policies that hamper services exports will have a disproportionately negative impact on India's economic future. Finally, do read both the book and Devashish Mitra's paper linked in the HomeWork section. And yes, check out our Puliyabaazi with Rohit Lamba, which discusses some of these themes.PolicyWTF: How Pro-Business Protectionism Hurts Indian WomenThis section looks at egregious public policies. Policies that make you go: WTF, Did that really happen?— Pranay KotasthaneBy now, it's widely known that Bangladesh has eaten away at India's share in textile and apparel exports. This industry is labour-intensive and employs a significant proportion of women in the formal labour force—46% of all Indian women in the manufacturing sector are employed by apparel and textile industries taken together. Hence, it's important to diagnose the reason for India's decline. As with policy success, policy failure can also have multiple causes. Bangladeshi exports received preferential treatment in the West as part of the latter's policy to help poorer countries. This is one important reason that helped Bangladesh. However, this reason alone doesn't explain India's decline in fibre production. It turns out that the reason is our favourite villain: pro-business protectionism. I learned about this causal linkage from an excellent 2022 paper, Reigniting the Manmade Clothing Sector in India, by Abhishek Anand and Naveen Joseph Thomas.This is how I understood the story that Anand and Joseph narrate. India has been losing global market share in textiles and apparel since 2011 to Bangladesh and Vietnam. The global demand for artificial fabric-based cloth (such as polyester) is far higher than that for natural fabric-based cloth (such as cotton) for cost and durability reasons. Thus, India's underperformance is largely due to a decline in its exports in the artificial fibre segment. And why is that the case? The most important input for the polyester fabric is a chemical called Purified Terephthalic Acid (PTA). The villain enters the scene. In October 2013, the two major domestic producers of PTA (Reliance Industries Ltd. and Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation India Ltd.) petitioned the government to impose anti-dumping duties on imported PTA. The government agreed. The anti-dumping duties were supposed to remain in force for six months. But they were kept in force for over six years! To make matters worse, the government imposed additional import tariffs on PTA in 2018 as part of its atmanirbharta driveoverdrive. This rise in PTA costs had a cascading effect on the downstream fibre-making and apparel industries, making their products costly even as Bangladesh continued enjoying preferential tariff treatment in the EU. Vietnam benefited from trade agreements with Australia, Canada, the EU, and also the RCEP. The productivity of India's textile sector declined, and many potential jobs vanished in thin air, disproportionately impacting women.There's an even uglier face to this fiasco. While large sections of Indians lost out, the position of a select few protected businesses improved. Vertically integrated firms with a presence in the entire supply chain from PTA to polyester yarn, and finally, apparel, benefited immensely as their competitors had to pay higher rates for the imported PTA. Protected from the cost of imports due to their in-house PTA production capabilities, these companies cornered a bigger domestic market share. Notably, their lower productivity means that even these protected firms can't compete in the global market. This a canonical example of how pro-business policies hurt markets and people. Even though the government dropped the anti-dumping duties on PLA in 2020 and started a Production-linked Incentive (PLI) for textiles, it simultaneously increased import duties for the downstream polyester to now protect domestic yarn producers from foreign competition! Talk about learning from past mistakes. PolicyWTF indeed.In any case, do read the entire paper. It's written lucidly, without the jargon and the scary Greek alphabet.HomeWorkReading and listening recommendations on public policy matters* [Article] Martin Wolf has an excellent column in the Financial Times on liberalism and its discontents. It cites the Inglehart-Welzel Cultural Map to argue that even if there is no ‘clash of civilisations', there seems to be a ‘divergence of civilisations' on freedom-related questions. As an aside, I observed that there is no data for India in the seventh round of the World Values Survey, which covers the period 2017-21. Does any reader know why? Is it a story similar to India pulling out of the PISA rankings? * [Video] This is a good conversation on Devashish Mitra's paper Manufacturing-fed, Export-led Growth for Gainful Employment and Skill Creation. The presentation has no scary equations, and the discussion is insightful. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit publicpolicy.substack.com

As a marathon runner, race announcer, YouTuber, podcast host, and RRCA - certified run coach, India Cook has a lot to say about being seen in the running industry. This week, we welcome India Cook to share her experience as a Black woman in this space, how she got to where she is today, and her effort to get more women of color coaching. While India started her running career as a feat to lose weight, she shares how important it is for that "why" to continually change. Discussing what it's like to share her life online, the trio chats about the woes of social media and the importance of using it as a tool for change. Finally, India shares her determination to get more women, and women of color coaching, and why this is important. Follow India on Instagram @i_of_endigo_runs https://vcpm.com/game-changershttps://www.outsideonline.com/health/running/culture-running/people/game-changers-coaches/Follow us on Instagram:@feistytriathlon Feisty Media Website:https://livefeisty.com/ Support Our Partners:Get 10%+ off an ouraring at ouraring.com/feisty TRIHARD: Get the perfect gift to start the year with 25% off products at trihard.co with the code GIFT25 This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podsights - https://podsights.com/privacyChartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

On the morning of Thursday, November 21st, 1963 President Kennedy had breakfast with his children. He said goodbye to his daughter Caroline when she left for school at 9:15. President Kennedy arrived at his office for the last time at 9:55. The President left the White House for the last time at 10:50AM. He flew to Andrews Air Force Base where he and the First Lady departed for San Antonio Texas. John Jr accompanied them to the airport. Once in Texas, he was at the dedication of the Aerospace Medical Health Center, Brooks Air Force Base. He then went to Houston. There he made brief remarks to the League of United Latin American Citizens at the Rice Hotel. He then addressed a dinner in honor of Representative Albert Thomas. Some of that speech was just heard. The President and First Lady then traveled to Fort Worth where they stayed at the Texas Hotel. He had speeches set for Fort Worth and Dallas the next day. In world news, Robert Stroud, “the birdman of Alcatraz” died while incarcerated in Springfield, Missouri. In Japan's general election, the Liberal Democratic Party retained a majority in the Shugiin (SHOO GEEN), or House of Representatives. While India began its space program with the launching of a rocket at the far south end of the Indian subcontinent. And by the time the President went to sleep, it was the 22nd in the UK. That day, The Beatles released their second studio album, With The Beatles. Produced by George Martin, it featured eight original compositions and six covers. The famous black and white portrait on the cover, with Ringo underneath John, George, and Paul, was widely copied afterwards.

India have become the first side to storm into the semi-finals of World Cup 2023 with a record-breaking 302-run win over Sri Lanka. With seven successive wins, India have been in a league of their own, and with just two more league matches to play, it is starting to feel like a dream. India are not short of match-winners with the likes of Mohammed Shami, KL Rahul, Jasprit Bumrah, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Shreyas Iyer and Kuldeep Yadav stepping up on different occasion. Despite being two-time World Champions, India's performance in ICC tournaments has rarely been as relentless and precise as it is now. Judging from the evidence at hand, even the most fearless wouldn't hesitate to place their bet on the Men in Blue. While India have locked in a semi-final berth, the other three spots that will secure a place in the knockout stage are still up for grabs. Rajarshi Gupta is joined by Akshay Ramesh and Saurabh Kumar as they recap and dissect World Cup 2023. Tune In!

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said earlier this month that India will leave no stone unturned in its bid to host the 2036 Olympics. While India has hosted major multi-nation, multi-discipline sports events --- the Commonwealth Games of 2010 and the Asian Games of 1982 come to mind – the Olympics is of an altogether different order of magnitude. Several questions pop up as India aspires to host the Olympics. How does the bidding process work? What are the costs likely to be? Can India afford it? And what is the scale of infrastructure that India would have to create in order to be able to pull it off? 

While India is well known for her tigers, elephants and rhinos, the country also boasts amongst the richest marine biodiversity. One of the most unique taxa found along India's coasts, are various species of marine turtles. However,  these species are heavily threatened by marine pollution, the illegal wildlife trade of their eggs, attacks by free ranging dogs and habitat loss. Additionally, like most marine species, these turtles are also threatened by climate change. Fortunately, there are some great intiatives and scientisits are working extensively to conserve these ecologically critical taxa. In Episode 22, I interview Kartik Shanker, who is one of the leading marine biologists in India. He has worked extensively researching and conserving various species of marine turtles in India. His passion for marine biology led to him to establish Dakshin Foundation, an organization working towards the conservation of India's coastal ecosystems with the involvment of local communities. He is also a faculty of the Centre for Ecological Studies at the Indian Institute of Science.Did you enjoy this podcast? Don't forget to subscribe to the podcast! You can also listen to the podcast on YouTube, Spotify, iTunes and Amazon Music. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit anishbanerjee.substack.com

While India's spacecraft landed on the lunar surface, the Russian one collided with it. The mixed record shows that developing a lunar economy won't be easy. Read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While India's power has grown phenomenally in 10 years, it remains caught in China-Pakistan pincer. If the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) ministerial is unusually tense by the standards of such multilateral events, it is because two of its key members are at odds with the third, or because India is at odds with China & Pakistan. Watch this week's #NationalInterest with ThePrint Editor-In-Chief Shekhar Gupta.

The United Nations has confirmed that India will overtake China to become the world's most populous nation in 2023. By July 1, India is predicted to have 1.429 billion people, three million ahead of China with 1.426 billion. While India continues to face major development challenges, its big, young population is being viewed as an opportunity to stir economic growth, and lift millions of Indians out of poverty.

While China has claimed that 160 countries reaffirmed commitment to its one-China principle following the visit to Taiwan by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, India said Friday its own "relevant policies are well known and consistent" and don't require a reiteration. Breaking its silence on the Taiwan issue, and as China intensifies its military drills, the government expressed concern over the rising Cross-Strait tensions and called for restraint and for avoiding any attempt to unilaterally change the status quo. While India follows a one-China policy, and has only unofficial ties with Taiwan, it stopped reiterating the same in bilateral documents with China well over a decade ago and following differences with Beijing over issues related to Jammu and Kashmir and Arunachal Pradesh."Like many other countries, India too is concerned at recent developments. We urge the exercise of restraint, avoidance of unilateral actions to change status quo, de-escalation of tensions and efforts to maintain peace and stability in the region," said MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi, responding to media queries about India's position.Explore More at - www.argumentativeindians.comDISCLAIMER:We invite thought leaders from across the ideological spectrum. The guests in our sessions express their independent views and opinions. Argumentative Indians does not profess to subscribe, agree or endorse the same or be in anyway responsible for the stance, words and comments of our guests.

While India is away on her honeymoon Tommy interviews accomplished marathoner Philip King. Philip talks about his experience at this years Tokyo Marathon, predicts Eliud Kipchoge Boston Marathon finish, and fills us in on the work Black Unicorn Marathoners are doing to bring more diversity to the Boston Marathon.

On this episode of Unsupervised Learning Razib explores the history of China through the lens of genetics and ancient DNA. This podcast is a companion to the recent two pieces, Genetic history with Chinese characteristics and Venerable Ancestors: untangling the Chinese people's hybrid Pleistocene origins. Today 92% of the citizens of the People's Republic of China are ethnic Han, accounting for 16% of humanity. With China's new prominence in genomics over the last decade, the genetic structure and relatedness of the Han and other ethnic groups in modern China have been extensively mapped. While India is fractured into thousands of endogamous groups, the Han Chinese are surprisingly homogeneous, with most variation dividing the North Chinese from the South Chinese.  Though the Chinese claim “5,000 years of history,” Razib probes deeper, back to the arrival of modern humans to East Asia more than 40,000 years ago, perhaps as early as 50,000 years ago. The monologue recounts the discovery and implications of the first modern human genome from East Asia, Tianyun Man, and how he relates to the region's peoples today and their Pleistocene diversification and Holocene homogenization. Finally, Razib reflects on how science differs from the narrative the modern Chinese tell about their origins and how they relate to their neighboring nations.

As a marathon runner, race announcer, YouTuber, podcast host, and RRCA - certified run coach, India Cook has a lot to say about being seen in the running industry. This week, we welcome India Cook to share her experience as a Black woman in this space, how she got to where she is today, and her effort to get more women of color coaching. While India started her running career as a feat to lose weight, she shares how important it is for that "why" to continually change. Discussing what it's like to share her life online, the trio chats about the woes of social media and the importance of using it as a tool for change. Finally, India shares her determination to get more women, and women of color coaching, and why this is important. Follow India on Instagram @i_of_endigo_runs https://vcpm.com/game-changershttps://www.outsideonline.com/health/running/culture-running/people/game-changers-coaches/*** Support the Podcast *** InsideTracker: Get 20% off at insidetracker.com/feistyOrca: Use code IRONWOMEN15 for 15% off at www.orca.com/That's It.: Use code IRONWOMEN to get 20% off your order at thatsitfruit.com This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podsights - https://podsights.com/privacyChartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

My guest today is Anand Chandrasekaran, Partner at General Catalyst. While India has become a popular investment hub in recent years, it wasn't the case just shy of a decade ago. Even more rare were investors that spent equivalent amounts of time in India and the Bay Area. Anand has a unique perspective, and it's why I wanted to bring him on to Return on India. He's operated and invested in both the East and the West. He has spent time at formidable players in both countries, such as Facebook, Yahoo, Bharti Airtel and Snapdeal, and coalesced those perspectives into over 80 investments prior to joining GC. For that, Anand is widely recognized as one of the top seed angel investors in the Indian ecosystem. Today we went wide and deep. We unpacked the different phases of India's growth, the challenges of building in India, and how India compares to the US ecosystem with some insight for the outlook ahead. Please enjoy my conversation with Anand Chandrasekaran.   For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here. -----   Return On India is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Return On India, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.   Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter: @RomeenSheth | @joincolossus   Show Notes [00:02:50] - [First question] - The Cowboy, Jio and Growth phases of India's startup ecosystem [00:06:18] - Moving from basic infrastructure to a creative hub for entrepreneurs  [00:11:04] - How we should appropriately think about India  [00:14:54] - Startups are seen as the solution for building a great country in India [00:17:47] - Thinking about the size of the opportunity set that sits beneath each of India's innovation archetypes [00:19:55] - Characteristics of companies that are building natively for India [00:23:32] - Why differentiate between India's consumers using the english and hindi word for India [00:25:47] - How to build successful companies depending on which Indian consumer you're addressing  [00:28:59] - Reacting to the US statement that Indians make great employees but not leaders [00:32:57] - Why the west erroneously refers to India as the developing world  [00:34:46] - What the US ecosystem can learn from India [00:36:30] - Bullish factors about India that the rest of the world doesn't understand [00:39:27] - The bear case for India that people may not be aware of  [00:41:46] - What will have to go right or wrong in the future to elevate or hurt India's success Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What explains the uneven meatification of diets in three of Asia's core ‘emerging economies'? How and why is meat consumption changing today, and what role have American fast-food chains played? To discuss these questions and more, Helene Ramnæs, coordinator for the Norwegian Network for Asian Studies, is joined by Marius Korsnes, Kenneth Bo Nielsen and Arve Hansen. Asian diets include considerably more meat now than in the recent past, but meat is a contested issue. China and Vietnam have experienced some of the world's most dramatic meat booms but vegetarianism increases and concerns for unsafe production methods and negative health effects have made people cautious about the meat they eat. While India defies global meat trends, contemporary India is not as vegetarian as it claims, and a large beef sector exists in an uneasy relationship with Modi's hindu-nationalist regime. Marius Korsnes specialises in Science and Technology Studies at the Department for Interdisciplinary Studies of Culture at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). His work focuses on sustainable consumption and production and he is PI of the ERC project: “A Middle Way? Probing Sufficiency through Meat and Milk in China” Kenneth Bo Nielsen is a social anthropologist working on social movements and the political economy of development in India. In addition to working and teaching at the University of Oslo, he also leads the Norwegian Network for Asian Studies with Arve Hansen. Arve Hansen is a human geographer at the Centre for Development and the Environment at the University of Oslo, teaching and researching consumption and sustainability, and with a particular interest in meat and meat avoidance. He also leads the Norwegian Network for Asian Studies with Kenneth Bo Nielsen. Karen Lykke Syse and Arve Hansen: Changing Meat Cultures Food Practices, Global Capitalism, and the Consumption of Animals The Nordic Asia Podcast is a collaboration sharing expertise on Asia across the Nordic region, brought to you by the Nordic Institute of Asian Studies (NIAS) based at the University of Copenhagen, along with our academic partners: the Centre for East Asian Studies at the University of Turku, and Asianettverket at the University of Oslo. We aim to produce timely, topical and well-edited discussions of new research and developments about Asia. About NIAS: www.nias.ku.dk Transcripts of the Nordic Asia Podcasts: http://www.nias.ku.dk/nordic-asia-podcast 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

What explains the uneven meatification of diets in three of Asia's core ‘emerging economies'? How and why is meat consumption changing today, and what role have American fast-food chains played? To discuss these questions and more, Helene Ramnæs, coordinator for the Norwegian Network for Asian Studies, is joined by Marius Korsnes, Kenneth Bo Nielsen and Arve Hansen. Asian diets include considerably more meat now than in the recent past, but meat is a contested issue. China and Vietnam have experienced some of the world's most dramatic meat booms but vegetarianism increases and concerns for unsafe production methods and negative health effects have made people cautious about the meat they eat. While India defies global meat trends, contemporary India is not as vegetarian as it claims, and a large beef sector exists in an uneasy relationship with Modi's hindu-nationalist regime. Marius Korsnes specialises in Science and Technology Studies at the Department for Interdisciplinary Studies of Culture at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). His work focuses on sustainable consumption and production and he is PI of the ERC project: “A Middle Way? Probing Sufficiency through Meat and Milk in China” Kenneth Bo Nielsen is a social anthropologist working on social movements and the political economy of development in India. In addition to working and teaching at the University of Oslo, he also leads the Norwegian Network for Asian Studies with Arve Hansen. Arve Hansen is a human geographer at the Centre for Development and the Environment at the University of Oslo, teaching and researching consumption and sustainability, and with a particular interest in meat and meat avoidance. He also leads the Norwegian Network for Asian Studies with Kenneth Bo Nielsen. Karen Lykke Syse and Arve Hansen: Changing Meat Cultures Food Practices, Global Capitalism, and the Consumption of Animals The Nordic Asia Podcast is a collaboration sharing expertise on Asia across the Nordic region, brought to you by the Nordic Institute of Asian Studies (NIAS) based at the University of Copenhagen, along with our academic partners: the Centre for East Asian Studies at the University of Turku, and Asianettverket at the University of Oslo. We aim to produce timely, topical and well-edited discussions of new research and developments about Asia. About NIAS: www.nias.ku.dk Transcripts of the Nordic Asia Podcasts: http://www.nias.ku.dk/nordic-asia-podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/east-asian-studies

In country after country in South Asia, we are seeing worrying signs of economic turmoil and political upheaval. Earlier this year, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan lost a bruising no-confidence vote, resulting in his abrupt ouster. But now the new coalition government that took over from Khan is struggling under the weight of a rising debt burden. Sri Lanka has experienced a full-blown crisis, resulting in Asia's first default in decades and the collapse of the Rajapaksa government. While India's economic prospects remain relatively positive, there too there are concerns about how widely the gains of recent economic growth are being shared.To discuss South Asia's economic outlook, journalist Benjamin Parkin joins Milan on the show this week. Ben is the South Asia correspondent for the Financial Times based in New Delhi and has previously worked with Bloomberg and the Wall Street Journal.The two discuss the external headwinds, domestic policy missteps, and continued uncertainty plaguing South Asian economies from Afghanistan to Bangladesh. They also discuss how China is using the present moment to press its advantage and how the West is responding. Plus, the two talk about India's economic trajectory and the sharply divided views on its recovery. “Pakistan After Imran Khan,” (with Aqil Shah) Grand Tamasha, May 4, 2022.  “Inside Sri Lanka's Meltdown,” (with Ahilan Kadirgamar) Grand Tamasha, May 18, 2022.Benjamin Parkin and Farhan Bokhari, “Man of the People or Agent of Chaos? Imran Khan Divides Pakistan,” Financial Times, September 5, 2022.Benjamin Parkin, “Sri Lanka Raises Taxes in Effort to Secure IMF Bailout,” Financial Times, August 30, 2022.Benjamin Parkin and John Reed, “Bangladesh is ‘Being Killed by Economic Conditions Elsewhere in the World,'” Financial Times, August 24, 2022.